English-Cairene Arabic Classroom Code Switching:An Interactional-Sociolinguistic Approach

Abstract

This is a data-oriented study of code switching in the context of Cairene Arabic-English bilinguals in university classrooms. Data were collected through in-class observations of bilingual Egyptian professors in a program where English is the language of instruction. The observed code-switches are grouped into a structural typology based on their syntax and into a functional typology based on the communicative activities they perform. Each category is exemplified, and the examples are analyzed from an interactional-sociolinguistic perspective. I entertain both the hypothesis that certain verbal activities are associated with a given language during the switch, and the hypothesis that the code switching behavior is itself a contextual cue associated with certain activities, and contend that a synthesis of the two is needed. Patterns, tendencies, and attitudes of the participants are thoroughly discussed. By providing a careful treatment of code switching, the paper promotes the idea that it is a natural linguistic strategy which bilinguals employ to enrich their communication, not least in the classroom setting..