This book provides an in-depth analysis of the different ways in which bilingual speakers switch from one language to another in the course of conversation. Pieter Muysken identifies three distinct patterns of mixing and explores how different mixing strategies depend on the contrasting grammatical properties of the languages involved, the degree of bilingual competence of the speaker and various social factors. The book synthesizes a vast array of recent research in a rapidly growing field of study that has much to reveal about the structure and function of language.