Cognate 2: Language Programs and Policies in Prepared by: Jomel B.

Manuel, PhD
Multilingual/ Multicultural Settings Associate Professor 4

Module 5
BILINGUAL AND MULTILINGUAL SPEECH

Introduction
It’s true that when somebody is learning another language, they may use code switching
to compensate for a lack of knowledge in that language. This is a natural part of language
learning, particularly in the early stages, and so plays an important role in language
development. However, bilinguals use code switching for a wide range of other purposes
as well. These include: emphasizing or clarifying a particular point, reinforcing a
request, substituting a word, expressing a concept that does not have a direct equivalent
in the other language (Skiba, R. (1997). 

Learning Outcomes
a. Distinguish the different types of code-switching and
b. Discuss translanguaging.

Discussion
A. Code-switching - is another bilingual phenomenon that is somewhat similar to
borrowing. It involves alternating between the two (or more) languages in contact,
and it can manifest itself in different ways.
According to Akmajain et al. (2003:209), code-switching refers to a situation in which a
speaker uses a mixture of distinct language varieties as discourse proceeds. Fromkin
(2011: 461), Rodman and Hymans reiterate that code-switching is a speech style unique
to bilinguals in which fluent speaker switch language between or within sentence.
As Skiba (1997) comments, code switching is not a language interference on the basis
that it supplements speech. Where it is used due to an inability of expression, code
switching provides continuity in speech rather than presenting an interference in
language.
Code-switching is influenced by several factors, such as the need to stress a certain point
or adapt the language to the audience. Sometimes a word or expression from a different
language is simply more appropriate or suitable for the given subject. It is especially
important to note that code-switching is used by speakers who are fluent in the two or
more languages and intentionally alternate between them, unlike language learners who,
for example, use a word from their native language to fill a lexical gap in their knowledge

1 | Bachelor of Arts in English Language Studies, College of Arts and Sciences, CSU-Carig Campus, Tuguegarao
City
No part of this module may be reproduced in any form or by any means without permission from the author.
Cognate 2: Language Programs and Policies in Prepared by: Jomel B. Manuel, PhD
Multilingual/ Multicultural Settings Associate Professor 4

of a target language. https://sisu.ut.ee/multilingual/book/23-breaking-myths-about-

bilingualism

Types of Code-switching:
a. Intersentential

-It has interested sociolinguists as a social behavior because it shows how

languages (or registers of languages) can be assigned to particular social
situations.

- Code-switching can also be used for wider sociolinguistic reasons: to indicate

solidarity with another speaker; for humour; to signal a change of attitude or
relationship; or to include or exclude someone from the conversation.

- In inter-sentential code switching, the language switch is done at sentence

boundaries—words or phrases at the beginning or end of a sentence. This type is
seen most often in fluent bilingual speakers. For example: If you are late for the
job interview, işe alınmazsın.

Extract

Note that T4’s first utterance was a definition of a ray, which he presented in
English. Then, in the second part of the utterance, he switched to Taglish and
simplified the information for the students. This is evident in the use of the words
ibig sabihin (it means), which is an indication that the math teacher expounded on
the idea to bring down the information to a simpler level of understanding,
allowing students to comprehend the given definition by interspersing math
concepts with a familiar language.

b. Intrasentential

2 | Bachelor of Arts in English Language Studies, College of Arts and Sciences, CSU-Carig Campus, Tuguegarao
City
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Cognate 2: Language Programs and Policies in Prepared by: Jomel B. Manuel, PhD
Multilingual/ Multicultural Settings Associate Professor 4

-This occurs when speakers switch mid-sentence.

-This type is often called conversational code-switching since it looks and sounds
like two languages being spoken at the same time.

-It sometimes called code-mixing or language mixing, two terms that may also
refer to the ways native bilingual children mix their languages during Bilingual
First Language Acquisition(BFLA).

- In intra-sentential code switching, the shift is done in the middle of a sentence,

with no interruptions, hesitations, or pauses to indicate a shift.

-The speaker is usually unaware of the shift. For example: You are sleepy coğu
zaman, because you spend a lot of saat in your bed. Different types of switches
occur within the clause level and within the word level.

Extract:

T1 explained the role of complementary functions by shuttling between English and

Tagalog in a sentence. Using the two languages, the math teacher was able to express her
points clearly and coherently. Likewise, it can be noted that the sentences from the
extract conformed to the syntactic rules of the two languages, Tagalog and English, and
the words from the two languages were linked grammatically, thereby facilitating smooth
and natural transition between words.

3. Extra-Sentential or Tag Switching

3 | Bachelor of Arts in English Language Studies, College of Arts and Sciences, CSU-Carig Campus, Tuguegarao
City
No part of this module may be reproduced in any form or by any means without permission from the author.
Cognate 2: Language Programs and Policies in Prepared by: Jomel B. Manuel, PhD
Multilingual/ Multicultural Settings Associate Professor 4

This is the switching of either a single word or a tag phrase (or both) from one language
to another. This type is common in intra-sentential switches. It involves the insertion of a
tag from one language into an utterance in another language.

For example: "Él es de Oaxaca y así los criaron a ellos, if you know what I mean."
Another example is how Turkish students use some boundary words like ama (but)
or yani (I mean) while speaking English.

Extract:

T3 used a Tagalog word, po, and appended it to the statement, as simple as that. There is
no English equivalent for the word po, as the word is unique to the Filipino culture.
Filipinos commonly use po as an indicator of respect or politeness. Hence, the use of po
as a tag marker fits the description of Poplack (2000) that tag switches “are often heavily
loaded with ethnic content and would be placed low on a scale of translatability” (p. 23).

-Other commonly used tag switches identified in the study include tama? (correct?), lang
(only), ‘di ba? (isn’ it?), din and rin (also), and some Filipino particles with no direct
equivalent in English, like ba, naman, nga, daw, a, and ha. Okay is also considered as a
form of tag switch when appended to the end of the sentence. Note that the basis for
categorizing it as a Tagalog IAFOR Journal of Education: Language Learning in
Education Volume 8 – Issue 1 – 2020 59 word was because of the teachers’
pronunciation, which was characterized by syllabication and a distinct Tagalog accent
(Sotelo, 2020).

B. Translanguaging
-Translanguaging as an approach considers the different languages that a bilingual or
multilingual person speaks as one linguistic repertoire( Garcia & Wei, 2014) and views a
bilingual person as more than just a combination of two monolinguals (Grosjean, 2010).

-Translanguaging invites children to use language in school as they do in their

community, a crucial component of a culturally sustaining pedagogy (Paris, 2012) and

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City
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Cognate 2: Language Programs and Policies in Prepared by: Jomel B. Manuel, PhD
Multilingual/ Multicultural Settings Associate Professor 4

one that permits children and families to develop forms of human capital (Smith &
Murillo, 2015).

-Translanguaging emphasizes the dynamic use of multiple language to enhance learning

and make schools more welcoming environments for multilingual children, families, and
communities. It can and should affirm the value and multiplicity of linguistic diversity-
across and within communities and individuals (MacSwam, 2017).

-‘Translanguaging’ is a relatively new term for an age-old practice – that of switching

between the languages one knows in order to maximize communicative potential
(https://www.open.edu/openlearncreate/mod/oucontent/view.php?id=64814&section=6)

-In the classroom, translanguaging may involve:

 translating between languages
 comparing and being playful with different languages
 mixing words and expressions from different languages in the same spoken
or written utterance
 using the home language in one part of an activity and the school language
in another part.

-As a resource for both teachers and students, translanguaging has many educational
benefits because it:

 validates multilingualism, viewing it as a valuable asset rather than a

problem or a temporary transitional interactional tool in early schooling
 represents a more efficient and effective teaching and learning technique
than is possible in one language only
 offers opportunities for individuals to develop rich and varied
communicative repertoires for use within and outside school.
Translanguaging in the Classroom

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Cognate 2: Language Programs and Policies in Prepared by: Jomel B. Manuel, PhD
Multilingual/ Multicultural Settings Associate Professor 4

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Pause for thought

 Notice which parts of the activities Mrs. Indra encouraged her students to do
in their home language and which in the school language. Are there any
patterns here?

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Cognate 2: Language Programs and Policies in Prepared by: Jomel B. Manuel, PhD
Multilingual/ Multicultural Settings Associate Professor 4

 What instructions might Mrs. Indra have used to support the translanguaging
practices described in the case study? Make a list of all those you can think
of.
Questions:
1. Does code-switching indicate linguistic incompetence? Support your answer by
citing credible sources.

References

Bravo-Sotelo, Karizza P. (2020). Exploring the Tagalog-English Code-Switching Types Used for
Mathematics Classroom Instruction. IAFOR Journal of Education: Language Learning in
Education. Volume 8, Issue 1.

MacSwam, Jeff. (2017). A Multilingual Perspective on Translaguaging. American Educational

Research Journal. Vol. 54, No.1, pp.167-201. Retrieved terpconnect.umd.edu/~macswan2017.pdf

Skiba, R. (1997). Code Switching As a Countenance of Language Interference. The Internet

TESL Journal. Vol. III. No: 10.

https://www.open.edu/openlearncreate/mod/oucontent/view.php?id=64814&section=6

https://owlcation.com/humanities/Code-Switching-Definition-Types-and-Examples-of-Code-
Switching
https://www.open.edu/openlearncreate/mod/oucontent/view.php?id=64814&section=6

7 | Bachelor of Arts in English Language Studies, College of Arts and Sciences, CSU-Carig Campus, Tuguegarao
City
No part of this module may be reproduced in any form or by any means without permission from the author.