code-switching .reason and attitude towards cs

1. A presentation on
Code-switching
Prepared by :Mojahid Billah
ID No:UG07-26-12-011
Prepared for: Afroza Aziz Sochuna
Assistant Professor
Department of English
State university of Bangladesh

2. The emergence of code switching
The history of code switching research in sociocultural linguistics is often
dated from Bloom and Gumperz’s (1972) “Social meaning in linguistic
structures” .
However, by 1972 the term “code switching” was well attested in the
literature, and several studies in linguistic anthropology and sociolinguistics
prefigured later code switching research in sociocultural linguistics. An
important base for code switching research in the field of linguistics is Uriel
Weinreich’s (1953) Languages in Contact. One of those inspired by
Weinreich’s book was Hans Vogt, whose “Language Contacts” (1954) is
cited as the first article to use the term “code-switching” in the field of
linguistics (Alvarez-Cáccamo 1998; Benson 2001).
.

3. Code-switching in itself is perhaps not a
linguistic phenomenon, but rather a psychological one,
and its causes are obviously extra- linguistic. But
bilingualism is of great interest to the linguist
because it is the condition of what has been
called interference between languages. [Hans Vogt
1954:368]
Vogt ,assumes that code switching is not only natural,
but common. He suggests that all languages – if not all
language users – experience language contact, and that
contact phenomena, including language alternation, are
an important element of language change.

4. What is Code Switching?
The term code switching (or, as it is sometimes written, code-switching or
code switching)is broadly discussed and used in linguistics and a variety of
related fields. Code-switching is the alternation between two codes
(languages and/or dialects), between people who share those particular
codes. Choices about how code-switching manifests itself are determined by
a number of social and linguistic factors. It is quite typical in multicultural
and immigrant populations. Code-switching can take on several forms
including alteration of sentences, phrases from both languages, and
switching in a long narrative. In normal conversations between two
bilinguals, code-switching consists of eighty-four percent single word
switches, ten percent phrase switches, and six percent clause switching
(Skiba, 1997, para. 2).

5. Reasons for Code-Switching
In some situations, code-switching is done deliberately to exclude a
person from a conversation. It is seen as a sign of solidarity within a group,
and it is also assumed that all speakers in a conversation must be bilingual in
order for code-switching to occur. Bilinguals do not usually translate from the
weaker language to the stronger one, and is used most often when a word
doesn't "come". Code-switching is not a language interference based on the fact that
it supplements speech. It provides continuity in speech rather than
presenting an interference when used because of an inability of expression.
Code-switching can be used in a variety of degrees, whether it be used at
home with family and friends, or used with superiors at the workplace (Lipski,
1985, p. 23).

7. code switching is seen as the medium to convey both social and
linguistic meanings. According to Gumperz (pg. 144, 1982) lists
examples of situations created to convey meaning as given below:
•to appeal to the literate
•to appeal to the illiterate
•to convey precise meaning
•to ease communication, i.e., utilizing the shortest and the easiest
route
•to negotiate with greater authority
•to capture attention, i.e. stylistic, emphatic, emotional
•to emphasize a point
•to communicate more effectively
•to identify with a particular group
•to close the status gap
•to establish goodwill and support

8. code switching can also be listed according to the functions that
they try to accomplish. Among these, the following ten functions
have been described in the professional literature (Malik, 1994):
•Lack of Facility
•Lack of Register
•Mood of the Speaker
•To emphasize a point
•Habitual Experience
•Semantic significance
•To show identity with a group
•To address a different audience
•Pragmatic reasons
•To attract attention.

9. Communication
to ease communication, utilizing the shortest
and the easiest route to communicate more
effectively to establish goodwill and support
one wishes to create a certain
communication effect one wishes to exclude
another person from the dialogue
Conceptual
some experiences have only been
experienced in one of the languages a
misunderstanding has to be clarified
habitual experience semantic significance
Emphasis
to capture attention, stylistic, emphatic,
emotional
to emphasize a point one wants to make a
point
to emphasize a point to attract attention
Interlocution
to appeal to the literate
to appeal to the illiterate
to close the status gap
one wishes to express group solidarity
to show identity with a group
to address a different audience

10. Some example of code switching
While observing the classrooms few queries and statements of the
learners are noted down, such as-
i) Mam, exam er jonno kon topicgulo beshi important?
(Mam,
which topics are most important for exam?)
ii) Sir, topic ta clear hossena, abar repeat korben please? (Sir, the
topic is not getting clear, could you please repeat it?)
iii) Aj rastay onek jam silo, tai late hoye gelo. ( It had severe jam
today on road, so it is late)

11. 0
0.1
0.2
0.3
0.4
0.5
0.6
0.7
0.8
0.9
possitive negetive
Impact of code switching on
people:

12. Attitude
The term attitude is itself very difficult to
comprehend. There are many definitions of
attitude proposed by different scholars. Gardner
defines attitude as the overall outlook, a person
has for a specific thing (Gardner, On the
validity of affective variables in second
language acquisition: Conceptual and statistical
considerations, 1980). Ajzan defines attitude
with respect to positive and negative attributes
of a person (Ajzan, 1988). Baker says that
attitude of a person is his constant way of
acting in a same way towards anything (Baker,
1992).

13. Attitudes about Code Switching
Within the world of languages use, code-switching has often been
perceived as being of lower status, a strategy used by weak
language performers to compensate for language deficiency.
This view of code-switching and bilingual talk in general is more
normatively- based than research-based as pointed by Lin( 1996)
who added that such a view conveys
little more than the speaker or writer’s normative claims
about what counts as standard or legitimate language.

14. Myers –Scotton (2006) defines attitude as “ subjective evaluation of both language
varieties and their speakers. “many people specially monolinguals thought that
bilinguals tend to code-switch because of education and of language skills, that they are
not able to speak two languages perfectly without mixing them. Code-switching was
regarded as “an illegitimate mode of communication” (wie 2000:21)this is why some
bilinguals refuse or try to avoid code-switching. there are also efforts to keep language
pure and bilingual parents do not want their children to use the language spoken at
home, so it is differentiated between attitude of monolinguals and bilinguals and to
various aspect of bilingualism and attitude bilinguals themselves .In recent years
however, many linguists are of the opinion that code-switching in bilingual speech is a
normal and natural consequence of the interaction of two languages and that is not a
grammarless mixture of two language. (Ritchie & Bhatia: 2004:339) states that for
bilinguals with a positive attitude towards code-switching it is natural and useful
communication strategy and they will therefore not try to avoid code-switching.
Moreover, through language and especially through code-switching many bilinguals
express their multiple culture identities. Many bilingual speakers often feel that they
have more than one identity. Research on linguistic attitude is difficult because speakers
are often unaware about their bilingual behavior and especially about their code-
switching in many situations.

15. Grosjean :experienced that many bilinguals have the feeling that
they change personality ,when they change language (cf.1982:273).
In a word it is the environment and the culture as a whole that
cause the bilingual to change language, along with
attitude,feeling,and behaviors—and not language as such
(1982:283) .

16. Conclusion
Thus, it can be concluded that there are many
reasons why code switching takes place in
particular social contexts. The ability of the
interlocutors who are able to speak more than
one language fluently plays an important role
during their interaction. The study has shown
that the bilinguals have emphasized that
habitual expression which is related to
psychological aspect of behavior as their main
reason for code switching. Besides that, lack of
register competence is also another contributing
factor for code switching.