Abstract
Code-switching (CS), the alternation between two or more languages within a stretchof language, is accepted as a valuable strategy of bilinguals in making linguistic choicesfor communicative purposes. Following different perspectives, CS can be understoodeither as an attempt to communicate meanings at the macro level (such as identity,solidarity etc.), or to convey intended meaning to the listener within the boundaries ofconversational interaction at the micro level. Accepted as a strategy of speakers inbilingual communities, CS in foreign language learning settings is still a contentiousmatter. However, its potential has been emphasized in recent studies. This small-scalestudy examines teacher and student CS occurrences in an EFL lesson at a Turkish stateuniversity. CS occurrences were transcribed and sample extracts were analyzedthrough conversational analysis. The results show that teachers and learners apply CSto generate access to language or as a tool in classroom management. This study alsoreveals that CS can be a learner strategy to avoid L2 when lesson content is of littlerelevance to learners. In such cases CS cannot fulfil its potential as a means indiscourse strategy, and language learning is unlikely to be facilitated.
Highlights
Code-switching (CS) refers to a situation in which a speaker changes between two or more languages within a conversation at inter-sentential or intra-sentential level (Hamers & Blanc, 2004)
CS in the FL classroom, as a peculiarity in the wide field of CS, is signified by its own specific features. It is located in the area of conflict between the institutional overall goal - to teach a foreign language - which suggests that L1 should be minimized, and the perception that CS is a natural tendency in bilingual settings with the potential to make conversations run
Conversation in the classroom - classroom interaction - has been clearly identified in its importance for language learning through the insights of social constructivism (Walsh, 2003)
Summary
Code-switching (CS) refers to a situation in which a speaker changes between two or more languages within a conversation at inter-sentential or intra-sentential level (Hamers & Blanc, 2004). It is frequently observed in bilingual communities. The following sections elaborate on CS as a phenomenon in bilingual settings and CS occurring in the foreign language classroom. Two approaches account for CS in bilingual communities. Following a macrosociolinguistic or ‘universalist’ approach, social motivation accounts for speakers’ choices of linguistic codes. A second approach emphasizes the function of CS to address situated concerns bilingual speakers are faced with in the specific context of conversational interaction. CS emerges as an outcome of sequential development in talk between bilinguals, i.e. it is a tool in “conversational activity (...) within specific conversational contexts” (Wei, 2005a, p.276)
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