CODE-SWITCHING IN DAILY CONVERSATIONS

AMONG MARWAT STUDENTS IN KOHAT

Abdullah
(Reg # EN120172009)

Bachelor of Science
In English

September 2018

DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH
KOHAT UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY,
KOHAT
 Introduction
Code-switching is a term that is widely used in linguistics and a variety of related fields. This
phenomenon can be seen regularly among speakers in bilingual or multilingual societies or
among the learners of a second language. Brice (2009) considers code-switching as a natural act
made by bilingual and multilingual. Code switching is also known as code mixing and code
shifting, frequently occurs in informal conversations when one has a conversation with a friend,
classmate, neighbor or relative. Before defining code switching phenomenon, the term “code”
should be defined. Wardhaugh (2000) considers code as a neutral concept which represents the
system that is employed by two or more speakers in the conversation. Bernstein (1971) defines
code as any system of signals, such as numbers and words that conveys concrete meaning.

In the early 1950’s, an individual who code switched was not considered to be well
educated (Weinreich, 1953). Then, the perspective on code-switching began to change. This
negative attitude towards code switching has changed to a very positive one. It is considered to
be a universal phenomenon made by bilingual and multilingual. Particularly from 1980s, several
scholarly researches have been conducted to investigate code switching phenomenon in order to
“shed light on our understanding of bilingual speech behavior” (Jingxia, 2010). Consequently,
several definitions have been offered by various scholars such as Fishman (1970), Gumperz
(1982), Heller (1988), Bokamba (1989), Eastman (1992), Jacobson (1997) and Crystal (2003) to
define the concept of code switching. Gumperz (1982) defines code-switching as “juxtaposition
within the same speech exchange of passages belonging to two different grammatical systems or
subsystems” (p: 59). In other words, it illustrates code-switching as the usage of two different
and diverse languages in the same conversation. Code-switching is a multifunctional
characteristic of the languages of bilinguals in formal and casual setting. Jackson and Stockwell
(2011) identify Code-switching as two or more languages or dialects that are broadly utilized in
daily life, where the choice of which dialect is talked in any particular circumstance is ordinarily
a profoundly principled matter of social rules.

Before going deeper into the topic, it is necessary to refer to the various types of code
switching. Several researchers have attempted to provide definitions and typological frameworks
that account for the phenomenon of Code-switching. Gumperz (1982) clarifies that Code-
switching is divided into three types: Inter-sentential, intra-sentential and emblematic switching.
The first one, Inter-sentential switch, happens between sentences; sentences from another dialect
are embedded in a similar talk. The second one occurs within the sentence, elements of language
are used as elements of the sentence in language B. The last one, Emblematic switch, takes the
form of tags, and exclamations from one language to another. On the other hand, Hughes (2006)
distinguishes three types of codes-switching. The first one concerns the use of words from the
second language in the same grammatical format, but when the words are not available in the
primary language it’s called Borrowing. The second one is Claque; it refers to literally
translating a phrase without regard to proper context. The third one is the act of inserting an
entire phrase from the second language into a conversation using the first language; it’s called
inter-sentential.

Poplack (1980) identifies three different types of code-switching: Inter-sentential which

happens between sentence boundaries. Intra-sentential code-switching occurs in the middle of a
sentence, with no interruption, hesitation or pause indicating a shift. Extra-sentential code-
witching is an insertion of a tag from one language into an utterance of another language.
Although intra-sentential code- switching is the most frequent type of code- switching in
conversations, however, most of the proficient bilingual or multilingual speakers avoid using
intra-sentential code- switching as it contains the highest syntactic risk.

Relying on Poplack’s categorization of the code- switching phenomenon, this paper

intends to investigate the speech behavior and particularly the code switching phenomenon
among Marwat students who use English as their second language. The main objective of the
study is to identify the types of code- switching which is frequently used by undergraduate
Marwat linguistics students and the factors leading to code- switching in their utterances.
Furthermore, this paper will examine the consequences and effects of code- switching (CS) on
the students’ L2 (English language) proficiency.

Purpose of the Study:

Jamshidi & Navehebrahim (2013) argue that in code switching process “code” can be
“any systems of signals which can be used for sending a massage, a term which is used instead
of language, speech variety, or dialect” (186). However, in the code switching phenomenon,
“code” converting can occur in various scopes such as between languages (Azuma, 2001),
dialects (Alfonzetti, 1998), and styles and registers (Farris, 1992). In the current study, the scope
of code is between two different languages, English as the second language (L2) and Pashto as
the first language (L1). It attempts to investigate code switching from English to Pashto among
Marwat students who study at the undergraduate level at Kohat University of Science and
Technology, Kohat (KUST). To be more specific, the purpose of this study is to explore code
switching occurrence among Marwat students and the reasons, factors, consequences and effects
on the students L2 proficiency.

Statement of the Problem:

According to Al-Hourani & Afizah (2013), the majority of the postgraduate students who use
English as the second language (L2) for the medium of the instruction at a university level
encounter the phenomenon of CS in their daily conversations with other speakers of the same
first language (L1). However, most of them are not aware of the negative consequences of the
frequent use of CS on their L2 proficiency as well as their future career. According to Kalong &
Zakaria (2010), code switching which happens regularly among less proficient L2 speakers
might be due to the speakers‟ limited knowledge of the target language or their difficulties in
recalling “the suitable structure or lexicon” of L2 which is English in this study. Sert (2005)
argues that the frequent use of CS will have a long term undesirable influence on the speakers‟
L2 acquisition since it may cause loss of fluency inL2. Therefore, the more frequently L2
learners use code switching, the higher chance for them to encounter fluency loss in learning the
target language, English in this case. As a result, learners might encounter demotivation and lack
of confidence in learning the target language. Sert (2005) highlights that recurrent use of code
switching leads the students to lose their interest in acquiring the target language since they
know that there is always a chance to code switch when they have difficulties in the target
language so they will not try to master the target language proficiently.

On the other hand, Sert (2005) states that code switching might be a useful system for the
speakers to fully express themselves so it can be perceived as “a way of modifying language for
the sake of personal intentions” (2). Trudgill (2000) also claims that “speakers switch to
manipulate or influence or define the situation as they wish and to convey nuances of meaning
and personal intention (105)”. Thus, code switching can help the speakers in their self-expression
among a group of speakers who have common L1 and L2. In addition, CS will assist the
speakers to create intimate interpersonal relationships with other members of a bilingual
community. Hence, CS can be considered as a method for “creating linguistic solidarity
especially between individuals who share the same ethno-cultural identity” (Sert, 2005).

Based on the aforementioned functions of CS, it can have both positive and negative effects on
the speakers. Marwat students, who constantly switch code from English as L2 and Pashto as L1
in their daily conversations, will encounter the effects and consequences of code switching in
their speech. Such effects can be either positive or negative. This study will examine the code
switching behavior of Marwat students to identify the causes and factors that lead to CS
phenomenon as well as influences of CS on their L2 learning process and their future career.

Objectives of the study:

This study intends to achieve the following objectives:

1. To identify the types of code switching which are frequently used by Marwat students.
2. To explore the factors leading to code switching from English to Pashto in conversations
among Marwat students.
3. To examine the consequences and effects of English-Pashto code switching on the
Marwat students‟ L2 (English) proficiency.

Research Questions:

According to the above mentioned introduction, this study seeks to find the answers to the
following research questions.

1. What are the most common types of code switching among Marwat students?
 2. What are the common factors that lead to code switching from English as the target
language (L2) to Pashto as the first language (L1) in Marwat students‟ utterances?
3. What are the impacts of code switching phenomenon on L2 proficiency of the
Marwat students?

Limitation and delimitation:

The most important limitation to this research will be the inclusion of female sample. Firstly, the
focus was on the addition of the female sample but it was not easy because of cultural
restrictions. Female members were interested in giving an interview and in conducting natural
conversation but they hesitated because of the patriarchal behavior of society. Thus, the research
has to be limited only to the male. Therefore the conversation will be held between Marwat
students from B.S English because they are competent enough to give a good and desirable
sample. Another limitation to this research is time management. Time in BS degree for research
is very short. So, everything must be managed properly, which is not easy. In one-year research,
it is very hard to get an effective and desirable result. In qualitative research, data collection and
data analysis take too much time, so one year would be hardly enough.

In order to obtain a better insight about code switching phenomenon among Pashto speakers, it is
significantly crucial to have a review of the previous researches conducted on the subject matter.
The following section will provide a brief literature review on the previous studies about code
switching among Pashto speakers.

Review of the Literature

Bilingualism and its Relatedness to Code-switching:

Romaine (1995) elaborates that there are around thirty times as many languages as there are
countries in the world. Generally, the presence of bilingualism and/or multilingualism could be
found in almost every country in the world.

Wei (2000) claims that diversity of language caused by the different factors like: politics, in the
form of natural disaster, sometime because of religion and culture, technology and education are
also the basic factors. Hence, this association between people from different level who are
bilinguals and multilingual, the desire of communication with each other results in code
switching.

Code Switching and its Relatedness to Language Proficiency:

Competence is one variety of a language, be it a dialect, register, style, appears to be a highly
rare phenomenon. The majority of speakers have the proficiency to speak different varieties of
language. Further, bilingualism and even multilingualism are considered the norm of many
speakers all over the world (Wardhaugh, 2006).
Many researchers, such as Myers-Scotton (1993) and Auer and Poplack (1988), have managed
the research on the topic of bilingualism and code-switching as a discourse strategy applied by
multilingual speakers having good proficiency in both languages.
Montes-Alcalá (2001) suggests that for code-switching it is important for an individual to have
proficiency in both languages.
For intra-sentential code-switching, speaker must be proficient in both languages, since he needs
to know enough about the grammatical rules of both languages, in order to communicate well
with bilinguals. (Poplock, 1980).

Code switching as a neutral phenomenon:

“To the monolingual, bilingual conversation, especially the rapid switching between two
languages, may seem chaotic and even exotic. To the bilingual, however, such code-switching
may be seen as perfectly ordinary, or as incorrect, a corruption of the rules of two languages.
Despite this diversity, linguists who research bilingual conversation agree on several key points.
First, code-switching is not a dysfunctional language practice. Whatever meaning they attach to
code-switching and language choices in bilingual conversation, analysts agree that code-
switching is a normal, functional communicative practice found in virtually every bilingual
context around the world. Rather than judge bilingual language practices as “correct” or
“incorrect,” researchers of bilingual conversational interaction instead, attempt, to describe how
and why bilinguals switch between language varieties”. (Cashman, 2001, p. 275).

Studies on Code-Switching:
The examination of code-switching on the basis of sociolinguistic perspective is on the way to
the reasons and functions lying behind its use. Researchers are trying to investigate that why
people code-switch and what are the social factors which leads to code-switching. (Gardner &
Chloros, 2009).

There are many functions and reasons why people code switch or code mix. The following are
some of the functions and reasons discussed in the paper published in Mabule (2015): There are
different reasons and factors for code-switching. Individuals code-switch to fill the gaps, or
sometimes they do not have appropriate words. Through code-switching, one can communicate
with people from different cultures. It can be used in a situation, where someone wants to know
about the culture of others. In some languages, there are words which are not appropriate or they
are not effective. Sometimes we switch code to affirm our identity and social status. Sometime
code-switching is important to put emphasis on some important idea. (Mabule, 2015).

Grosjean (2010) claims on the reasons of code-switching that sometime it is very difficult to
express certain ideas and notions in matrix language (mother tongue), so speaker code- switch.
He also reports that sometime people code-switch to another language for filling gaps. Hoffmann
(1991) gave different reasons for code-switching in his theory some of which are as follow:
  People sometimes prefer to use one language over another language because of some
particular topic. Sometimes, it is more easy or comfortable for speaker to use language,
which is not the language of daily use, to express his emotional feelings.
 Sometime speaker code-switches to add some quotes from another language, this may be
proverb, idiom or famous expressions according to the particular topic. The switch
involves those words only which is used by some famous writer or which is quoted by
another person already.
 In some cases, people switch from non-native language to his mother tongue for the
purpose of highlighting something. He intentionally or unintentionally, code-switch from
second language to his native-language because he wants to emphasize that point or
particular concept or a particular word.
 When bilingual or multilingual person communicates with one another, a lot of code
switching occurs in their conversation. It means to make the content of their speech runs
smoothly and can be understood by the listener.

Prior research related to Code switching in conversation between Pashto-English

Languages:
The review of related literature contains a systematic and relevant description of the very latest
facts and the results of the previous studies concerning code-switching in conversation between
Pashto-English Languages.

A study was done by Alam (2016) on the topic of ‘Effects of bilingualism: Reasons for
preference of English words in Pashto speech’ show that English-Pashto code-switching is a
common phenomenon in the daily interactions of the Pashto speakers. He illustrated that there
are certain domain-specific or technical English words not used in general Pashtu in daily life,
e.g. the academic words for which general Pashtu does not offer words like “pay slip” and
therefore, people working in that professional domain use the English words. According to Alam
(2016), “There is no specific reason; simply, for a bilingual, it is natural to use both of his codes
when communicating with bilinguals.” (p. 38). He explained the other main reason of code-
switching is that sometimes people use English words to fill gaps i.e. when they do not have any
appropriate lexicon according to the need of a conversation.

In the thesis, Reasons of code-switching in Pashto-English Pair: A counter study of Alam (2016),
Shahzed (2018) carried out conversational analysis method on the conversation between two
participants from Kohat University, which concluded that results are same as the reasons given
in the research of Alam (2016). He encounter that the main and the common reason was that,
code-switching is a natural process which occurs between the conversation of bilingual and
multilingual speakers.

Although various researches have been conducted on code switching phenomenon among Pashto
speakers, but there are no studies on this phenomenon among Marwat students and their speech
behavior. Therefore, this paper intends to shed lights on the Marwat speakers‟ use of code
switching in order to provide a vivid picture of their CS behavior in their daily interactions. It is
hoped that by exploring the types, causes and consequences of CS phenomenon among Marwat
students, this research will assist the Marwat’s English as a foreign language speakers to improve
their proficiency of the English language

Research Methodology
Research Design:

In order to obtain a general and reliable representation of Marwat students’ code-switching

behavior, both qualitative and quantitative research methods will be used, involving of a
conversation among the participants and a survey questionnaires.

Population and Sample:

The population of the study consisted on: “Code-switching in daily conversation among Marwat
students in Kohat” are Marwat students of Kohat University of Science and Technology, Kohat
(KUST). Only male students will be involved and given opportunity to express their views.

From the above population a sample of 6 students who study in the BS English 5th semester will
be selected through convenient sampling technique. The age range of the participants varies from
20 to 23 years old and all of them will the same first language which is Pashto and almost similar
level of proficiency in the target language (L2: English language).

Instrumentation:

In qualitative level, this study will be conducted by recording a 35-minutes conversation among
the participants. The topic of conversation will mostly involve in the participants’ personal and
education life in Kohat. The recorded conversation will later transcribe and the transcription will
be used by the researchers to analyze code switching behavior of the participants. More
precisely, the researchers will examine the occurrence and the types of code switching that
would used by the participants in their utterance.

In addition, for quantitative analysis, the participants will be given a questionnaire which
requires them to choose the factors that lead them to use code switching in their conversation.
The questionnaire provided a list of the common factors that lead speakers to switch codes in
their speech. The participants will be asked to tick the factor or factors that cause code switching
in their conversations. The obtained data will statistically process by statistical package for the
social science (SPSS) software and then interpreted by the researchers, which will present in the
result and discussion sections.

Data Collection
In general, there is not a single way to get good result in qualitative research for the data
collection. A combination of two or more data collection tools will give the finest outcome. The
pros and cons of each method have to be weighed carefully. (Nortier, 2008) Clement (2008)
discussed the importance of recording in studies on bilingualism. He gave different reason that
why the use of recording in significant.

“First of all, recording allows other researchers to review the actual data used and to draw
independent conclusions. Recordings are intrinsically selective, and thus, no “unmotivated”
recorded data exist. However, unlike ethnographic field notes, recordings give other researchers
the opportunity to observe the data somewhat independently. Second, recording makes possible
the creation of audio and video databases, which can then be used for detailed comparative
analysis of bilingual phenomena”.

Secondly, the questionnaires will be distributed personally. Copies of questionnaires will be

distributed among students, return rate of questionnaire should be 100%, the entire 100%
questionnaires should be received from the respondents and all were completely filled. A true
and honest effort should be made to collect the data.

Once a data is collected it needs to be organized in a proper way. The researcher should
familiarize himself with the data collected or obtained. Processing includes transcription, coding,
and quantifying the data. The data also needs to be organized according to the specific
categories, especially if the research deals with the different types of data, for instance,
recording, documents, field notes, etc. speech data often needs to be coded. Thus, the coding
system has to be defined in advance before the data processing begins. (Moyer, 2008)
Observation is of two types: participant and non-participant observation (Dornyei, 2007 cited in
Alam, 2016). An observation in which observer is part of the group and take part in overall
process is called participant observation. On the other hand, non-participant is the type of
observation in which observer is not part of the group.

Data Analysis

For qualitative data, the recorded conversation will later transcribe and the transcription will be
used by the researchers to analyze code switching behavior of the participants. More precisely,
the researchers will examine the occurrence and the types of code switching that will used by the
participants in their utterance. OR “Qualitative data will be compiled using the summary
narrative method.”

For quantitative data, after collection the data from the selected population, Statistical Package
for Social Sciences (SPSS) software will be used for statistical analysis of data from the
questionnaire. Methods to calculate percent of scores, mean of score etc statistics will be applied
on data to draw inferences of the study. OR “Appropriate statistical procedures will be applied to
address the research questions”.
References:

1. Ahmad Shahzed, (2018). Reasons of code-switching in Pashto-English Pair: A counter

study of Alam (2016). (Unpublished thesis).
2. Alam (2016). Effects of bilingualism: Reasons for preference of English words in Pashto
speech, (Unpublished thesis).
3. Sadiq Kainat, (2019). Effect of punishment by teachers on students’ academic
performance and behavior at secondary level (Unpublished thesis).
4. Barbara E. Bullock and Almeida Jacqueline Toribio, “Themes in the Study of Code-
Switching,” in The Cambridge Handbook of Linguistic Code-Switching, eds. Barbara E.
Bullock and Almeida Jacqueline Toribio, Cambridge Handbooks in Linguistics
(Cambridge; New York: Cambridge University Press, 2009), 1–19.
5. Al-Hourani A. & Afizah, T.N. (2013). Code-switching in daily conversation,
International Journal of Social Science and Humanities Research, 1, (1), 40-43.
6. Abalhassan K.M., & Alshalawi, H.G. (2000). Code-switching Behavior of Arab Speakers
of English as a Second Language in the United States, Intercultural Communication
Studies, 10, (1), 179-188
7. Sardar, S. S., Mahdi, A. A., & r Mohd, Y. M. (2015). Code-switching in Daily
Conversations among Iraqi Students in Malaysia. Arab World English Journal, 6(2), 309-
319.
8. https://www.naldic.org.uk/Resources/NALDIC/.../Documents/B1.pdFMay 2, 2009
9. Appel, R., and Muysken, P. (2005). Code-switching and Code-mixing.
10. Mesaaf Tariq, (2019). Code-switching in conversation between English Studies Students
(Morocco). Arab World English Journal, 6(2), 309- 319.