Code-switching in university classroom interaction: A case study of the University of Dar es Salaam

Abstract

Code-switching, a common linguistic practice among multilingual speakers, occurs when a speaker alternates between two or more language varieties in a single conversation. This phenomenon manifests itself in diverse ways and to achieve different goals. It may occur within or between sentences; it may signify social aspects such as identity or solidarity among people who share values; and, as this paper demonstrates, it may serve instructional purposes. This paper examines the alternating use of English and Swahili in lectures at the University of Dar es Salaam in the context of Tanzania's language-in-education policy, which makes English the sole language of teaching and learning in higher education. The data comprise eight recorded lectures and interviews with the lecturers teaching first-year students in the departments of Political Science and Public Administration (PSPA) and Sociology and Social Anthropology (SSA). The study was premised on the assumption that lecturers are likely to make marked language choices consciously or unconsciously with firstyear students because they are new to the university's English spoken register. The primary objective of this particular paper is to identify, describe, document and analyse the types of code-switching that lecturers used during lectures. A discourse analysis (DA) approach facilitated the identification and analysis of the lecturers' code-switching. The findings indicate that lecturers used inter-and intrasentential code-switching to engage with students, to translate concepts, to explain, to manage students' behaviour, and to advise or encourage students. This paper broadens our understanding of individual and societal multilingualism and how lecturers manage it in the context of higher education in Tanzania. It highlights practical issues of English language usage in Tanzanian higher education as an instance of the use of English as an academic lingua franca in contexts where a local language dominates practically all other spheres of the speakers' lives.

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“…This suggests that teachers are flexible to allow learners express their views during teaching-learning sessions in both Kiswahili and English. This situation is similar to what Shartiely (2016) established at the University of Dar es Salaam, that lecturers, even after having been cautioned against codeswitching in classrooms, still persisted with code-switching strategy and made it an integral part of their teaching process primarily to foster learning and bridge the linguistic gap between themselves and their students. Particularly, students agreed that sometimes they ask questions in Kiswahili during class room sessions, teachers are comfortable when students ask questions in Kiswahili and that teachers use both Kiswahili and English in teaching and learning sessions.…”

The Functions of Code_Switching in EFL Classrooms

“…According to Shartiely (2016), code-switching is used in the class to facilitate learning and it is a crucial part in the teaching process in Tanzania. In this study, the participants who were EFL lecturers at Balkh University stated that they switch codes for better understanding and learning of students in the following situations: when students do not understand the instruction which is given in English, when the lecturer is talking about cultural aspect of an issue, and when the lecturers want to clarify some vague points, grammar, idiomatic expression and vocabulary in the target language.…”

“…The second reason is effective communication and interaction in the class. According to Shartiely (2016), code-switching is an essential part of Tanzanian teachers' teaching process. They believe that code-switching is used to fill the linguistic gap between teachers and students.…”

“…In a language class, code-switching may have both positive and negative roles. When teachers and students switch codes in the teaching and learning process, this can assist students understand the concepts in their first language easily as Shartiely (2016) argued that code-switching can facilitate learning. Additionally, Alenezi (2010) also found that students in Kuwait University had a positive attitude towards code-switching.…”

At the Crossroads of TESOL and English Medium Instruction

“…English supplemented by a local language has been documented not only as a planned outcome but also as ad hoc or situational use of other codes in the classroom (Bahous, Nabhani, & Bacha, 2014;A. Lin, 2013;Macaro, 2018;Mazak & Carroll, 2016;Shartiely, 2016;Shaw, Coleman, Hultgren, Tsui, & Wei, this issue). The use of multiple codes has long been termed code-switching.…”