{"id":363,"date":"2018-07-10T15:18:15","date_gmt":"2018-07-10T15:18:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/as\/ealaberdeenshire\/?p=363"},"modified":"2018-07-10T15:22:44","modified_gmt":"2018-07-10T15:22:44","slug":"code-switching-what-to-do-when-should-i-worry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/as\/ealaberdeenshire\/2018\/07\/10\/code-switching-what-to-do-when-should-i-worry\/","title":{"rendered":"Code switching, what to do, when should I worry?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"ttfmake-embed-wrapper aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 960px;\">\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"Xz91NdWna9\"><p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.utesinternationallounge.com\/code-switching-what-to-do-when-should-i-worry\/\">Code switching, what to do, when should I worry?<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; clip: rect(1px, 1px, 1px, 1px);\" src=\"http:\/\/www.utesinternationallounge.com\/code-switching-what-to-do-when-should-i-worry\/embed\/#?secret=Xz91NdWna9\" data-secret=\"Xz91NdWna9\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" title=\"&#8220;Code switching, what to do, when should I worry?&#8221; &#8212; Ute&#039;s International Lounge\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<header class=\"entry-header\">\n<h1 class=\"entry-title\">Code switching, what to do, when should I worry?<\/h1>\n<div class=\"entry-meta\"><span class=\"byline\">By\u00a0<span class=\"author vcard\"><a class=\"url fn n\" title=\"View all posts by Ute Limacher\" href=\"http:\/\/www.utesinternationallounge.com\/author\/ute-limachergmail-com\/\" rel=\"author\">Ute Limacher<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"entry-content\">\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>At our\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.utesinternationallounge.com\/free-online-meetings-about-multilingualism-with-ute\/\">Free Online Meeting on Multilingualism<\/a>\u00a0we talked about\u00a0<em>code switching or code mixing<\/em>,\u00a0<em>what to do if our children keep on mixing their languages, when it is a good sign and when we should worry (9 May 2018)<\/em><\/p>\n<p>First of all, the term code switching is widely used as an umbrella term for using different languages in the same sentence, alternating them to some extent. It is not to be confused with borrowing, where a language is integrated into the other:<\/p>\n<p>\u00c7a m\u2019\u00e9tonnerait qu\u2019on ait\u00a0<em>code-switch\u00e9\u00a0<\/em>autant que \u00e7a! (I can\u2019t believe we code-switched as often as that!)<\/p>\n<p><strong>Code switching<\/strong>\u00a0can involve a word, a phrase or a sentence and there is always a base language. In these examples, the base language is French with integrations in English.<\/p>\n<p>Vas chercher Marc\u00a0<em>and bribe him\u00a0<\/em>avec un chocolat chaud\u00a0<em>with cream on top<\/em><\/p>\n<p>(Go fetch Marc and bribe him with a hot chocolate with cream on top)<\/p>\n<p>Des\u00a0<em>wild guys<\/em>\u00a0\u00e0 cheval<\/p>\n<p>(Some wild guys on horseback) (Grosjean 1982)<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCode switching is not a haphazard behaviour due to some form of semilingualism but it is a well-goverend process used as a communicative stratagem to convey linguistic and social information\u201d. \u00a0(Grosjean 2013)<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The\u00a0<strong>reasons for code-switching<\/strong>\u00a0are many: using the right word or expression, filling a linguistic need, marking group identity, excluding or including someone, raising our status etc.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Code-mixing<\/strong>, on the other hand,\u00a0<strong>is<\/strong>\u00a0<strong>a stage of bilingual language acquisition<\/strong>. Bilingual children naturally mix their languages. They use both languages in a single sentence. It is\u00a0<strong><em>not<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0a sign that the child is not learning the languages properly, on the contrary, it is a sign that the child is acquiring those languages in a quite systematic way! With mixing the languages, the child proves to naturally find interchangeable elements of the sentence.<\/p>\n<p>I like to compare this code-mixing to playing with lego. Imagine you have a box full of lego in different colours. Each colour stays for another language you are acquiring. If the child wants to build a house, she can choose to build a very colourful house, or build a house with one colour only. The colourful house is the one that stays for a code-mixing conversation and the one colour house for a conversation in one language only.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/utesinternationallounge.com\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-9561\" src=\"http:\/\/www.utesinternationallounge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/LegoHouse.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"502\" height=\"502\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Many parents fear that by mixing the languages our children will never really learn to speak one of the languages correctly, but this usually is not true.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Lanza (2004) identifies 5 parental discourse strategies:<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><em>Minimal Grasp strategy<\/em>: when the parent indicates the lack of understanding of the child\u2019s mixed utterance and asks\u00a0<em>what did you say?<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u2013\u00a0I personally\u00a0 wouldn\u2019t advise to use this strategy because our children usually would only use languages they know we understand when talking with us, or if they use another language it is because they\u00a0<em>really<\/em>\u00a0don\u2019t know the words in our language<em>s<\/em>! Pretending not to understand our children is interpreted as not being honest! I know this first hand as the one who was asked this question by people I knew were just being difficult and wanting me to \u201cstick to only one language\u201d and I always felt being silenced. Denying that we understand what our child is saying can stop the communication, affect the relationship \u2013\u00a0if one constantly applies this strategy !<br \/>\nI would also never advise teachers to use this strategy, as it can lead to complete silence. It builds a wall instead of a bridge, and when communicating with each other, we want to build bridges\u2026<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><em>Expressed Guess strategy<\/em>: the parent reformulates the child\u2019s mixed utterance by way of a guess and adds a question like\u00a0<em>Is that<\/em>\u00a0<em>what you mean?<\/em>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0This is a more effective strategy as it involves\u00a0<strong>active hearing<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0<strong>true commitment<\/strong>\u00a0to understand what the child is saying.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>It also gives the child the opportunity to find other words, paraphrase what he\/she wants to say, and keeps the conversation flowing.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><em>Repetition<\/em>: the parent reformulates the child\u2019s mixed utterance in the target language without code-mixing. \u2013\u00a0With this strategy which is also known as\u00a0<em>modeling<\/em>, the parents formulates the sentence in a grammatically correct way. The child hears how it should sound, but is not asked to repeat the sentence or give an opinion about the content. We can do this usually when we are sure about what the child wanted to say. Similar to 3, this strategy shows that the parent is actively listening, engaged in the conversation and interested in mutual understanding.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><em>Move on<\/em>: the parent continues the interaction without \u201cflagging\u201d the child\u2019s mixing in any way. \u2013\u00a0This kind of reaction should\u00a0<em>not<\/em>\u00a0be our normal reaction, especially not with young children who are still acquiring the languages. The only time I would advise using it is when more people are involved in the conversation and we either don\u2019t want to alienate the child \u2013\u00a0it can be embarrassing and humiliating if someone interferes with our speech\u2026 \u2013\u00a0or we don\u2019t want to interrupt the flow of the conversation. Strategies 1-3 are all interrupting the flow and if done repeatedly can affect the conversation.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><em>Code-Switching<\/em>: the parent switches into the language which the child has introduced by means of code-mixing. \u2013\u00a0This might sound like an unexpected strategy, because we are supposed to help our children stick to one language, right, but it actually is the most multilingual reaction. As multilinguals we always have the whole repertoire of words, nuances to our disposal and especially in multilingual settings, e.g. when we talk with others who share our languages, we feel like we can relax and let language just flow. Just imagine that you have a set of coloured crayons and are asked, or have the opportunity, to draw a flower. You would most probably try to use as many colours as you like. If now someone would ask you to only use green, you may feel limited in your drawing, you might only draw the stem of a flower and its leaves, but you would miss the freedom to draw colourful petals\u2026<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/utesinternationallounge.com\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-9560\" src=\"http:\/\/www.utesinternationallounge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/daisy-1885761_1920-1024x471.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"720\" height=\"331\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>We can use a mix of all these strategies (except the first one for the reasons I mentioned before) and see which one works best for us, our child, our family, and the situation we are in.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>There are always situations where we feel insecure about what to do and it is ok to seek for help whenever we feel this way. Parents always should trust their gut: we know our children best and when there is anything that feels just \u201cnot right\u201d, it is our responsibility to take action for the sake of our child. This applies to\u00a0 their overall wellbeing.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>At what point should we worry when our child mixes the languages?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>There are a few situations when we should observe our child\u2019s code mixing a bit closer.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>If our child is for example\u00a0<strong>using the syntax structure of language B while speaking in language A<\/strong>\u00a0consistently, we should start\u00a0<strong>modeling the right grammatical structure<\/strong>\u00a0and<strong>ask<\/strong>\u00a0if this is what they wanted to say.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>I know by experience that this kind of code mixing can be discouraging, but it could be only a phase. Try to find out what the reasons can be for such a mixing:<\/p>\n<p>Our children can produce this kind of sentences\u00a0<strong>when they are tired<\/strong>, or\u00a0<strong>when they just switched from talking in the other language (B) and are now transitioning to talk in language A<\/strong>. If this phenomenon is only temporary, we shouldn\u2019t worry too much, but if it pertains and our child seems not to be able to form one grammatically correct sentence anymore, then we should seek for help.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>If our child\u00a0<strong>struggles with forming a sentence in one language only<\/strong>\u00a0and this\u00a0<strong>in monolingual settings<\/strong>, for example at school: try to find out if the child only would need a bit more time to find the right words, and help with finding the right word order. For many bilingual children,\u00a0<strong>time<\/strong>,\u00a0<strong>patience<\/strong>, the\u00a0<strong>right modeling<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0<strong>encouragement<\/strong>\u00a0is all what they need.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>I would only worry if I see that the child can\u2019t form a sentence \u2013\u00a0even an easier form of it \u2013\u00a0in the two (or more) languages correctly when talking in that language only, in a monolingual setting; even not if given time.<\/p>\n<p>In fact, if this happens, communication can become almost impossible as the\u00a0<strong>meaning is difficult to be understood, even by multilinguals who code-switch between the same languages<\/strong>!<\/p>\n<p>When this happens with a child that used to talk in a comprehensive way before, we should seek for help. A\u00a0<em>Language Consultant<\/em>\u00a0or a\u00a0<em>Speech Pathologist<\/em>\u00a0who is\u00a0<strong>fluent in all languages involved<\/strong>\u00a0would be ideal.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>My first advice is always to assess the situation. What makes the child struggle to form a grammatically correct sentence? It depends on the child\u2019s age and stage of bilingual or multilingual language acquisition, the situation (formal, non formal, at school, with people the child knows or not\u2026), the topic (if it is a familiar topic or not), and if the child is tired or stressed for any reason.<\/p>\n<p>Something that always helps in these situations is to give the child the time he\/she needs to recollect the thoughts and listen. Encouraging the child to talk can be done by just being silent. You can also bridge between the languages the child knows. There are several techniques that have proven to be effective. What surely never helps is to make the child feel your anxiety or put any kind of\u00a0pressure into the difficult conversation: the more anxious the child becomes the more this situation becomes a problem.<\/p>\n<p>What I found helped in a similar situation was\u00a0<strong>singing, or playing music in the backgrouns.<\/strong>\u00a0With the help of music, different intonations and a topic that is dear to the child, the situation is more relaxed and the child (and the adult!) feels more comfortable.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>If you have any question about this topic or if you would like to discuss a personal issue, please don\u2019t hesitate to contact me at\u00a0<a href=\"mailto:info@UtesInternationalLounge.com\">info@UtesInternationalLounge.com<\/a>. \u2013 I\u2019m only a mail away\u00a0\ud83d\ude09<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Fran\u00e7ois Grosjean,\u00a0<em>Life with Two Languages: An Introduction to Bilingualism<\/em>, Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1982.<\/p>\n<p>Fran\u00e7ois Grosjean and Ping Li,\u00a0<em>The Psycholinguistics of Bilingualism<\/em>, Wiley Blackwell, 2013.<\/p>\n<p>Elizabeth Lanza,\u00a0<em>Language Mixing in Infant Bilingualism: A Sociolinguistic Perspective<\/em>, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2004.<\/p>\n<div id=\"ssba-classic-2\" class=\"ssba ssbp-wrap left ssbp--theme-1\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Code switching, what to do, when should I worry? Code switching, what to do, when should I worry? By\u00a0Ute Limacher &nbsp; At our\u00a0Free Online Meeting on Multilingualism\u00a0we talked about\u00a0code switching or code mixing,\u00a0what to do if our children keep on mixing their languages, when it is a good sign and when we should worry (9 &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20886,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[16,59,57,161,39,15,58],"class_list":["post-363","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-advice","tag-bilingual-families","tag-bilingualism","tag-code-switching","tag-early-years","tag-parents","tag-speech-and-language"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/as\/ealaberdeenshire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/363","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/as\/ealaberdeenshire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/as\/ealaberdeenshire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/as\/ealaberdeenshire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/20886"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/as\/ealaberdeenshire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=363"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/as\/ealaberdeenshire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/363\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":366,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/as\/ealaberdeenshire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/363\/revisions\/366"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/as\/ealaberdeenshire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=363"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/as\/ealaberdeenshire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=363"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/as\/ealaberdeenshire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=363"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}