Code switching for college students on campus

张勇

I.Introduction

In linguistics，code-switching is the concurrent use of more than one language，or language variety，in discourse.Code-switching is a worldwide linguistic phenomenon existing in bilingual or multilingual communities.College students in China，after years of English learning，are bilingually competent underlying code-switching between Chinese and English.Studies or research on code-switching on campus will not only help to understand the rationale for code-switching，but also help to facilitate the acquisition of EIL（English as an International Language）for students and design “an EIL curriculum that complements students use of English”（Mckay，S.L，et al，2008：p173）.

II.Academic background

The study of code-switching is relatively a new topic.However，in the last three decades，there is a prevailing interest in the research of code-switching，which can be dated from the 1972 publication of a study performed by Jan Blom and John Gumperz.However，Blom and Gumperz did not initially start out to study code-switching between languages，but between dialects in Hemnesberget in Norway，a small Norwegian fishing village.The article eventually stimulated a flood of investigation of code-switching between languages thereafter （Myers-Scotton，C.，1993）.During the development of code-switching research，quite a number of theories or hypotheses have been proposed and agued for or against.However，the following academic theories have frequently been in discussion and referred.

1）Blom and Gumperzs （1972）situational code-switching and metaphorical code-switching：

Situational code-switching refers to the alternation occur when a new participant enters the topic of conversation changes；

Metaphorical code-switching refers to the tendency in a bilingual or multilingual community to switch codes （language or language variety）in conversation in order to discuss a topic that would normally fall into another conversational domain.

2）Giles （1979）accommodation theory

The Communication Accommodation Theory （CAT）was developed in 1971 by Howard Giles，professor of communication，at the University of California，Santa Barbara.CAT explains some of the cognitive reasons for code-switching and other changes in speech as individuals seek to emphasize or minimize the social differences between themselves and their interlocutors.Giles posits that when speakers seek approval in a social situation they are likely to converge their speech to that of their interlocutor.This can include，but is not limited to the language of choice，accent，dialect and paralinguistic features used in the interaction.In contrast to convergence，speakers may also engage in divergent speech.In divergent speech，individuals emphasize the social distance between themselves and their interlocutors by using linguistic features characteristic of their own group.

3）Poplack （1980）proposed that three types of code-switching take place：

Intersentential switching occurs outside the sentence or the clause level （i.e.at sentence or clause boundaries）.It is sometimes called“extrasentential”switching.

Intra-sentential switching occurs within a sentence or a clause.

Tag-switching is the switching of either a tag phrase or a word，or both，from language-B to language-A，（common intra-sentential switches）.

She even argued that Intra-word switching occurs within a word itself，such as at a morpheme boundary.

III.Code-switching phenomenon on campus

Code-switching phenomenon for college students on campus mainly occur in the following area：

Pedagogical instructions

Daily conversation

Mobile phone short message texting

Internet discourse （blog，chatting，email）

College students，with more than ten years of English learning，have acquired a certain level of bilingual competence，a precondition for code switching.However，due to the non-ESL social context constraints，most code switching is limited to intrasentential level，except for academic instructions or discussion，where continuous use of either language for more sentences and intersentential code switching are likely to occur.According to a study conducted on the lexical categories of intrasentential code-switching on 3 major Chinese websites（X.Y.，Chen，2004），noun and noun phrases take up 87.3%，and adjective （phrases）6.4%，proposition （phrases）3.2%，verb（phrases）2.9%.

As has been analyzed and discussed by many scholars，code-switching may occur in many different circumstances.Causes attributing to code-switching may be due to various different factors.For college students，the reasons for code switching may be summarized as follows：

1）A superior feeling of having access to higher education.With a population of more than 1.3 billion in China，competitions for admission to higher education，especially well-know universities，are tremendously fierce.Therefore，college students on campus have a sense of superiority of being admitted to higher learning，as many more fail at the college entrance exam.General daily code-switching to English words or phrases represents in some way this sense of superiority，such as[hello/hi]，[bye（bye）]，[OK]，[yes/no]，[sorry]，[thank you]，[God bless you]and[well-done]，etc.

2）English and Chinese belong to different types of languages.There will be instances of language gaps during interaction，or inappropriate substitution such as terminology，proper names，etc.There seems to be frequent code-switching when it comes to technical terms in their courses，especially for courses instructed in English.Its not hard to imagine words such as[CPU]，[webpage]，[PowerPoint]，[Excel]，[presentation]pop up unnoticeably in conversation immediately after an IT class.

3）Sometimes，although equivalent terms are available，the Chinese form is much longer and more complex.Therefore，from a psychological point of view，the tendency to switch code to the more convenient language occurs.For example，CEO in Chinese （shou xi zhi xing guan）consists of five syllables，two syllables more than the English abbreviation.A similar case such as APEC（a two-syllable term in English pronunciation），has its full Chinese form （ya zhou tai ping yang jing ji he zuo zu zhi），a 11-syllable term more than 5 times the English one.Even the shortest Chinese form （ya tai jing he zu zhi）has 4 more syllables.Other samples include OPEC，UNESCO，GPS，and TOEFL，etc.Therefore，code switching to English terms during a Chinese discourse situation is most likely to take place，not only in vocal communication such as conversation，news report，but even in printed form.

4）Another instance of code-switching is due to the intention to avoid embarrassment between interlocutors for a specific topic.The embedded language is mostly used as euphemism.A student may ask another “Do you want to go to[W.C.]with me？” in normal tone without feeling much uncomfortable.This is especially true when conservatism is a general social practice in China.Use of words such as[love]，[darling]，[sexy/hot]，would seemly ease mental tension for the speaker.Even the use of negative and dirty words[gay]，[shut up]，[oh，my god]and f/s-word reduce the level of bluntness.

5）As youngsters，college students are specifically attractive to fashion trends.Code-switching to fashionable words like[show]，[party]，[iphone/ipad/ipod/itouch]，[DIY]may make them feel unique，a representation of their identity （Auer，P.，1998）.

IV.Conclusion and pedagogical implications

As it is mentioned earlier，code-switching serves a number of functions in bilinguals discourse，especially when speaking to another bilingual.Speakers can choose their codes carefully so that they can lead the conversation to the direction that they want it to，or achieve the purpose they intend.

College students will switch codes to different interlocutors and topics to show their identity and the result they want to achieve.In implementing instructional activities and coordinating amicable relationship between teachers and students，teachers shall tactically switch codes to achieve different purposes，i.e.express ideas according to classroom settings，facilitating students to understand efficiently.By studying the features of the code-switching among students，teachers may lead students to a broader extent in the positive direction and minimize the negative aspects of code switching.

References：

[1]Auer，P.（1998）Code-switching in Conversation：Language，Interaction and Identity.New York ：Routledge.

[2]Blom，J.P.& Gumperz，J.（1972）.Social Meaning in Linguistic Structures：Code-switching in Norway，in：Directions in Sociolinguistics，edited by J.Gumperz & D.Hymes （New York）.

[3]Chen，X.Y.，（2006），The Structural Characteristics and Constraints of Chinese/ English Codeswitching.Journal of Yancheng Teachers College （Humanities & Social Sciences） Vol.26，No.6.

[4]Giles，H.et al （1979）.Language and social Psychology.Oxford：Basil Blackwell Ltd.

[5]Mckay，S.L，Bokhorst-Heng，W.D.，（2008），International English in Its Socioliguistic Contexts：Towards a Socially Sensitive EIL Pedagogy.New York：Routledge.

[6]Poplack，S.（1980）.Sometimes I'll start a sentence in Spanish.Y Termino en Espanol：toward a typology of code-switching.Linguistics，18，581-616.