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Code Switching
Communicative functions and reasons for code switching :
A Malaysian perspective.

PARAMASIVAM MUTHUSAMY PhD
Universiti Putra Malaysia
43400 UPM Serdang, MALAYSIA. param@fbmk.upm.edu.my Abstract:

Though codeswitching research may vary from context to context and situation to situation, the common factors for code switching will be threefold. That is, code switching deals with languages in contact. In interactive social situations code switching will be the use of more than one language For example the interaction during various social events involving interlocutors who know more than one language. With these common factors of code switching this paper looks into the Malaysian context with special thrust to the various reasons involved for code switching during the social interactions. Data for the present paper were collected from the Tamil speaking undergraduate students of the University Putra Malaysia, Malaysia. Their interaction in different identified domains involving three languages viz. Tamil, Malay and English were looked into. Gumperz (1982) while discussing the communicative function of code switching, claims that the speaker plays upon the connection of the we-code to create conversational effect. Thus code switching is seen as fulfilling the relational and referential functions of language that amounts to effective communication and interlingual unity. Apart from this function of code switching ,this paper could identifies several other reasons for code switching in the situations under study.

Communicative functions and Reasons for Codeswitching :
Malaysian Perspective .

Code switching is an everyday reality in every place where more than one language is spoken in everyday communications. Many scholars have studied extensively about the patterns of code switching and the reasons for code switching. The present paper discusses the communicative functions of code switching and also


References: Canagarajah, A.S. (1995). Functions of Codeswitching in ESL Classrooms: Socialising Bilingualism in Jaffna Di Pietro, R. (1977). Codeswitching as a Verbal Strategy Among Bilinguals. In F. Eckman (Ed.) Current Themes in Linguistics: Bilingualism, Experimental Halliday, M. A. K. (1975). Learning How to Mean: Explorations in the Development of Language Karen, K. Y. C. (2003). Codeswitching for a Purpose: Focus on Preschool Malaysian Children Malik, L. (1994). Sociolinguistics: A Study of Codeswitching. New Delhi: Anmol. Merrit, M., Cleghorn, A., Abagi, J, and Bunyi, G (1992). Sociolising Multilingualism: Determinants of Codeswitching in Kenyan Primary
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