CODE SWITCHING AND CODE-MIXING PRACTICES IN ENGLISH CLASSROOMS OF OKARACANTT

Abstract

This study looks into how teachers and students in English classes in Okara Cantt, Pakistan, switch between languages or mix them. It includes 20 teachers and 40 students from different language backgrounds. Participants, hailing from various regions, spoke languages including Urdu, Punjabi, Saraiki, Sindhi, and Balochi. Through semi-structured interviews data were collected to explore the role and attitudes towards code-switching (choice of languages) and code-mixing (to mix more than one languages in verbal and non-verbal communication) in English instruction. The findings reveal strong support from both teachers and students for these practices as effective pedagogical tools. Teachers reported using code-switching and code-mixing to clarify complex concepts, enhance student comprehension, and foster an inclusive classroom environment, particularly for students with varying proficiency levels in English. Students valued these practices for improving understanding, reducing anxiety, and bridging linguistic gaps, enabling them to engage more confidently in lessons. The multilingual context of OkaraCantt, where regional languages coexist with Urdu and English, so, code-switching is common in the premises of cantonment Schools and Colleges. Teachers often switched to Urdu or regional languages to explain vocabulary or grammar, while students mixed languages to express ideas more fluently. Even though some worry that using code-switching and code-mixing too much might slow down English learning, teachers and students find it helpful for learning. This study uses communication accommodation theory, which focuses on how people adjust their way of talking to communicate better. This theory was developed by Howard Giles, a communication professor at the University of California. In methodology, sampling purposive was used to relevant participants. These findings endorse to the wider dialogue on more than one language. Suggest that code-switching and code-mixing is naturally occurred by students and teachers. Because they have no habit of use English outside the classroom. That’s why both students and teachers maintained code-switching and code-mixing.