Code-switching and its role in language socialization

ABSTRACT

From Schieffelin’s (1994) perspective on code-switching and language socialization, this study investigates how a Chinese child’s code-switching between English and Chinese may have assisted his bilingual socialization in the United States, by focusing on the child’s code-switching in diverse Chinese settings and with different interlocutors across nearly one year.

KEYWORDS:

• Code-switching
• language socialization
• Chinese
• language learning

Acknowledgement

I would like to thank Douglas Campbell, Debra Friedman, and Susan Florio-Ruane for their guidance and valuable advice throughout this project. My sincere gratitude also goes to the anonymous reviewers of the International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism for their feedback and insights on the previous drafts.

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

1. Despite multiple definitions of heritage language speakers in the field, the term in this paper is used in a broader sense, which is similar to minority language speakers in an English-speaking context in the literature. They are raised in a home where a non-English language is spoken, so they learn and continue using the language at home, while the language is gradually subordinated to English, which is the dominant language of the wider context.

2. The English word May and Chinese word mei (beautiful) sound very similar to each other.

3. See Appendix for an explanation of symbols.