A Study on Code-Switching in Oral and Texting Interaction and Communication of University Lecturer and Students

Abstract

Code-switching is a linguist phenomenon that has drawn the attention and several debates on its reasons and attitudes towards it. Sometimes, young adults make use of code-switching to show off, while some use it as a method of practicing English. However, university students use code-switching by accident or even as a habit when communicating with their lecturers. There is little research on code-switching in oral communication between university students and teachers in Vietnam, but code-switching in written communication is rare. This qualitative research mainly uses observation communication between an English teacher and non-English major students of three different levels, from beginner to pre-intermediate. Through analyzing observation and intimately interviewing teachers, the results show that both students at lower and higher-level code switch and the frequency they code-switch with Vietnamese teacher is more often than with foreign teacher, and code-switching in written communication is more than in oral communication. The main reasons for this phenomenon include the cultural influence, intimacy between teacher and students, and the limited English vocabulary. Teacher and students switch between English and Vietnamese in the classroom and between Vietnamese and English in texting communication so that the communications happen smoothly and effectively.