code-switching
noun [mass noun] Linguistics
The practice of alternating between two or more languages or varieties of language in conversation: the conversational code-switching of the German-American bilingual community...
- Rather than choose constant code-switching without translation into English, she simply allows in her writing what linguists call interference.
- Another of her interests is bilingualism and code-switching among bilinguals.
- Because of code-switching, it seems unlikely that a colloquial variety of English alone will develop.
Derivatives
code-switch
- In terms of usage, younger speakers code-switch less frequently than the oldest generation.
- Strong evidence of this can be found in the frequency with which polylinguals who share a birth tongue other than English voluntarily code-switch to English (a phenomenon I have often observed personally).
- As demonstrated in this exchange, both the students and the teacher code-switched between Spanish and English in the ELD classes.