English Department

Subject: Sociolinguistics
Stage: 4th Year
Academic Year 2022- 2023

-CODE-SWITCHING
-METAPHPRICAL-SWITCHING
-LEXICAL BORROWING
Lecturer: Harawaz Lukman Soranni
E-mail: harawaz.soranni@su.edu.krd
 An introduction to Code Switching

◦ There are some phenomena of language occur in societies

to make the communication more effective and meaningful.
One of these phenomenon is code switching which we can
observe mostly in second/foreign language classrooms.
It refers to the use of two languages within a sentence
Or discourse.

◦ The Definition of Code Switching is the use of more than one language,
variety, or style by a speaker within an utterance or discourse, or between
different interlocutors or situations (Romaine, 1992:110).
◦ For example:
◦ ‫ ئەگەر یارمەتیت ویست‬just let me know

◦ ‫ مامۆستام پێ گۆتم‬I must study hard this time.

 TYPES OF CODE- SWITCHING
The two main kinds of Code-switching: one is made for effective and the second for refretional
forces and within each one of them there are some types of code-switching:
emblematic switching or tag switching

◦ A speaker may switch to another language as a signal of group membership and

shared ethnicity with the addressee. Such switches are often very short that it
is called emblematic switching or tag switching and they are made primarily for
social reasons. The tag served as an ethnic identity marker or solidarity marker
◦ For example: affective code/switching
- Günaydìn girls, have you studied for today’s quiz? (Switch between English and
- Turkish)
- Ich brauche deine hilfe please! (Switch between German and English)

◦ A tag-switch might simply be because the speaker lacked the necessary

vocabulary in English for the previous word in this case it would be a referential
oriented code-switching. e.g.
- ‘I’m pleased to see you’re getting a Bewegungsmelder, ja’? (security light, yes).
 Switching for affective functions

◦ When a Kurdish speaking person living in Turkey gets involved in an argument, he

uses Turkish but at some point he goes for Kurdish as he gets upset to express
his attitude towards the situation. The effect can be electrifying. The other
party seems terrified. This code switching here used to express affective rather
than referential meaning. The addressee did not need to understand the words –
he simply needed to get the affective message.
 Situational switching
◦ refers to the tendency in a bilingual or multilingual community to use different
languages or language varieties in different social situations. It may be based on
the topic, on the addressee, the institution, or on any specific combination of
situational factors.
◦ For example: in the shops, salespeople often switch to the language of their
customers.
◦ Bilinguals find it easier to discuss particular topics in one code rather than
another.
 Switching for quoting someone’s speech

Another type is The switch that involves just the words that the speaker is claiming the
quoted person said. So the switch acts like a set of quotation marks. The speaker gives
the impression – which may or may not be accurate – that these are the exact words the
speaker used. A related reason for switching is to quote a proverb or a well-known
saying in another language.
The similarity of quotation and proverb recitation is very clear. Both are referentially
motivated switches in that the speaker wishes to be accurate – the exact words are
important. But switches often serve several functions at once. the switches not only
emphasise the precise message content, they also signal ethnic identity. For example:
-a bilingual teacher of English Language, while delivering lectures, he uses some
proverbs in the local language or variety such as: ‫زگی برسی لە کەس ناپرسی‬
THE FUNCTIONS OF
CODE SWITCHING
 To show identity with a group to stress the fact that they all belong to this group
 Lack of Facility ; switch when they cannot find an appropriate expression or
vocabulary item .
 Lack of Register; : When speakers are not equally competent in two languages.
 To attract attention ; shows that in advertisements (in both, written as well as in
spoken) , code switching is used to attract the attention of the readers/listeners.
 language switch from L to H can signal disapproval . We switch to express anger
using different styles of English
 used for amusement and dramatic a fact by telling joke for expressing emotions.
To Exclude Others. may also be used to exclude others from a conversation who do
not speak the second language.
METAPHORICAL
SWITCHING
◦ In some situations, there are no obvious
explanatory factors accounting for the
specific switches between codes. No new
person joined the audience at any point.
There was no change in the setting or in the
topic. There are no quotations or even
angry or humorous utterances. What is the
social meaning of these rapid switches?
◦ For example:
◦ As a mangers gives a speech to his employees, he first goes for the
informal colloquial variety which symbolises high solidarity, equal
status and friendly feelings. Then he uses the standard formal variety
that represents social distance, status and the referential
information of the business world. He is code-switching for rhetorical
reasons, drawing on the associations of both codes. This type of
switching has sometimes been called metaphorical switching . Each of
the codes represents or symbolises a set of social meanings, and the
speaker draws on the associations of each, just as people use
metaphors to represent complex meanings. The term also reflects the
fact that this kind of switching involves rhetorical skill. Skilful code-
switching operates like metaphor to enrich the communication.
note
◦ Sociolinguists are not able to explain the reasons for choosing
different languages for particular items. Perhaps it is just a
matter of the first word which came to mind for the fluent
multilingual . Or perhaps the specific topics were associated with
particular languages. Though sociolinguists like to try, it is not
always possible to account for choices among languages in situations
where the participants are all multilingual.
◦ - unmarked code-switiching
◦ - marked code-switching
 LEXICAL
BORROWING
◦ It is obviously important to distinguish this kind of switching from switches
which can be accounted for by lack of vocabulary in a language. When speaking a
second language, for instance, people will often use a term from their mother
tongue or first language because they don’t know the appropriate word in their
second language. These ‘switches’ are triggered by lack of vocabulary. People may
also borrow words from another language to express a concept or describe an
object for which there is no obvious word available in the language they are using.
Borrowing of this kind generally involves single words – mainly nouns – and it is
motivated by lexical need. It is very different from switching where speakers
have a genuine choice about which words or phrases they will use in which
language.
Lexical borrowing in English language Lexical borrowing in English started in period
of { middle English} roughly 1100-1500 and the French language contributed many
loanword in English and also English has adopted from more than300 language For
example
the word of joy comes from joie which it is old French
The word of rich comes from reich which it is a Germany word
 Lexical borrowing vs Code switching

Code-switching occurs when a speaker of two distinct languages switches between

the two in conversing with another person who also understands both languages.
Lexical borrowing is process of adopting words from one or more languages
◦
Class discussion
- Using Code-switching in classrooms
as a teaching strategy.

- With or against?