Code Switching In Informal Interaction Among A Group Of 4th Year TESL Students Of UTM

Abstract

Code-switching is the use of more than one language in a conversation. It is a common daily practice among people in the world for various reasons and usually an unconscious activity. This language switching might not be the whole sentence, but also can occur in brief phrases or words. Therefore, in this paper, the types and reasons of code switching will be focused on. The data for this study were collected through an audio recording of 4 TESL students of UTM while having informal conversation in their room. The findings suggest that the speakers code switched for solidarity, as well as to signal group membership and local identification. The findings also show that there are four types of code switching: intra – sentential, inter – sentential, situational and metaphorical. This paper argues that the use of more than one particular code at a time must be used judiciously as it may lead to negative feelings among speakers.