Code switching in student-student interaction; functions and reasons.docVIP

Code switching in student-student interaction; functions and reasons! Rita Amorim ramorim@iscp.utl.pt CAPP/ISCSP/Universidade Técnica de Lisboa (Portugal) ABSTRACT: Today’s students of English will communicate mostly with non-native speakers, in predominantly non-native speaking environments. English teachers know that if they are to realistically prepare students for international communication, they must focus on speaking activities that promote communicative competence and ?uency. Presence of mother tongue in communicative exchanges is frequently detected by teachers in EFL classrooms. This study analyses student-student interaction during a group-work speaking activity, to uncover some of the reasons for code switching (CS). It also presents participants’ perspectives revealing mixed feelings towards this linguistic behaviour, which is sometimes intentional and sometimes unconscious. The aim of this paper is to illustrate how EFL students alternate between foreign language and native language to perform certain pragmatic functions and counter-balance for language de?ciencies. It also considers the relationship between students’ language level and the functional character of their switches. KEY-WORDS: EFL, student interaction, ?uency, code-switching. 1. Introduction Around the world, English is increasingly being learnt to be used as the international, common, functional language. One of the main aims of EFL (English Foreign Language) teachers is to get students speaking as much as possible, as it is known that ?to promote communicative competence, learners must get practice in communicative exchanges in the classroom? (Hancock 1997: 217). Learners must be able to speak ?uently if they are to communicate effectively in international English. Pair and group-work speaking activities are excellent opportunities for maximizing speaking time and acquiring ?uency. In such communicati