A topic related to linguistics

1. CODE-SWITCHING
Definition
Code switching is when a speaker alternates between two or more languages (or dialects or varieties of
language) in one conversation.
“A situational change in the value of one of the variables that define a domain may result in code-switching.”
Who Uses Code Switching?
Code switching occurs mostly in bilingual/multilingual communities. Speakers of more than one language are
known for their ability to code switch or mix their language during their communication. As Aranoff and Miller
(2003:523) indicate, many linguists have stressed the point that switching between languages is a communicative
option available to a bilingual member of a speech community, just as switching between styles or dialects is an
option for the monolingual speaker.
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2. CODE-SWITCHING
 For example: Two people conducting in business in English in Tanzania might suddenly switch to Swahili or,
if they are fellow members of the same ethnic and linguistic subgroup, to a local vernacular, when the topic of
conversation changes from business proper to more personal matters.
The same kind of code-switching has been noted in many bilingual communities: in India, between English and
Hindi/Urdu, Bengali, Tamil or one of the many other local languages etc.
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3. CODE-SWITCHING
Code-switching depends upon three things:
We switch code from one to other according to
 Topic: whether topic of conversation is formal or informal e.g. study, business, daily life discussion.
 Situation: whether the situation in which one is communicating is formal or informal e.g. business
meeting, classroom, picnic.
 Person: whether the person whom with we are talking is educated or not e.g. student, peon.
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4. REASONS FOR CODE-SWITCHING
 There are a number of possible reasons for switching from one language to another; three are described below.
To Fulfill a Need.
A speaker who may not be able to express him/herself in one language might switch to another to compensate for
the deficiency. As a result, the speaker may be triggered into speaking in the other language for a while. This
type of code switching tends to occur when the speaker is upset, tired, or distracted in some manner, or when
they are less fluent in one language.
To Express Solidarity.
Switching also commonly occurs when an individual wishes to express solidarity with a particular social group.
Rapport is established between the speaker and the listener when the listener responds with a similar switch.
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5. REASONS FOR CODE-SWITCHING
 To Exclude Others.
Code switching may also be used to exclude others from a conversation who do not speak the second language.
For example, if two people in an elevator in an English-speaking place spoke Spanish, then not only would the
others on that elevator who do not speak Spanish would be excluded from the conversation, but also a degree of
comfort and intimacy would be established between the Spanish-speakers due to the fact that not all those
present in the elevator can listen to their conversation.
Some more reasons for code switching can be:
To hide fluency or memory problems in the second language.
To mark switching from informal to formal situation.
Influence of Western cultural
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6. An Introduction to Language, Victoria Fromkin and Robert Rodman
Sociolinguistics, R.A. Hudson
Language and Linguistics, John Lyons
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