Abstract
Within the context of teaching English as a foreign language, code-switching – alternating between two or more languages, in the context of a single conversation or situation – is a common practice. This article is the first to investigate the frequency and functions of code-switching by lecturers of general English language courses across two main universities in Tbilisi, Georgia. Building on existing literature [Myers-Scotton, 1993; Ferguson, 2003, etc.], this quantitative study uses survey responses from 92 lecturers and 220 students enrolled in general English courses at the university level in Georgia. The objective is to reveal (1) the frequency of code-switching used by the EFL (English as a foreign language) course lecturers in the higher education discourse; (2) the functions of using code-switching in the EFL course; (3) and the EFL course lecturers' and students’ attitudes towards lecturers’ code-switching behavior. Based on the results of the study, code-switching in the classroom can serve several functions such as communicative and intercultural difference. Moreover, students were found to hold far more positive attitudes towards their lecturers switching from English into Georgian during class than the lecturers themselves. Thus, it shows that lecturers believe in a conventional view (using only one language) of teaching a language. Surprisingly, although lecturers have a negative attitude towards using Georgian, 50-60% of participants use Georgian.
Published Version
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call