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JOURNAL of LANGUAGE and LINGUISTIC STUDIES a Critical Discourse Analysis of Impact of Code-Switching on Modern Adult Language L Available online at www.jlls.org JOURNAL OF LANGUAGE AND LINGUISTIC STUDIES ISSN: 1305-578X Journal of Language and Linguistic Studies, 17(Special Issue 1), 109-121; 2021 A critical discourse analysis of impact of code-switching on modern adult language learners’ motivation in Pakistan Shafaq Sameen a 1 , Aisha Farid b , Muhammad Sabboor Hussain c a GC Women University, Sialkot. Pakistan b GC Women University, Sialkot. Pakistan c GC Women University, Sialkot. Pakistan APA Citation: Sameen,S., Farid, A.,& Hussain, M.S. (2021). A critical discourse analysis of impact of code-switching on modern adult language learners’ motivation in Pakistan. Journal of Language and Linguistic Studies, 17(Special Issue 1), 109-121. Submission Date:17/08/2020 Acceptance Date:22/10/2020 Abstract This research yields a review on demotivation among students due to poor language skills resulting in less participation in classrooms. It provides code-switching, the alternating use of languages in the discourse, as a solution to this problem. It is mixed-method research in which the data was collected from university teachers and students on a survey. The study followed Fairclough’s model of Critical Discourse Analysis and helped reach conclusions regarding the use of code-switching in classes. It finds out that our university teachers are already using code-switching in their classes to help reduce foreign language anxiety and motivate learners towards learning. The study also highlighted the possible harm code-switching may bring to the students: students suffer in the long run due to their reliance on the usage of code-switching, and this complete dependency ultimately results in poor language skills development. Thus, the study recommends that teachers be careful and judicious in the use of code-switching in classes and that too only in the initial phase of university education. © 2021 JLLS and the Authors - Published by JLLS. Keywords: code-switching; demotivation; language learning; critical discourse analysis; fairclough’s model 1. Introduction Motivation is a crucial component in academic studies. The study is the investment of a limited sacred resource – time – with abstract gains like the knowledge that may initially seem minimal. Since the investment is substantial and the gains are not visible until much later, adult learners are often derailed from their initial objectives. The slightest hindrances can lead learners to become demotivated and eventually give up on academia altogether. Since motivation is crucial for modern-day learners, any limitations that may reduce the desired motivation need to be eliminated. This paper is a discourse analysis of a specific type of language tool that helps to minimize demotivation in modern-day learners. The tool of choice for this paper is 'Code-switching'. In this paper's span, we will introduce the problem and explore its significance in adult language learners. We will then discuss the usage of the tool 1 Corresponding author. E-mai address: [email protected] 110 Sameen et al. / Journal of Language and Linguistic Studies, 17(Special Issue 1) (2021) 109–121 mentioned above to resolve the said issue and discuss its merits and demerits. By the end of this paper, the reader should have a complete understanding of what affects student motivation, what code- switching is, and how it can help resolve demotivation and any adverse effects this tool may or may not bring. Motivation is a crucial factor in modern-day learners. Learning has matured in years and has drastically changed from what it used to be a few years ago. The information age (the age of technology) has brought countless blessings to modern-day learners. In older times (roughly 30 years back), learning was utterly different. Students in academia had to travel all around the world to muster information and build a comprehensive study on their topic of choice. Nevertheless, nowadays, with the digitization of content, times have changed. Access to information is a lot easier and effective. Everything can be found in one place in the comfort of your own home. However, this ease of access to information is affecting student motivation. The focus of academia has shifted from the actual content to its delivery. Since information is so readily available nowadays, how you deliver, it matters even more now. It has a massive impact on the motivation of modern-day learners. The demotivation in today's' language learners takes place due to many apparent reasons: First of all, demotivation occurs due to poor content delivery. A person's speaking ability and control over the language of delivery is a significant factor in delivering the content. If a person does not have a strong command over the language, he fails to make an impression, failing to effectively deliver his findings. This failure in effective delivery negatively affects students. No matter how good a student's content, maybe, if he fails to deliver it effectively, it is of no use. You can have a box of nothing, but with the appropriate presentation, you may be able to present it as the most wonderful thing. Similarly, you can have the finest of technologies in the world, but without proper presentation, it may seem useless. Poor language skills result in poor delivery and demotivation. Bad language skills hinder content quality and make it look like that one does not have the content of good enough quality to show. This leads to demotivation for students, who may have excellent content to present but not good language skills to complement it. Poor delivery skills make studies look like fruitless efforts since their menial presentation skills downgrade their content quality. Second, learners' limited participation in academic activities also affects their motivation. Often, the mode of academic delivery is in a language foreign to the student. A teacher might choose to deliver content in a language the student is not comfortable with, leading to multiple issues. For starters, a student may not be able to comprehend what the teacher is trying to communicate. This could be quickly resolved if the student were to clear their doubts and concerns with the teacher beforehand. However, due to poor language skills, the student might not feel comfortable enough to ask the teacher about clearing the doubts. Even if comfort was not the problem, students might not be able to get their concerns across since the worries and doubts are to be discussed in the language used to deliver said content. Hence, students are discouraged from interacting in classrooms and other sources of education. The fear of getting embarrassed due to their poor language skills leads to students limiting their participation in classes. This holds them back and eventually demotivates them from further learning. Therefore, limited language skills lead to demotivation in students. Due to poor language skills, students cannot effectively deliver their content; they find their efforts fruitless, which leads them to be unmotivated to study. Moreover, poor language skills lead to limited participation, which once again demotivates students. Thus, it is the anxiety, the result of poor language skills, that demotivates them to study further. Research on language shows the effect language anxiety can have on students' performance and achievement, along with the adverse effects it has on their learning of the English . Sameen et al. / Journal of Language and Linguistic Studies, 17(Special Issue 1) (2021) 109–121 111 language. Student anxiety in the classroom increases the possibility of having a frustrating and bad experience with the foreign language (Gregerson and Horwitz, 2002). Code-switching is a popular tool of choice when it comes to teaching Pakistan. It is because most of the education in Pakistan is delivered in the English language, which is a foreign language to all. Modern- day learners are not very comfortable with the language and lack the confidence to adapt to it. This is because the language has become a stigma in the average modern-day Pakistani society. The continuous reinforcement of this language in academia, coupled with the stigma that the language has become, leads to a lack of confidence in students, so much so that they get demotivated in learning. The present study is an attempt to address this problem and to explore if code-switching can prove to help learners resolve these problems and stay motivated on their learning track. According to Ahmad (2009), opportunities to communicate and enhance students come up when Code-switching is involved. Furthermore, it is time effective because teachers do not waste time to explain or search simple words to simplify any confusion that arises. Code-switching may help learners overcome their fears and express themselves more freely. Code-switching can be alternatively known as code-mixing, code-changing, or code-shifting. Code- switching occurs when a bilingual introduces a completely unassimilated word from another language into his speech (Haugen, 1956). Code-switching is the act of alternating between two (or more) languages within a single sentence, discourse, or constituent. English is a foreign language to many, and its use is expanding daily. Because of this reason, code-switching has become an ever-increasing paradigm throughout the globalized world of English language speakers. The application of code- switching is typical among bilingual and multilingual speakers depending on situational factors such as the speaker's motivations and different social settings. In Pakistan, the switching of languages can be between Urdu and English. Here students can harness both languages to deliver content and interact in classrooms effectively. A study conducted by Ahmad and Jusoff (2009) revealed that learners showed a positive perception of Code-Switching by teachers while teaching them the English language. Code-switching is not student-specific. Teachers, too, can use code-switching while delivering their lectures. Code-switching can be made use of by teachers to illustrate points to students better.
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