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Disadvantages Of Code Switching

Satisfactory Essays

Q 7

Prior to this lesson, I thought code switching was a purely social phenomenon instead of something that may have a biological basis. With that in mind, I wanted to examine the linguistic principles behind the process. Specifically, whether code switching is a type of conversational or communicative filler to cover lack of knowledge or an expression of how we process language.
“Lack of language proficiency” is an accepted reason for bilingual code switching (Heredia & Altarriba 165). However, there are at least three other factors that may influence code switching in bilingual conversation. They are speed of retrieval, impact of grammatical structure, and pursuit of clear communication (Heredia & Altarriba 165).
First, difficulty retrieving a word quickly does not mean that a person does not know the word. We have all tried to remember the name of that guy, in that movie, that did that thing…you know. When a person is fluent in two languages many factors influence which version is retrieved faster and it can be as simple as “language use and word frequency” (Heredia & Altarriba 165).
Second, each language has its own grammar and word order. Heredia and Altarriba use the example of adjectives in Spanish and English. In English, the adjective goes before the noun and just the opposite in Spanish. They cite the research of Lederberg & Morales when they explain that code switching would follow the rules of the inserted language (165). Thus, demonstrating knowledge of the

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