The Functions of Code Switching Used by Teachers in International-Based

Classes
Shereen Abu Hait
University of Jordan

Abstract: This study aims at finding out the functions of code switching and the most frequent types of
code switching used by ten teachers in different international-based classes at an International School
where English is the language used in these classes. This study was conducted through analyzing
quantitatively the types of code switching to Arabic made by teachers in these classes, namely, inter-
sentential, intra-sentential and tag code switching. The study also analyzed 10 teachers' responses to a
questionnaire to screen the functions of code switching to Arabic in their classroom settings. The
researcher compared and contrasted the results to Gumperz’s (1982) functions of code switching as he
defines code switching as a discourse phenomenon that can generate conversational inferences in order
to serve different communicative purposes using the results of he questionnaire and a checklist that
contains eight situations that mimic the framework of this study in order the analyze data qualitatively.
Also, the researcher used the Accommodation Theory demonstrated by Giles, Coupland, N., and
Coupland, J. (1991) to further analyze the findings. The researcher also used Poplack’s finding (1980)
which proposes a reciprocal link between the fluency of the teacher and the frequent usage of intra-
sentential code switching.

Keywords: code switching, inter-sentential code switching, intra-sentential code switching, tag
code switching

1. Introduction
The English language plays a major role in the career life in Jordan because it is considered as an
international language that is used among non-native speakers around the globe in order to easily
communicate effectively with each other. Consequently, English in Jordan is introduced in the
first grade to help learners acquire two languages in the early years of education; English and
Arabic. The significance of acquiring English at an early age results from its wide usage in
different scopes of the society like school, work and media.
Thus, other trends of teaching English has come to the surface; in other words, the Ministry of
Education allows learners to learn English at their highest level by joining international school
requirements that expose learners to more profound curriculum that addresses high competency
in English. However, there are bountiful linguistic factors that affect the proficiency and the
degree of competence of English-Arabic bilinguals. In English classrooms in Jordan, the
teachers’ aim is to teach English by demonstrating listening, writing, speaking, and listening
skills. Yet, teachers resort to their native language (Arabic) in some contexts during the English
language lessons. This kind of switching between languages is called “code switching”. When
the switching takes place within a single sentence, the elements from the two different languages
generally are joined together if the surface structure map onto each other. The linguistic variety

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in code switching may be different languages, dialects or style of the same language (Myers-
Scotton, 1993).
According to Auer (1998: 115-135), in order to understand the premises for learning a
foreign in a school context, one starting point is to study how the students use their languages in
their interactions in institutional encounters. In the English language classrooms, students with
the same first language often start conversations in the new language with very little previous
knowledge of the language taught. In a classroom setting, the native language is considered to be
a marked language since teachers use it to bring clarification and interact with the learners
effectively. According to Muysken (2006:98), code switching takes place between the turns of
different speakers in the conversation, or sometimes between utterances within a single turn. It
can even occur within a single utterance.
Constructing an orderly bilingual interaction, they establish a pattern for language use.
With language learning seen as taking place during participation and as embedded in the
structures of social activities; it is relevant to determine in which activities and with what
methods the students construct practices for alternating between languages. Using English in
classrooms, a learner, in interaction, can gradually start to construct and shape an identity as a
user of English language or the first language. Though the policy in English language institutions
demands that English teachers and students use only English in teaching, the actual classroom
practice might be different. Teachers and students might code-switch to other languages for
various reasons and functions. The paper pursues answers to the following
questions: (1) What are the functions of code switching used by teachers in international-
based classes? (2) What are the most commonly used types of code switching that is used by
teachers in international-based classes?

2. Review of literature
Bilinguals can switch between or within sentences and they can switch for many reasons. Code
switching is approached from different perspectives. In this section, code switching will be
examined through screening the pedagogical and linguistic approaches to code switching in order
to seek how teachers store and access their languages during conversation in a classroom setting
and why teachers alternate languages in discourse.

2.1 The Pedagogical approach to code switching

Pedagogical approaches examine the reasons why teachers and students use code switching in
classroom settings. Gumperz (1982:75-84) identifies six major functions for conversational
code- switching; (a) Code switching can be used to indicate that the speaker is quoting another
speaker (quotation) (b) Speakers may switch to specify their addressee (addressee specification)
(c) Speakers may switch because of emotional associations with different languages, or because
specific expressions come to mind more readily in language that in another (interjection) (d)
Speakers may repeat the same content in each of their languages in order to clarify or emphasize
a certain message (reiteration) (e)The main content is expressed in a language while extra detail
is rendered in another to provide emphasis through linguistic contrast (message qualification) (f)
Certain languages in speakers’ repertoire can be used to express objective facts, whereas others
are associated with subjective opinion(personalization vs. objectivization).
Dweik (1986) conducted a study that aimed at focusing on the problems that secondary
Jordanian students encounter. He chose a sample of 120 students from three schools in Hebron,
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Jerusalem and El-Karak to answer the questionnaire. The results indicated that some teachers
present the material in Arabic as they are not fluent enough in English in their oral expression.
Dweik concluded that an action plan in teaching English in Jordan should be brought into effect,
and that it should include the teachers' qualification, the students' motivation, the curriculum
design and the teaching methods. However, some classroom code switching can be explained by
the Communication Accommodation Theory introduced by Giles, Coupland, N., and Coupland,
J. (1991:4-10). According to the Accommodation Theory, speakers vary their use of different
language varieties to express solidarity with or social distance from their interlocutors. The
Accommodation Theory states that speakers adapt their language use and deliberately vary their
language as a tool for communicative purposes in various speech communities in order to
reinforce interpersonal relationships. Consequently, students, as well as teachers, in certain
situations choose to adapt their language to better suit the current interaction; in other words,
directive switching serves to include or exclude specific conversational participant by using
either a speaker’s preferred or dispreferred language choice. Such switching can be convergent
when speakers use the preferred of their interlocutors, or divergent which result in creating
distance between the interlocutor and hearer because of dispreferred choices. On the other hand,
the switch is performed spontaneously when the student wants to communicate with their peers
on a personal level by shifting to the native language of the classroom. Switching codes to fit the
topic is a function of code switching that is widely used in the second or foreign language
learning environment to optimize learning processes.
Hussein (1999) conducted a study on Jordanian university students' attitudes towards code
switching to find out when and why they code-switch and the most frequent English expressions
that they use in Arabic utterances. The questionnaire he used displayed that the students had
negative and positive attitudes towards code switching with English in Arabic utterances. The
results indicated that students used code switching with English for many of reasons. The most
important reason was the lack of Arabic equivalents for English terms or expressions. Finally,
there was a frequent use of a variety of English expressions.
Pertaining to multilingual classrooms, performing code switching in classes which do not share
the same native language may stifle learning as some of the students (though few in number) will
somewhat be marginalized and will lack behind.. So, at this point, it may be suggested that the
students should share the same native language if code switching will be applied in instruction.
On the other hand, the use of the native language in the classroom serves different functions.
Cook (2002) supports the use of the native language in the classroom. He believes that the use of
the native language in the class cannot be all interfering and detrimental, but it has some positive
point. He claims that grammar can be explained through using the native language because
meaning can be conveyed more clearly. The classroom can be managed more easily. The native
language is the infrastructure of learning the target language.
Taweel and Btoosh (2012) investigated the issue of code-switching, particularly, intra-
sentential switches, that is, mixing within an utterance. The sample of this study came from the
responses of eight bilingual Jordanian Arabic-English students pursuing their higher education at
Arizona State University. Participants were asked to do a questionnaire that focused on syntactic
aspects of Arabic and English code switching. Findings showed that participants did not accept
switching into another language after a grammatical morpheme. The more the morpheme is
dependent on the following lexical item, the less language switching is acceptable. The study
also revealed that the participant’s general attitude towards code-switching and the period of time
she/he has been exposed to language switching influence his/her evaluation and acceptance of
utterances featuring code-switching.
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 Rabab’a and Al Yasin (2016) also stated that there is a relationship between the students’
English proficiency level and teachers’ use of the native language in English classes.
Accordingly, Arabic is frequently used with low achievers rather than high achievers in the
English language to facilitate the leaning process. Also teachers deliberately use code switching
to create solidarity.

2.2 The Linguistic approach to code switching

Linguistic approaches to bilingualism seek to identify inter-sentential, intra-sentential and tag
switches. Poplack (1980: 233-234) identifies three types of code switching: inter-sentential
switches, intra-sentential switches, and tag switches. Tag switches include small units that are
attached to larger monolingual units in the other language; in other words, it requires only a
minimal integration of the two languages. To take some English examples of tags: you know, you
mean are tags, for instance, se sininen talo, you know (that blue house, you know)."You know” is
emblematic because it identifies a bilingual in a monolingual speech. Such expressions are
automatically used because of slips of the tongue. On the other hand, Poplack (1980) indicates
that the intra-sentential switching occurs within clause boundaries and requires competency in
both languages in order to integrate two or more linguistic systems; whereas inter-sentential code
switching occurs within the sentence barriers.
Myers-Scotton (1993:75-113) further added that code-switching is either inter-sentential
or intra-sentential. While inter-sentential code switching involves switches from one language to
the other between sentences, intra-sentential switching occurs within the same sentence, from
single-morpheme to clause level. She then introduces the terms matrix language and embedded
language. In code-switching, the matrix language is the most dominant language used and the
embedded language is the language that holds the lesser role.
According to Sert (2005), code switching can be used for self-expression and it is a way of
modifying language for the sake of personal intentions. It is also used to establish a sort of
intimacy among members of a bilingual community. In this respect, code switching is a tool for
creating linguistic solidarity especially between individuals who share the same cultural identity.
Nawafleh (2008) discussed the way people in Jordan communicate using different dialects
especially colloquial Jordanian. People use different dialects to mark their identity that embodies
their cultural, ethnic, social, economic, and religious backgrounds. He conducted a study which
aimed to illuminate the way people in Jordan communicate and the phenomenon of code
switching between English and Jordanian Arabic, looking at the process of communication as an
identity defining patterns from which we can trace the cultural, ethnic, social, economic and even
religious factors. He concluded that the phenomenon of code-switching is mutable and can lead
to some serious mutations in the Arabic language, and that such changes may cause Arabic to
lose its aesthetics as it has powerful meanings and expressive capacities.
Rabab’a and Al Yasin (2016) stated the most recurring type of code switching used by 9th
and 10th grade EFL teachers is inter-sentential code switching, followed by sentential code
switching. The conclusion stipulated that the level of English proficiency governs the purpose to
use code switching by EFL teachers.

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3. Research methodology
The researcher examined the results using both qualitative and quantitative research methods to
find out the causes that made teachers use code switching in their ESL classes and explore the
most commonly used type of code switching in their international-based classes. To answer the
research questions, two ways of data collection were conducted; a questionnaire and audio-
recordings. A questionnaire was piloted and distributed to ten teachers who work at an
International School. The questionnaire tackled the demographic information, number of
teaching experience, fluency level, and teachers’ perspective on the functions of code switching.
The second instrument was audio-recordings, using a voice recorder to record ten classes for 30
minutes in different grade levels, namely grades 1-10. After collecting the recordings, the
researcher transcribed them and selected the utterances which exhibit code switching as they are
relevant to the current study. Each script will be numbered according to a chronological order.
Features like changes in intonational patterns, pauses, and gestures will be excluded in the
scripts. The scripts were used to determine what type of code switching is commonly used by
calculating frequencies and percentages and compare them to Poplack’s finding (1980) as he
conveyed that the intra-sentential switching takes place within clause constraints and demands
fluency in both language varieties. Moreover, the researcher analyzed the functions of code
switching by using the data collected from questionnaires. On the other hand, the scripts of the
audio-recordings were utilized to compare and contrast the use of code switching in each class
by using a checklist that demonstrates Gumperz’s (1982) functions of code switching in order to
evaluate and trace the causes of code switching and describe the reasons why teachers use code
switching in their classes. Furthermore, the researcher described the most commonly used code
switching in ten international-based classes and compare it to the fluency of the teacher. In the
findings section, the researcher further discussed the results of the each question separately and
classified them according to Gumperz’s (1982) function of code switching and the
Accommodation Theory.

3.1 Sample of the study

The sample of the current study is based on ten teachers from different geographical
backgrounds as T1 is Jordanian/American, T2 is also Jordanian/American, T3 is
Canadian/Jordanian, and T6 is British/Jordanian; the other six teachers are only Jordanian. The
age of the participants ranges between 23-49 years and share good knowledge of the English
language as a second language at an International School since this school only hires highly-
qualified teachers and proficiency in English is a pre-condition for recruitment. The participants
are chosen on grounds of convenience and on the basis of availability. The involvement on the
part of the researcher added value to this study as it clarified and disambiguated some features
that could have be overlooked in classrooms that were being observed. The demographic data
conveyed that there are nine female teachers who are originally Jordanian, whereas the tenth
teacher is a male teacher who is a compound bilingual as he acquired the two languages in the
same setting.
The teachers teach grades 1-10 and have a competency in English. The researcher
focused on the linguistic proficiency of the teachers in order to relate this factor to Poplack's
hypothesis (1980) as he mentioned that there is a congruous link between fluency of the teacher
and the frequency of using intra-sentential code switching.

Figure 1 shows the years of the teaching experience for the teachers. 50% of the teachers
have been teaching for 1-5 years while 20% of them have been teaching for 6-10 years. The most
5
experienced teachers who have been teaching more than 10 years comprise 30% of the sample.
Teaching experience can be linked to proficiency since English is the spoken language at this
school.

Figure1. The years of teaching experience for teachers

3.2 Questionnaire
The questionnaire includes two sections: one section requires the subjects to give information
about their demographical data like gender, age, nationality, and years of experience.
Furthermore, the questionnaire provides data about the preferred communicative language that
teachers use to interact with their students. It was also structured to elicit responses that cater the
purpose of this study; for instance, the topics on which code switching are commonly used and
the situations in which code switching are enormously utilized e.g. politics, religion, personal
issues, social issues educational issues, and emotional issues (See Appendix A). Section two
furnished the study with the functions of code switching according to the teachers' viewpoint; it
suggested situations in which code switching may occur according to Gumperz’s (1982)
functions. Finally, it traced the frequency of code switching that may take place in international-
based classes.

4. Data analysis
Data collected were quantitatively analyzed by calculating percentages and frequencies and the
researcher used a juxtaposition framework in order to find the causes of code switching used in
international-based classes. In contrast, data obtained from audio-recordings were quantitatively
and qualitatively perused to portray the causes of code switching and its types and use them to
compare and contrast the results of this study to Gumperz's (1982) and to the Accommodation
Theory. Finally, the data were used to find alignment between the teachers' responses in the
questionnaire and the real-life, pedagogical situation.

6
 5. Results and discussion
1 2 3 4 5
No. Item Strongly Agree Uncertain Disagree Strongly Total Weighted
Agree Disagree Average
1 I switch to Arabic to 0.00% 50.00 10.00% 20.00% 20.00%
encourage students 0 % 1 2 2 10 2.90
having difficulty 5

2 I switch to Arabic to 0.00% 0.00% 10.00% 40.00% 50.00%

express my loyalty to 0 0 1 4 5 10 1.60
my Arab culture

3 I switch to add a sense 10.00% 60.00 10.00% 20.00% 0.00%

of humour to my 1 % 1 2 0 10 3.60
utterances or to draw 6
attention

4 I switch to Arabic 10.00% 40.00 10.00% 30.00% 10.00%

because it is hard to 1 % 1 3 1 10 3.10
find proper English 4
equivalents

5 I switch to Arabic to 0.00% 0.00% 10.00% 50.00% 40.00%

show that I am well- 0 0 1 5 4 10 1.70
educated

6 I switch to Arabic to 10.00% 50.00 10.00% 20.00% 10.00%

make other students 1 % 1 2 1 10 3.30
understand what I 5
mean

7 I feel comfortable in 0.00% 30.00 20.00% 20.00% 30.00%

using more than one 0 % 2 2 3 10 2.50
language within the 3
same utterance

8 Switching from 0.00% 40.00 30.00% 20.00% 10.00%

English to Arabic is an 0 % 3 2 1 10 3.00
arbitrary process 4

5.1 Quantitative analysis results

In order to answer the first research question, ten teachers responded to the questionnaire and the
results are shown in Table 1.

Table 1.Percentages for teachers' questionnaire

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Table 1 shows the situations in which code switching may occur and it records the attitudes of
the teachers towards each situation to shed light on the common features and causes of code
switching. The responses of the first item, as shown in Table 1 above, display that 50% of the
subjects, which is the highest rate, agreed that code switching is used to modify and
accommodate the demands of low achievers while 20% equally disagreed and strongly disagreed
with the fact that code switching can be used to cope with the individual requirements of low
achievers. The responses of the second item show that 10% of the teachers were not sure if code
switching is used to show loyalty to the Arab culture, yet 50% strongly disagreed and found this
idea as an adversary. 60% of the teacher agreed that code switching can be used to mitigate and
pacify students by adding humour while 20% of them disagreed with this conjecture that
English-Arabic code switching is used to serve this purpose. However, 40% agreed that the
teachers switch when they find it hard to find proper English equivalents, but 30% disagreed
with this idea as they thought that students should be exposed to English at all times. The
responses of the fifth item show that 50% of the respondents disagreed with the idea that teachers
who are well-educated are willing to use code switching to show his or her linguistic potentiality,
and 40% were rather extremist as they strongly disagreed with this conjecture. On the other
hand, 50% of the teachers agreed that code switching should be used to bring clarification and to
disambiguate any academic glitches whereas 20% failed to agree that Arabic cannot be used in
situations in which students need to understand opaque issues. 30% of teachers strongly
disagreed with the idea that code switching is a tool of comfort for the teachers; similarly, 30%
agreed that they feel comfortable when using code switching. Finally, the responses of the eighth
statement show that 40% of the teachers agreed that code switching is used unconsciously;
nevertheless, 30% are uncertain if code switching is used deliberately or unintentionally.

The findings show that teachers use code switching to add sense of humour and, in this
case, they use code switching as a hook to attract their students'attention, and teachers resort to
code switching if they feel that their students need explanation or clarification. In contrast, code
switching is not used to show loyalty to one's culture as the majority showed their disapproval.
Consequently, the findings support the functions of code switching stated in Gumperz's (1982)
study and proved the notion of solidarity that was stipulated in Giles, Coupland, N., and
Coupland, J. (1991).

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 Table 2. Frequency of using code switching at school with students and other teachers

1 2 3 4 5
No. Item Always Often Sometimes Occasio Never Total Weighted
nally Average
1 How often do you 0.00% 0.00% 70.00% 20.00% 10.00%
switch from English to 0 0 7 2 1 10 2.60
Arabic at school with
your students?

2 How often do you 0.00% 50.00% 20.00% 30.00% 0.00%

switch from English to 0 5 2 3 0 10 3.20
Arabic with other
teachers?

Table 2 above shows the frequency of using code switching with students and peers. The
responses display that 70% of the teachers sometimes resort to code switching as means of
communication whereas 20% occasionally interact with their students using code switching
depending on the situation. In contrast, 50% of the teachers often use code switching to
collaborate with the other teachers and 30% occasionally use code switching to communicate
with their peers. Accordingly, teachers rely on code switching as means of communication with
their peers rather than using it with their students.

Table 3. The topics on which code switching occur according to the teachers

Topics Number of teachers Percentage

Politics 2 20%
Religion 5 50%
Personal issues 6 60%
Social issues 3 30%
Educational issues 1 10%
Emotional issues 6 60%

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 Table 3 shows the topics that trigger the usage of code switching in an international-based
code switching. As shown in Table 3, teachers recommended using code switching when
referring to personal and emotional issues as it peaked at 60%. However, code switching is not
an option for most teachers when the topic tackles educational issues as it reached only 10%.
Teachers also use code switching to discuss religious topics as it reached 50%.Code switching is
not a concrete evident in both politics and social issues as they averaged 20% and 30%
respectively. One teacher suggested that code switching can be used to clarify scientific terms
that are difficult to teach without switching to Arabic.

Table 4. Functions of code switching according to teachers

Function Number of teachers Percentage

No similar words in 5 50%
English
Do not know the English 1 10%
words
To fill the stopgap 2 20%
Easier to use my own 1 10%
language
To add emphasis 3 30%
To avoid misunderstanding 8 80%
To convey intimacy 2 20%
To have privacy 0 0%
express personal emotions 5 50%

Table 4 shows the functions of code switching according to teachers who teach
international-based curriculum. As shown in Table 4, 80% of the teachers thought that code
switching is preferred in situations in which teachers need to disambiguate vague concepts and
50% thought that code switching can be either used to express personal emotions or in situations
in which the words are rather abstract. Consequently, this notion supports Giles, Coupland, N.,
and Coupland, J. (1991) as the study stated that code switching is used to find solidarity and to
emphasize the convergence and divergence attitudes of the interlocutors. Furthermore, code
switching is hardly used when the teachers feel that they need to bridge the stopgap as it reached
20% or if they want to add emphasis to a material taught and this response contradicts with
Gumperz's (1982) functions that iteration is one of the reasons that activate the usage of code
switching; in other words, it was stated that code switching is used to reiterate a concept in order
to arouse perception. A teacher suggested that code witching can be used for horizontal
integration purposes. However, T1 and T3 did not use code switching as they thought that
English should be used at all times and students should be exposed to English although that some
students were using code switching to communicate with them.

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 Table 5. The frequencies of using different types of code switching

Type Intra- Inter- Tag Total

sententia sentential (emblematic
l )

Frequenc Percenta Frequency Percentag Frequency Percenta Frequenc Percentag

y ge e ge y e
Grade

2nd 2 50% 1 25% 1 25% 4 100%

grade

T2

4th grade 7 46.6% 1 6.66% 7 46.6% 15 100%

T4

4th grade 1 50% 0 0% 1 50% 2 100%

T5

5th grade 9 90% 1 10% 0 0% 10 100%

T6

6th grade 2 50% 2 50% 0 0% 4 100%

T7

7th grade 2 33.3% 3 50% 1 16.6% 6 100%

T8

8th grade 4 80% 1 20% 0 0% 5 100%

T9

9th grade 0 0% 0 0% 3 100% 3 100%

T10

Total 27 55.1% 9 18.3% 13 26.5% 49 100%

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 Table 5 shows that T2 heavily used intra-sentential code switching as it rated 50% and tag
code switching and inter-sentential code switching are not often used since it averaged at 25%. In
contrast, T4 also frequently used intra-sentential code switching as it reached to 46.6%, and she
also depended on tag code switching to grab the attention of her students as it rated 46.6%.
However, she occasionally used inter-sentential code switching since it averaged 6.66%. On the
other hand, T 5 equally used intra-sentential code switching and tag code switching as both
reached 50%. Again, T6 often used intra-sentential code switching when communication with his
students and it peaked at 90% of her speech, but he also used 10% of inter-sentential code
switching. T7 depended heavily on the intra-sentential code switching and inter-sentential code
switching as they both reached 50%. In contrast, T8 also used intra-sentential code switching
when interacting with her students as it reached 33.3%, yet she resorted to using inter-sentential
code switching to convey the lesson since it peaked at 50%. T 9 hugely relied on the intra-
sentential code switching to teach her lesson, so the rate peaked at 80% of her utterance while
she used 20% of inter-sentential code switching to help students identify concepts. Finally, T 10
only used tag code switching to call the attention of her students. The results exhibit that 51% of
intra-sentential code switching was utilized to conduct a lesson while others used 18.6% of inter-
sentential code switching. In contrast, the overall usage of tag code switching is 30.2%. To
illustrate the above manifestations, intra-sentential code switching was highly used and marked
in the teachers' speeches as it peaked at 55.1% and the least used was the inter-sentential code
switching as the average declined to 18.3%. This finding proved Poplack 's (1980) hypothesis as
he stated that there is a concrete connection between the proficiency of English and the usage of
intra-sentential code witching and it is in line with the results of this research as it was mentioned
above that this school requires a strict criteria for recruitment like showing skillfulness at
teaching and having an excellent command of English before they get hired.

5.2 Qualitative analysis results

The audio-recordings were used to track the most commonly used types of code functions in
international-based classes and to investigate the degree of proficiency if it connects to the use of
intra-sentential code switching according to Poplack's hypothesis (1980). Furthermore, the
researcher will qualitatively investigate the functions of code switching through tracing the
situations in which code switching was used by using a checklist that includes eight situations
that are parallel to statements stipulated in the questionnaire to validate the responses of the
teachers.
The researcher transcribed and selected relevant data to be the corpus of the current study (See
Appendix B).

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Table 6. Functions of code switching according to teachers' behavior inside the classroom

The teacher Name of

teacher
1. avoids code switching by using paraphrase largely. T1, T 3, T10
2. code switches to introduce a new concept. T5
3. uses Arabic expressions with students for classroom T4 and T9
management issues.
4. uses Arabic expressions with students to feedback on an T4 andT6
assignment.
5. uses Arabic expressions with students to explain a task T8 and T4
or an assignment.
6. uses Arabic expressions as a substitute for an English T9
abstract word or culturally-loaded words.
7. code switches to find solidarity with the students. T2
8. code switches to add humor in the discourse. T6 and T7

Table 6 shows the situations in which each teacher was performing while teaching in
international-based classes. As shown in Table 6, T1, T3, and T10 depended heavily on
paraphrasing and maintaining the English language as the main language of the class. In contrast,
T 5 used code switching to introduce new grammatical lesson, so he used the translation teaching
method and seized upon this opportunity to add humour and break the ice of the class. T4 and T9
resorted to code switching in order to control the class and set the tone. T4 and T6 commented on
the assignments by using code switching to find solidarity and establish intimacy with the
students. T 8 and T 4 used code switching to give instructions and explain plethora of tasks. In
contrast, T 9 used code switching to overcome language barriers as some words were abstract
and the teacher utilized code switching to bring more clarification by using Arabic
contextualization and help the learners perceive the words. Finally, T 2 used code switching
basically to find solidarity and establish amiable relationship with the learners. It is noticeable
that T7 showed a distinctive feature when using code switching which implies in subjecting
English words like (‫ )سناجل‬to morphosyntactic rules of Arabic and that displays the arbitrariness
of using code switching in utterances.

13
6. Conclusion
Data obtained indicated that teachers used code switching because they feel that it a source of
encouragement and they use it to create a comic atmosphere in these classes. Furthermore,
teachers use code switching to clarify dangling issues and to facilitate the learning of a concept.
Despite the fact that they teach at an international school, they used code switching as it is hard
to find proper equivalents when it comes to culturally loaded or scientific terms. Also, students
code switch in order to avoid misunderstanding and to elucidate the material. Students believe
that code switching is used unconsciously and without paying attention to the occurrence.
Basically, fluency is a factor to produce well-formed utterances and use intra-sentential code
switching as it was the most commonly used type in the current study. Consequently, code
switching requires fluency and mastery in both languages. The results identified that teachers use
code switching to express personal opinions, express emotions, discuss religious aspects, and to
explain abstract ideas. This study proves the fact that code switching is neither used to show
loyalty to the Arabic culture nor is it used to reiterate concepts.

14
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Batoosh, Mousa, and AbeerTaweel.(2012).Syntactic aspects of Jordanian Arabic-English intra-
sentential code switching.Unpublished Thesis, AlHussein Bin Talal University, Amman,
Jordan. http://www.phil.muni.cz/linguistica/art/taweelbtoosh/tab-001.pdf (Retrieved on
30/10/2017).
Dweik, Bader. (1986). Research Papers in Applied Linguistic. Hebron: HebronUniversity.
Cook, Vivian. (2002). Portraits of the L2 User. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters.
Ghaleb Rabab'ah and Noor Al-Yasin.(2016). ‘English-Arabic code switching in Jordanian EFL
teachers' discourse’. Dirasat: Human & Social
Sciences.https://www.researchgate.net/publication/297356636_English-
Arabic_Code_Switching_in_Jordanian_EFL_Teachers'_Discourse (Retrieved on
26/10/2017).
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Accommodation: Developments in Applied Sociolinguistics. Cambridge: Cambridge
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October 2017)
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Muysken, Pieter. (2000). Bilingual Speech: A Typology of Code-Mixing. Cambridge, England:
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 Appendix A

Questionnaire for the teachers

Section One:

Please fill in the blanks or circle the right answer:

1- Sex: (a) Male (b) Female

2- Nationality ………………………………………

3- Age: (a) 21-29 (b) 30-39 (c) 40-49

4- Which grade level you are teaching:

(a) 1st grade (b) 2nd grade (c) 3rd grade

(d) 4th grade (e) 5th grade (f) 6th grade

(g) 7th grade (h) 8th grade (i) 9th grade

5. How many years have you been teaching?

(a) 1-5 years (b) 6-10 years (c) more than 10 years

6. What language(s) do you normally use as means of communication with your students at

school?

(a) English (b) Arabic (c) both

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7. What topics do you switch between English /Arabic most often?

You can choose more than one answer

(a) politics (b) religion

(c) personal issues (d) social issues

(e) educational issues (f) emotional issues

(g) Other topics: ……………………………………………………..

8. Why do you use words in your own language even while speaking English?

You can choose more than one answer

(a) No equivalency in English (b) to fill the stopgap (c) easier to use my own language

(d) to add emphasis (e) to avoid misunderstanding (f) to convey intimacy

(g) to have privacy (h) express personal emotions (i) Do not know the English

word

(j) Other reasons: …………………………………………………………………………………

9. How often do you switch from English to Arabic at school with students?

a. always b. often c. sometimes d. occasionally e. never

10. How often do you switch from English to Arabic at school with other English teachers?

a. always b. often c. sometimes d. occasionally e. never

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 Section Two:
Please tick the option next to the statement which reflects your point of view

5 4 3 2 1
No. Item Strongly Agree Uncertain Disagree Strongly
Agree disagree
1. I switch to Arabic to encourage
students having difficulty.
2. I switch to Arabic to express my
loyalty to my Arab culture.
3. I switch to add a sense of humor to
my utterances or to draw attention.
4. I switch to Arabic because it is hard
to find proper English equivalents.
5 I switch to Arabic to show that I am
well-educated

6. I switch to Arabic to make students

understand what I mean.

7. I feel comfortable in using more

than one language within the same
utterance.
8. Switching from English to Arabic is
an arbitrary process.

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 Appendix B

Script 1 T2:

1. not a comma ‫حبيبتي‬, a command

2. sometimes ‫ حبايبي‬we use a command

3. who knows what a storm is? ‫عاصفة‬

4. ‫ يل‬Suhail read

Script 2 T4:

1. ‫هل‬, I am gonna write questions on the board.

2. ‫ال‬month 12

3. ‫ يا‬miss

4. ‫طيب‬, what's your birth date?

5. Eleven divided 7 ‫فيها‬

6. ‫هدول‬, I am gonna give each a card board.

7. ‫ يا‬Tariq, I am talking.

8. ‫ مش‬the whole entire date

9. ‫هيني‬, I am coming to pass out.

10. ‫ و اا‬I told you guys.

11.‫ طب معناتو‬zero

12. ‫ يل يا مس‬miss you need to start.

13.‫ يعني‬it is very simple.

14.‫ل‬, this not what we need .

15. Come here ‫ بسرعة‬.

16. Pets ‫يعني اكم من حيوان عندك بالبيت‬.

17.‫ا‬
‫ و ا‬I like your shapes Omran.

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Script 3 T5:

1. ‫كرم خلص‬stop.

2. ‫ يل‬the ones who are writing try to finish.

Script 4 T6:

1. That's the new rule ‫ شباب‬.

2. Past ‫ماضي‬, continuous ‫مستمر‬

3. Answer ‫جاوب‬.

4. Take away ‫أي شي الو علقاة بالناجليزي‬.

5. Bear with me ‫خليك معي‬.

6. I am finished ‫ أكلت وشبعت‬.

7. ‫ كلمات بتدل على‬past continuous

8. ‫ بس تشوف دايما يا آدم‬continuous ‫ اتذكر‬this is -ing verb.

9. ‫ احنا درسنا‬past continuous ‫ مش‬present continuous.

10. ‫ دايما‬we start with what?

Script 5 T7:

1. like ‫عيلة سناجل وعيلة متجوزين‬

2. Have for ‫متزوجين‬, has for ‫سناجل‬

3. Hanging out with ‫سناجل‬

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Script 6 T8:

1.‫يجي وين؟‬, come in the front please.

2. ‫ كله‬I think.

3. Yes, we said it ‫كون مركز شوي‬

4. ‫كلهم غلط‬I know.

5. not even one ‫ مش معقول‬.

Script 7 T9:

1. checks, ‫يعني شيكات أو كمبيالت‬

2. Not about ‫كلو‬

3. You took it in ‫ ثقافة مالية‬.

4. In Arabic ‫ التعريف الصيرفي‬.

5. Yousef ‫ هات الكرة‬and you throw it in the garbage ‫ يل‬.

Script 8 T10:

1. ‫ طب‬,who can tell me about

2. ‫ يعني‬more technical

3. ‫ طب‬listen

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 Appendix C

Dear Mr. Mohammad Abu Khadija, the deputy general manager of the Al Ittihad Schools,

I am writing to ask your permission to conduct a research at your school for a study entitled
“The Functions of Code Switching Used by Teachers in International-Based Classes.”

This research is being conducted by Shereen Abu Hait from the University of Jordan as part of
the fulfillment of Research Methods in Linguistics Course in the PhD Program of Foreign
Language in Linguistics.

I am required to obtain permission to distribute a questionnaire to teachers and use a recording to

observe classes. The aim of this study is to investigate the functions of code switching and the
impact of code switching on the linguistic aspects of language varieties.

If you are willing to be involved would you please sign the form below that acknowledges that
you have read the explanatory statement, you understand the nature of the study being
conducted, and you give permission for the research to be conducted.

Sincerely,

Shereen Abu Hait

PH.D. student at the University of Jordan

22