When
children are raised bilingual one of the things they tend to do is switch
between to languages, this is something that tends to scare parents. When
parents hear their children switch between languages mid-sentence they see it
as the child being confused with their knowledge of the languages, this is one
common misunderstanding about code switching. It is also often seen as a child’s
lack of understanding in either of the languages. Children code switch for many
reasons and it’s not because of their lack of knowledge or confusion.
“When people know two or more languages they commonly switch between the languages according to: context, the person they are speaking with, the topic and other factors”. When a child code switch it can because what they are trying to get
across is easier in another language.
While it is true that code switch can happen when children are still
learning a new language and are not comfortable with their knowledge. Children
who are fluent can code switch to clarify a point, make request and or express
information that does not have equal meaning in the other language.
“Code switching is a natural part of being bilingual, allowing bilinguals to draw ontheir resources from both linguistics code at once. Research conducted by Vu,Bailey and Howes on 4-to-6 year-old bilingual children showed that children
would code switch to gain someone’s attention, or to change their speaking
roles. This shows that children have the ability to use their two languages for
both linguistic and nonlinguistic purpose from a very early age. In research
conducted by Reyes on immigrant Spanish-English speaking children between
7-to-10-years-old showed that these children used code switching more often for
a wider number of purposes.
Code switching is something that happens naturally to
bilingual speakers, their usage of both languages in the same sentence shows a
fluency in both. When a bilingual child code switch its shows that they are
actively thinking in both languages. They aren’t just using words but they are
also using grammar, and syntax from both the languages. Parents of bilingual
child will often hear them code switch, but when a child recognizes that one of
their peers isn’t bilingual they are less likely to code switch.
Parents of bilingual children
usually tend to feel the need to correct their child when they code switch but
they need accept the fact that when raising a bilingual a bilingual children
they will use both their languages to get their point across. Parents shouldn’t
panic when their children code switch, and they shouldn’t discourage them from
it. When a child code switches it doesn’t mean they don’t know the different
between the two languages.
