Debarring Language Switches

Oct 28 , 2023
By Kidist Yidnekachew

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I came across a recent challenge that required participants to speak English for two minutes without using other languages.

While this may seem easy for someone with a strong command of the language, many who claimed to be fluent found it daunting because uninterrupted speech requires good knowledge of vocabulary.

Personally, I can hold a conversation in English and keep it going but writing allows me to convey myself more effectively.

But my vocabulary is limited to my exposure during conversations or what I grasped while watching movies which played an essential role in my language learning. These days, I do not come across new words as I seldom have time to watch a movie.

Code-switching is observed among bilingual and multilingual speakers.

It can serve communicative purposes by facilitating expression, building rapport and signalling identity. However, this challenge highlighted a common paradox.

While mixing different languages can be a valuable tool for communication, it can also prevent the speaker from fully immersing oneself in either language. This is evident because speakers are continually transitioning between grammatical structures, vocabulary and pronunciation, making fluency a challenge.

Potentially it will hinder vocabulary acquisition as one may rely on familiar words from their mother tongue instead of actively seeking out new words in their second language.

People may experience vocabulary scarcity for infrequently encountered items or concepts.

For instance, someone with finite knowledge of cars may struggle to discuss the subject in English. The general terms, such as "horn" and "trunk," might come easily but the specifics in between can pose a significant obstacle to effective communication.

Lack of specificity is another form I usually struggle to communicate with my in-laws whose native language differs from mine.

One time, my son took a vaccine and his grandmother asked which part of his body they gave him the shot on. I casually said it was in his hand; a native Amharic speaker would have understood although my description was not specific to the arm which was the correct place.

But she was confused and asked "As in here?" while pointing to her hand. That was when I realised I should have been more specific.

It is difficult to convey certain concepts to non-English speakers. These factors can even lead to misunderstandings, especially when speaking with people who do not know any of the local languages.

Speakers who use mixed code are not solely exposed to or engaged with any one language which limits their opportunities for learning. Moreover, they may become accustomed to translating words directly from one language to another which puts accuracy into question.

I sometimes find myself mixing Amharic words although the people conversing with me do not understand it. Perhaps it would be easier to comply somewhere where one language medium is used.

The issue is debatable when it comes to education.

A study done in 2009 by conducting a survey among students and by interviewing teachers in the Philippines showed that 44pc of the students consider codeswitching acceptable while the majority did not. Although teachers recommended it for effective communication, they believed it should be restricted to informal classroom activities.

In Ethiopia, the ability of teachers to convey messages using English after certain grades as the language medium changes is doubtable. It might be one factor for the shocking students' results upon taking an entrance examination as well.

Strengthening teachers' language proficiency while capacitating them with the necessary resources and infrastructure is expected from the Education Ministry.

Through this challenge, I realised that it is critical to be mindful of the potential negative repercussions of combining languages. While code-switching is not inherently harmful, it can impede the learning process if not used sparingly.

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PUBLISHED ON Oct 28,2023 [ VOL 24 , NO 1226]

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