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Types of Code Switching

This document discusses different types of code switching: inter-sentential, intra-sentential, and extra-sentential or tag switching. It also explores the relationship between code switching and code mixing, noting that code switching is intentional while code mixing may be unintentional. Finally, it addresses whether code switching is the same as speaking a pidgin language, concluding that code switching occurs between fluent bilingual speakers while a pidgin language develops when groups do not share a common language.

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Aahron Montoya Dinauanao
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367 views

Types of Code Switching

This document discusses different types of code switching: inter-sentential, intra-sentential, and extra-sentential or tag switching. It also explores the relationship between code switching and code mixing, noting that code switching is intentional while code mixing may be unintentional. Finally, it addresses whether code switching is the same as speaking a pidgin language, concluding that code switching occurs between fluent bilingual speakers while a pidgin language develops when groups do not share a common language.

Uploaded by

Aahron Montoya Dinauanao
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Types of Code Switching

1. Inter-Sentential

In inter-sentential code switching, the language switch is done at sentence boundaries


—words or phrases at the beginning or end of a sentence. This type is seen most often
in fluent bilingual speakers. For example: If you are late for the job interview, işe
alınmazsın.

2. Intra-Sentential

In intra-sentential code switching, the shift is done in the middle of a sentence, with no
interruptions, hesitations, or pauses to indicate a shift. The speaker is usually unaware
of the shift. For example: You are sleepy coğu zaman, because you spend a lot of saat
in your bed. Different types of switches occur within the clause level and the word level.

3. Extra-Sentential or Tag Switching

This is the switching of either a single word or a tag phrase (or both) from one language
to another. This type is common in intra-sentential switches. It involves the insertion of a
tag from one language into an utterance in another language. For example: "Él es de
Oaxaca y así los criaron a ellos, if you know what I mean." Another example is how
Turkish students use some boundary words like ama (but) or yani (I mean) while
speaking English.

Is It the Same as Code Mixing?

Both involve creating hybrid words or switching between two or more language within
phrases, clauses, or from one complete sentence to the next. Some use the terms
"code mixing" and "code switching" interchangeably, especially those who study
morphology, syntax, and other formal aspects of language, but other areas (like
subfields of linguistics, communication, or education theory) have their own extremely
specific definitions for code mixing.

The main difference can be summarized like this: Code switching is something
speakers do intentionally because they want to express themselves with a personal
style or flavor, but code mixing is something speakers might do unintentionally simply
because they don't know the correct word or phrase.

What If Speakers Mix Languages Because They Are Not


Fluent?

Some researchers call this need-based conflation of languages "code mixing" rather
than code switching.

Is Spanglish a Kind of Code Switching?

Linguists regard Spanglish (Spanish + English) as a hybrid language, and many refer to
Spanglish as "Spanish-English code-switching," although it also includes lexical and
grammatical shifts as well. In Spanglish, speakers are allowed to switch back and forth
without following rules.

However, a speaker is misguided to think that they can make up new words that sound
kind of like another language in order to fit in with that other culture. "Mi housa es su
housa", for example, is just silly (and possibly insulting).

Here are some other hybrid ways of speaking:

 Taglish (Tagalog + English)


 Franglais (French + English)
 Hindinglish (Hindi + English)
 Germanglish (German + English)

Is Code Switching the Same as Speaking a Pidgin


Language?

Code switching and pidgin are not exactly the same. The difference is that code
switching generally occurs when both speakers are fluent in both languages used in the
conversation, while a pidgin language is a grammatically simplified way of talking that
develops between two or more groups that don't share a language. Pidgin is more like a
third dialect that evolves when speakers do not share a common language. Usually, in
pidgin, a speaker draws from two or more languages, but vocabulary and grammar are
simplified and reduced.

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