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Codeswitching in Communication: a Sociolinguistic Study of Malaysian Secondary School Students

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Codeswitching in Communication: a Sociolinguistic Study of Malaysian Secondary School Students ISSN: 0128-7702 Pertanika J. Soc. Sci. & Hum. 18 (2): 407 - 415 (2010) © Universiti Putra Malaysia Press Codeswitching in Communication: A Sociolinguistic Study of Malaysian Secondary School Students Paramasivam Muthusamy Department of Foreign Languages, Faculty of Modern Languages and Communication, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia *E-mail: [email protected] ABSTRACT Codeswitching is a common phenomenon in a multilingual society like Malaysia. Furthermore, the language policy of the Malaysian government has made it mandatory for the students to learn both in bahasa melayu and English at their primary school level. The Indian and Chinese students acquired their respective mother tongues, namely Tamil and Mandarin, besides the two compulsory languages, (bahasa Melayu and English). This study was conducted at four secondary schools situated in the Klang Valley, in which one school was chosen from an urban setting, two from suburban, and one from a rural area. Twenty samples were selected of which twelve were Indian students, four Malays, and four Chinese. The samples were give two topics for discussion and their conversations were recorded and transcribed. In addition, a questionnaire was administered to determine the respondents’ demographic details and their language choice at home. The findings indicated that codeswitching that occurs from bahasa Melayu to English, Tamil or Chinese to English or vice versa during conversations is more habitual by nature. Respondents from the average economic and educational category were found to have used both English and their mother tongue as their matrix language. However, the respondents from the lower economic and educational category used their mother tongue as the dominant language or matrix language. Similarly, when the same ethnic group converse, their mother tongue becomes the domain language, with English and bahasa Melayu as the embedded languages. Keywords: Codeswitching, matrix language, embedded language, multilingual society INTRODUCTION communities living in Malaysia (Asmah, 1992). Malaysia is a multilingual nation and it comprises Apart from the above socio-political reasons, of Malays and natives (62%), Chinese (27%), another factor which contributes to switching Indians (8%), and the remaining 3% of other codes between Malay and English by the Tamil races. This mix of ethnicities contributes speakers is the phenomenon of globalization. towards the variation in language use and Globalization is the result of advancement of cultural practices. Due to various factors, such science and technology at the world level. In as the numerical strength of the dominant Malay other words, the unequivocal advancement in community, their language, political support for technology is often initiated by the developed the Malay language, culture and above all, the nations. Meanwhile, technical advancement and administrative and educational dominance of obtaining up-to-date knowledge in technology the Malay language in every respect, the Malay automatically contribute economic power and language seems to have a significant control over bring in job opportunities. This cause and effect the weaker races which include all the minority reaction often makes the developing or under- Received: 31 December 2009 Accepted: 26 April 2010 Paramasivam Muthusamy developed nations to obtain technical knowledge Malaysia, three types of CS patterns have been as early as possible for the reasons mentioned identified. These are firstly, those Malaysian above. It is needless to say that the process of students who use bahasa Melayu as their globalization is always initiated by the developed dominant language with embedded English nations. Another hard truth is that in the words in their discourse. Secondly, those modern world scenario, English is the language interlocutors who use English as their dominant through which one can have easy access to the language with embedded Bahasa Melayu words needed technological knowledge and meet at in their speech and finally, the students who ease the process of globalization (Jacobson, embed English or bahasa Melayu in their mother 2004). Subsequently, most of the countries tongue (L1), such as Tamil or Mandarin in their in the world are interested in incorporating discourse. The above mentioned communicative English in their educational curricula. Malaysia patterns are observed in most of the situations is also not an exception to this. Another undertaken in the present study. sociolinguistic behaviour found among the language users is that everybody, irrespective REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE of their socio-economic and educational status, wants to be familiar with English. This linguistic While discussing about CS taking place in behaviour of the interlocutors has made English different sociolinguistic and multiethnic a prestigious language of the world, including situations, various researchers have defined in Malaysia. Language use in the Malaysian the phenomenon of CS with reference to the situation needs to be viewed with reference to concerned situation in which the study was the general language policy of the Malaysian undertaken. For instance, Zaitul Azma Zainon government. As per the language policy of Hamzah (2006) suggests that pragmatic research Malaysia, it is mandatory that the Malaysian focuses on the relationships that exist between students have to learn both bahasa Melayu and language structures and the mannerisms of English starting from their primary school level. the interlocutors. For example, in an informal Furthermore, the Indian and Chinese students conversation among a group of multiracial will also acquire their respective mother tongues, students, their conversations are dependent on namely Tamil and Mandarin, besides the two the context and the outcome, as well as how the compulsory languages, (bahasa Melayu and listeners process the information or message English). Thus, this enables the multilingual conveyed by the speaker. Here, the use of students to code switch with ease and confidence multiple languages or codeswitching is accepted during communication (Paramasivam, 2006). because the speech has distinct language In general, codeswitching (CS) can be structures that are clear and concise. defined as switching from one language code to According to Jacobson (2004), there is a another during a single communicative event. common understanding that CS is regarded as It also comprises the alternation between one bahasa rojak or bahasa pasar, i.e. a substandard or more languages or dialects in the middle of language. This connotative meaning refers to a discourse between people who have more the language that is impure, unsystematic, and than one language in common. Sometimes, has elements of foreign languages in Bahasa the switch takes place after a few sentences Melayu. Awang Sariyan (1996) further supports and at other times after a single phrase. Those this substandard language, by saying that CS who codeswitch may not even be aware of is not new but has existed as a form of pidgin their behaviour and when asked will deny that language in the history of human languages. they resorted to such a practice in their speech In the Malaysian context, the Baba Melaka (Jacobson, 2001). community’s spoken language is considered With this background, if we look into to be a variation of the Malay language. This the phenomenon of CS among the students of is further supported by the study of Chng Lee Swee Li (1995). 408 Pertanika J. Soc. Sci. & Hum. Vol. 18 (2) 2010 Codeswitching in Communication: A Sociolinguistic Study of Malaysian Secondary School Students Asmah Hj. Omar (2007) claims that CS or informal settings and at all levels of the among Malaysians exists at all social levels language, i.e. at the phonological, semantic and and races. English language is usually used lexical level. As it is evident from the works along with bahasa Melayu during CS. She of different scholars, as discussed above, it is further states that CS in English occurs among needless to say that the phenomenon of CS is Malay speakers frequently in formal situations, inevitable in every sociolinguistic situation in such as in meetings, talks, speeches, official a multilingual country. However, the patterns interviews, etc. In informal situations, CS with of CS differ according to the communication bahasa Melayu, English, and other languages situation. In other words, all the CS patterns are like Tamil, Cantonese, and Malay dialects are unique in their own ways which have situational frequently used among the Malays in general attestation. and the choice of the language varies according to the sociolinguistic situations (Asmah, 1992). AIM OF THE STUDY Similarly, Nik Safiah Karim (1992) states that CS resembles language in transition, where The present study was construed to find the the society uses more than one language to intricacies of CS among the students in the communicate. However, the interlocutors are selected secondary schools in the Klang Valley, not proficient in any of the languages that is used with the following aims: in their speech. 1. To determine the patterns of codeswitching Furthermore, CS is seen as a natural among secondary school students. language development process in the usage, 2. To investigate how linguistic patterns of where the speaker has a repertoire to effectively codeswitching are structured. manipulate two or more languages in any given 3. To determine the students’ dominance in speech event.
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