Code-switching is a conscious process of alternating the languages, with an intention and a social

pragmatic consequence. "Bilinguals switch languages to accommodate the language spoken by their
conversational partners" (Annick De Houwer 2019)

Code-switching is a "natural phenomenon in many multilingual societies, where speakers use multiple
languages within the same interaction for stylistic reasons – to quote, interject, specify addressee and
reiterate or explain a message, but also to express a variety of socio psychological affiliations" (Suzanne
Quay and Simona Montanari, 2019: 548)

It can happen in a conversation where one switches from one language to the other, depending on the
interlocutor, like in the example with Laura, Marc and Carlo, or involve a word, a phrase or a sentence.

The nomenclature of code-swtiching has a long history in linguistics. Einar Haugen (1956:40) defined it
as "when a bilingual introuces a completely unassimilated word from another language into his speech".
Carol Myers-Scotton (1993:3) broadened the definition by saying that code-switching "is the selection by
bilinguals or multilinguals of forms from an embedded variety (or varieties) in utterances ... during the
same conversation". Eyamba Bokamba (1989:3) distinguishes code-switching and code-mixing: "Code-
switching is the mixing of words, phrases and sentences from two distinct grammatical (sub) systems
across sentence boundaries within the same speech event ... [while] code-mixing is the embedding of
various linguistic units such as affixes (bound morphemes), words (free morphemes), phrases and
clauses from a co-operative activity where the participants, in order to infer what is intended, must
reconcile what they hear with what they understand". – The latter explanation is the one that illustrates
the use and purpose of both strategies:

Code-switching is when we alternate sentences in a conversation with clear intents to highlight parts of
our speech, create a special effect for several reasons:

 using the right word or expression,

 filling a linguistic need,

 marking group identity,

 excluding or including someone,

 raising our status etc.

Furthermore, code-switching involves a rule-bound use of the "other" language, as such language
insertions will fit those matrix language (the main language) rules: we respect the word order of the
matrix language. Example: I came to get a cappuccino caldo.

(the speaker here code-switches to mark the intention to mark group identity, including/excluding
someone/raise status etc., but respects the right word order in the matrix language – English – and
respects the right word order in the "other" language. English would require hot cappuccino whereas in
Italian, the adjective follows the noun)

Code-mixing, on the other hand is, when a speaker mixes the codes on morphological (and
phonological?) level, and – this is what makes it easier to understand the difference with code-switching
– without a specific intention, if not the one to transmit the message with a certain pace, to avoid
interrupting the flow of the conversation. Code-mixing happens out of linguistic requirements.
It is a stage of additional language acquisition and learning. Children who grow up with multiple
languages naturally mix their languages. They use both languages in a single sentence. And multilinguals
do this on a regular basis: they say use the word that first comes to mind and fits the message, no
matter the language it comes from.

Code mixing is not a sign that a child or an adult for that matter, is not learning the languages properly,
on the contrary, it is a sign that we are acquiring those languages in a quite systematic way (see the
example here below)!

With mixing the languages, we prove to naturally find interchangeable elements of the sentence.

I like to compare this code-mixing to playing with lego. Imagine you have a box full of lego in different
colors. Each color stays for another language.

If we want to build a house, we can choose to build a very colorful house, or build a house with one
color only. – In other terms, either use one language only, or use more of them.

The house in one color stands for a monolingual conversation, the colorful house for a multilingual
conversation where we code-mix.

What a child that is still acquiring and learning the language is finding out in this playful and intuitive
way, are the rules of communication and of grammar.

Why do we mix languages?

First of all, if the other person doesn't speak all the languages, we will choose the language that they
have in common, and if the other person share more than one language with us, we have the option to
use them all.

With mixing the languages we do not use the languages randomly but in a way that will make sense and
be understood by the other person. In fact we demonstrate our knowledge of the functions and rules of
all the elements of the phrase.

Of course, this varies depending on the age and stage of language development of the person mixing the
language.

The mixing can be observed on different levels: the phonological, the morphological, the lexical and
syntactic level.

Here is a very easy example for code mixing on a syntactic level.