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Code Switching and Code Mixing
Code:
According to wardaugh, code is defined as the particular dialect or language one
chooses to use on any given occasions and the communication system used
between two or more parties. It is possible to refer to a language or a variety of a
language as a code. The term is useful because it is neutral. Terms like dialect,
language, style, standard language, pidgin, and creole are inclined to arouse
emotions. In contrast, the ‘neutral’ term code, can be used to refer to any kind of
system that two or more people employ for communication.
Sociolinguistics considers Code Mixing and Code Switching as the by-products of
bilingualism. People, then, are usually required to select a particular code
whenever they choose to speak, and they may also decide to switch from one
code to another or to mix codes even within sometimes very short utterances and
thereby create a new code in a process known as code-switching. Code-switching
(also called code-mixing) can occur in conversation between speakers’ turns or
within a single speaker’s turn. In the latter case it can occur between sentences
(inter-sentential) or within a single sentence (intra-sentential). Code-switching
can arise from individual choice or be used as a major identity marker for a group
of speakers who must deal with more than one language in their common
pursuits. Some scholars like Kachru (1983), Annamali (1989), Bokamba (1988),
Sridhar and Sridhar (1980), Hamers and Blanc (1990), Bhatia (1992), Poplack
(1980) treat these phenomena as the distinct manifestations. Some other scholars
like Eastman (1992), Scotton (1992), however, consider that there is no distinction
between them.
According to Mary W.J. Tay (1989:408), “Code-mixing involves the embedding or
mixing of various linguistics units, i.e. morphemes, words, phrases and clauses
from two distinct grammatical systems or sub-systems within the same sentence
and same speech situation.”
Crystal (1995) states, “Code or language switching occurs when an individual, who
is bilingual, alternates between two languages during his or her speech with
another bilingual person.”
To illustrate further the difference in code mixing and code switching, examples
are given below:
 Life in cities is comfortable bass I am sick and tired of traffic.
 Life in cities is comfortable but I am sick and tired of traffic.
Here in the above sentence, only one word from Arabic is mixed in a sentence of
English. This is code mixing.
 If you work hard, rǽh tingah.
 If you work hard, you will pass.
Here in the above sentence, the speaker starts in English but switches to Arabic to
complete the sentence. This is code switching.
Two kinds of code-switching: situational and metaphorical. Situational codeswitching occurs when the languages used change according to the situations in
which the conversant find themselves: they speak one language in one situation
and another in a different one. No topic change is involved. When a change of
topic requires a change in the language used we have metaphorical codeswitching. The interesting point here is that some topics may be discussed in
either code, but the choice of code adds a distinct flavor to what is said about the
topic. The choice encodes certain social values. Linguists have found it very
difficult to explain precisely when, linguistically and socially, code-switching
occurs, i.e., what all the constraints are. However, there is broad agreement
about the general principles that are involved.
There are many uses of code switching:
1. The first function of code mixing is of “equivalence
2. Secondly, code switching helps in reiteration.
3. Thirdly, code switching in language classroom has a repetitive function. In
this case, the teacher uses code switching in order to transfer the necessary
knowledge to the students for clarity.
4. Fourthly, Code Switching functions as a bridge between known (native
language) to unknown (English.)
5. Finally, code switching helps in building solidarity and intimate relations
between the teacher and the students.
REASONS OF CODE-MIXING
When code mixing occurs, the motivation or reasons of the speaker is an
important consideration in the process. According to Hoffman, there are a
number of reasons for bilingual or multilingual person to switch or mix their
languages. Those are:
a) Interjection
b) Quoting somebody else
c) Expressing group identity
d) Because of real lexical need
e) Talking about a particular topic
f) Repetition used for clarification
g) Being emphatic about something
h) To soften or strengthen request or command
i) Intention of clarifying the speech content for interlocutor
j) To exclude other people when a comment is intended for only a limited
audience
Social motivations for code-switching: Code-switching relates to, and sometimes
indexes social-group membership in bilingual and multilingual communities. Some
sociolinguists describe the relationships between code-switching behaviors and
class, ethnicity, and other social positions. In addition, scholars in interactional
linguistics and conversation analysis have studied code-switching as a means of
structuring talk in interaction.
Mechanics of code-switching:
Code-switching mostly occurs where the syntaxes of the languages align in a
sentence; thus, it is uncommon to switch from English to French after an adjective
and before a noun, because, in French, adjectives usually follow nouns. Even
unrelated languages often align syntactically at a relative clause boundary or at
the boundary of other sentence sub-structures.
Some proposed constraints are:
1. The Free-morpheme Constraint: code-switching cannot occur between
bound morphemes.
2. The Equivalence Constraint: code-switching can occur only in positions
where "the order of any two sentence elements, one before and one after
the switch, is not excluded in either language." Thus, the sentence: "I like
you porque eres simpático." ("I like you because you are nice.") is allowed
because it obeys the relative clause formation rules of Spanish and English.
3. The Closed-class Constraint: closed class items (pronouns, prepositions,
conjunctions, etc.), cannot be switched.
4. The Matrix Language Frame model distinguishes the roles of the participant
languages
5. The Functional Head Constraint: code-switching cannot occur between a
functional head (a complementizer, a determiner, an inflection, etc.) and its
complement (sentence, noun-phrase, verb-phrase).