Code Switching / Code Mixing

Çağla NikbayB. Betül TüzünerEsra ŞenAslıhan EmirmustafaoğluSümeyra YörürŞeyda Baharoğlu

FLED 415- Language Transfer

Muthusamy P., 2009 Communicative Functions and Reasons for Code-

switching: A Malaysian Perspective

Eldrigde J., 1996 Code-Switching in a Turkish Secondary School

Related Topics: What does code-switching mean? The difference between code-

switcing and code-mixing? The communicative functions and

reasons of code-switching The studies based on code-switching Is code-switching accepted as a

purposeful or random phenomenon? Is it possible to utilize code-switching

for pedagogical aim?

Communicative Functions and Reasons for Code-switching:

A Malaysian Perspective

Muthusamy P., 2009

Code- switching is the concurrent use of more than one-language.

Multilinguals, who speak more than one language, sometimes use elements of multiple languages in conversing with each other.

Code-switching/Code-mixing Code- switching and code-mixing are used interchangably;

however, there is a difference:

Code-mixing refers to the change from one language to another within the same utterance in terms of lexical, grammatical and morphological aspect.

e.g. Bugün add-drop dönemi başlıyor.

Yarın online kayıt sistemi açılıyor.

Senin sunum yapacağin part burası mı?

Code-swithing refers to the change from one language to another not in the same utterance; but in the stretch of conversation.

e.g. Researher Ana Celia Zentella gives an example dialogue among Puerto Rican Spanish-English Bilinguals:

Lolita: Oh, I could stay with Ana? Marta: — but you could ask papi and mami to see if you

could come down. Lolita: OK. Marta: Ana, if I leave her here would you send her

upstairs when you leave? ACZ: I’ll tell you exactly when I have to leave, at ten

o’clock. Y son las nueve y cuarto. ("And it’s nine fifteen.")

Marta: Lolita, te voy a dejar con Ana. ("I’m going to leave you with Ana.") Thank you, Ana.

Commnicative Functions of Code-Switching

1. Lack of Facility2. Lack of Register3. Mood of the Speaker4. To emphasize a point5. Habitual Experience6. Semantic significance7. To show identity with a group8. To address a different audience9. Pragmatic reasons 10. To attract attention(Malik, 1994)

1. Lack of Facility:

Bilinguals often code switch: when they cannot find an

appropriate expression or when the language of conversation

does not have the particular word needed to carry on the conversation smoothly.

e.g. There is a lexical item “social drinker” in English that is unacceptable in a Malay situation and their language does not have a translation equivalence for this word. Hence, the phrase social drinker is directly borrowed and used as an instance of phrase level mixing as in the following example:

!!!Saya difahamkan bahawa OKS jarang minum, hanya seorang social drinker .

[I understand that OKS seldom drinks, he is only a social drinker]

2. Lack of RegisterBilinguals often code-switch: When they are not equally competent in two

languages and when they do not know the terms in two

languages. e.g. Especially from L2 to L3:Instead of “Zwölf” in German--- using twelveWar-was habe- have

3. Mood of the Speaker When the speaker is in the right

state of mind, he/she can find the appropriate word or expression in the base language; but, they may code-switch to the language which is available the speakers.◦ they are tired or angry,◦ they have a disturbed mind.e.g. L1:Turkish/L2: English speakers

tend to switching to Turkish in such a condition:

Yani, evet, of, işte, şey…

Study: Code-switching in classroom

As a teacher, in what situations and for what reasons can we code-switch in the classroom???

According to the study conducted in Jaffna School, following four functions of classroom management are cited in a Tamil-language based students allowing for the switching to English at some points.

1. Opening the classTamil is used to prepare the class for

the lesson by giving the necessary directions in regard to arrangement of the room, while English is used for the lesson proper.

e.g. T: piLLayaL, katirakaLai VaTTamaai pooTunkoo,

sattam pooTaamal, ketiyaa pooTunkoo. Turn to page forty for today’s lesson.

[Children, arrange your chairs into a circle without making noise. Arrange quickly….]

2. Requesting HelpAny kind of help students need to perform an

activity are posed in Tamil, whereas the tasks themselves are informed in English.

e.g. 

S: (reads) The red car belongs to // (to T) iteNNa, Miss, eppiTi colluratu, (spells) e-n-o-s-h-a?

[What is this, Miss, how do I say this?]

What about the role of this function in the classrooms in

Turkey?

3. Managing disciplineStudents switch to Tamil when tey

want to complain to the teacher about any problem with their classmates.

e.g.S: Teacher, look at Selma. Beni rahatsız

ediyor. ( the second sentence is more-complex

to utter. Therefore, the student switch the whole sentence into Turkish.)

4. Teachers’ encouragements & compliments The teacher switches to Tamil to

encourage a response from students. The switch performs an affective function.

e.g.T: What is the past tense of “swim”? //

come on. // enna piLLayal, itu teriyaataa? Poona vakuppilai connaniinkal.

[……….What, children, you don’t know this? You told me that in the last class]

Furthermore, the functions of codeswitching for content transmission are four:

5. Reviewing a lesson 6. Defining a word 7. Explaining a concept 8. Negotiating cultural relevance

Result:

It is important to note that students were silent when the teacher asked a question in English. On the other hand, there were a lot of responses when it was posed in Tamil. Therefore, the teacher uses this opportunity to introduce the English vocabulary related to the lesson.

Conclusion:

The study has shown that habitual expression which is related to psychological aspect of the behavior as the main reason for codeswitching. Furthermore, lack of register competence is another contributing factor.

On the other hand sociopolitical situations in Malaysia exerts pressure on the Tamil speaking community in its effort to maintain its own ethnic and linguistic identity.

According to the our own study:Participants??

Questionnaire??

Video-record??

Result??

CODESWITCHING IN A TURKISH SECONDARY SCHOOL

ELRIDGE J., 1996

John Elridge’s article is about the code-switching of young learners in a Turkish secondary school.

No evidence to support the notion that limiting the use of mother tongue improves learning efficiency.

In contrary, the article shows that code switching in the classroom has a pedagogical orientation and is highly purposeful.

The author gives this definition: Code-switching may be briefly defined as the alternation between two (or more) languages, which is not a random phenomenon but a purposeful activity.

INTRODUCTION

LANGUAGE ATTITUDES In general there is a concern among teachers that if students apply to code-switching, there is a problem in learning the second language.

'If the students start speaking in their own language without your permission . . . it generally means that something is wrong with the lesson.‘ Willis (1981). ‘Progress in the second language is facilitated if only one code is used inthe classroom.’ Cummins & Swain (1986).

HOWEVER, this is not the case!! There are pedagogical implications for code-switching, which is not a counter-productive phenomenon.

THE STUDY

Where Deniz High School To whom elementary & lower intermediate level learners aged 11-13

The aims of this study is to find answers to the following questions:

1. What is the relationship between the level of the student and his or her use of code-switching strategies? 2. What are the general purposes and specific functions of code-switching? 3. How do the code-switchers themselves view the phenomenon? 4. Are there certain types of speech event in which code-switching does not take place, and if so, with what consequences?

ASPECTS OF CODE-SWITCHING

Code-switching and level:• Analysis of the study shows that it seems to be no relationship between level of achievement in the target language and the use of code-switching strategies.• Namely, high achieving students code-switched just as regularly as other students.• The greater the competence in the language X the less the learner will switch to the native code.

General purposes of code-switching:• 77 % of all instances of code-switching classroom tasks & learning objectives• The rest comments directed by students to teacher (not task orientation)• The avoidance strategy was extremely rare. That is to say , students didn’t switch to their mother tongue to talk about something else entirely.

Specific functions of code-switching:The main problem in analysing code-switching in functional terms is that many switches may be either multi-functional, or open to different functional interpretations. BUT, we may say that students code-switch in the classroom from one or more of the following motivations:

a. Equivalence:

e.g: Teacher, cave it means in Turkish mağara? the required item in the target code was simply unknown. (cave)

b. Floor-holding:

e.g: Where did Robert? ... ondan sonra? . . . neydi? T: Was this done on your own? L: Tek başıma ... on my own.

It is not the discussion of “knowing “ a language, it is actually

accessing “learned” information. Code-switching a stopgap (temporary measure).

c. Metalanguage

Although tasks are performed in the target language, the comments, evaluation and talk about the tasks are performed in the native language.

e.g. T: What did you at the

weekend? S: Ne yaptım… I went to

the zoo with my friends.

d. Reiteration

The message is clarified and reinforced repeating it in the native language as the message is not understood.

e.g. S1: Flowers…

he?...flowers… T: Flowers. S2: Flowers… Çiçek.

e. Group Membership

Code-switching is a part of group identiy.

e.g. My best frend-im I like being corrected, yani

because I learn yani.

f. Conflict Control

If there is a potential of conflict with adresee, then use the second language!!!

e.g. liar instead of “yalancı” no instead of “hayır”

g. Alignment and disalignment

The speaker should either align him/herself to the conversation taking place or seek ways to disalign it.

e.g. S1: What did you do

yesterday? S2: Neden siz ... Why are you

... S3: Be quite. S4: Please be quiet, friends.

Code Switching in Oral Examinations

The fact that the code-swithcing at this level is NOT a result of avoidance but a strategy of communication is also proved by oral examinations.

No evidence for good learners code swith less, bad learners code switch more.

An example: T: Now I just want you to tell me what you're going to

do in your summer holiday. S: (3.0) er (5.0) In the summer I went to Karaburun

(1.0) er (2.0) in Karaburun I er (4.0) swim in the sea (1.0) erm

(4.0) erm (5.0) er I eat fish er (2.0) and er potato er chips. T: And have you got a summer house in Karaburun? S: No (4.0) er one day er T: Hmm? S: (4.0) er (2.0) and I er we went to Kusada§i, Ku§ada§i

in Ku§ada§i (3.0) er (1.0) in Ku§ada§i we (3.0) summer house (7.0).