CODE MIXING AND CODE SWITCHING IN THE CLASSROOM

INTERACTION
Septian Riwaldi Sitanggang – F2201211010
Tanjungpura University
f2201211010@student.untan.ac.id

Abstract
This study is about based on the case of using the code mixing and code switching in the
teaching English and the frequency of them in the teaching and learning process. This
purposes to observe the benefit the use of code mixing and code switching in learning.
Based on the purpose of the research, observation sheet is the research instrument to
collect the data. Code mixing and code switching often happens in the daily conversation
as the learners sometimes mix or switch some words or phrases accidentally. This paper
aimed to see how the use of code mixing and code switching in the learning situation as the
strategy in helping the students to acquire their target language well. Some theories belief
that this strategy brings positive effect toward the students’ outcome in acquiring the target
language. Some theories also believe that this strategy is not an effective way to make the
students learn the language easier and faster. That is why this strategy is debatable and
invites different perspectives from various experts and theories. However, the finding
showed that, there are significant beneficial towards the students’ outcomes in acquiring
the target language by using the code mixing and code switching strategy.

Keywords: Code mixing and code switching, teaching and learning situation, classroom
interaction,

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INTRODUCTION
Indonesia in one of the countries that included as the bilingual or multilingual
society which the people in that country are able to speak more than one language. When
people are able to speak more than one languages is called as the bilingualism or
multilingual. Bilingual or multilingual can be triggered by the education. Mostly the
students learn another languages except their mother tongue. As the example, Indonesia
learners learn English in their school and able to master that language as their target
language. Bilingualism and multilingualism cause this phenomenon which is called code
mixing and code switching. Yao (2011) states that the phenomenon of mixing and
switching more than one languages within the same utterance or conversation is known as
code mixing and code switching.
Code mixing and code switching is one the strategies that can be used to support
the students in acquiring their target language. This is the process of them during learning
their target language. In the process of acquiring the language, the students often face a
difficulty in the vocabulary where when they speak, they sometimes forget some words in
English. Code mixing and code switching is one of the ways that can be used in this case
where they can use other languages mix with English with concerning the partner to talk is
able to understand it.
Hence, there are some different perspective towards the use of code mixing and
code switching in the EFL learners. Moreover, the effect of mother tongue is also affect the
target language acquiring. There are some experts mentioned that these codes (code mixing
and code switching) are the breaker for the teaching and learning process where the
students are mixing the languages during the learning and it makes the learning is not
effective. As the studies by Chambers (1992), Halliwell and Jones (1991), and MacDonald
(1993) describe that the use of both of these codes is not necessary for students in the EFL
classroom to understand everything taught by their teacher, and mixing and switching to
first language undermines the teaching and process of learning. Coherent with that,
Lightbown (2001) stated that the teacher creates the natural environment of foreign
language for students since the teacher is the linguistic role for the students. He believed
that, code mixing and code switching will give negative transfer in foreign language.
Therefore, Fillmore and Snow (2000) believe that students who are used to
listening the teacher speak the first language (L1) tend to ignore the target language (L2)
and this is not fully advantage from valuable input of target language. It means that, when
the students are learning the foreign language with the main language use is the first

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language, it will make the students focus on the first language more that the target
language. On the other hands, researchers who support the use of code mixing and code
switching including Cook (2001), Levine (2003), Chen (2004) and Jingxia (2010) argue
that the use of both of these codes as a strategy in teaching and learning can make the first
language encourage the learning of the target language and this L1 should have
contribution in EFL classrooms. Jingxia (2010) on his study added that the use of code
mixing and switching is a good and effective strategy for English foreign language
teaching and learning. Letting students use their first language in EFL classroom
interaction is a humanistic approach, which allows them to speak what the students really
want to speak.
Those perspectives above, the use of code mixing and code switching are still
debatable. Those issues are intended to be the core if this paper to focus on the use of code
mixing and code switching in the classroom interaction, the advantages of the codes and
how these codes are able to help the students to acquire their target language effectively.

METHOD
This research used a qualitative coherent with the library research methodology. The result
of this paper is based on the reading comprehensively from the previous researchers and
display qualitatively in this paper. The comprehend explanation will be uttered based on all
the data reviewed from the previous researches.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Results
Code-Mixing and Code Switching
Code mixing and code switching is useful in helping not only the students and but also the
teacher in acquiring the target language. These strategies facilitate the students as the
efficient ways to translate some words in different languages. Code mixing and code
switching is useful to help the teacher and to know background knowledge of the students
and facilitate them learn the target language in a less stressful and a efficient way for
instance to translate, using the certain code, to understand the procedures and directions, to
clarify, and to check for comprehending (Ruiz, 2014).
Types of Code Mixing
There are some types of code mixing based on Muysken (2000), they are insertion,
alternation, and congruent lexicalization.

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Insertion
The term of insertion is mixing two or more languages in the sentences by combining some
words or phrases.
Ex: Ayo kita selfie, view nya is good. (Code Mixing)
(Let’s take a selfie, the view is good) (Correct way-target language)
Selfie is the English inserted word that publicly accept by the Indonesian people or learners
and used to use it in the daily talks)

Alternation
Alternation is the term where combining one language to other language in term of clause.
Ex: I querer to leave now. Don’t make me stay here. I am getting tarde. (code mixing
between English and spanish)

Congruent lexicalization
Congruent lexicalization is the use code mixing in terms of lexical inventories different
into a shared of grammatical structure.
Ex: Gee mi een hug
(Give me a hug)
Bogaerde and Baker (2006) say that the last type, congruent lexicalization, is mostly show
in mixing between dialects and languages, which are close to each other in grammatical
structure.

Types of Code-Switching
There are three types of code switching, they are intersentential, intrasentential and
extrasentential (Poplack, 2000).

Inter-sentential
This inter-sentential term is the transform of one language to other language in the
conversational field.
"Sometimes I'll start a sentence in English y termino en Espanol. (The name of the book
by Poplack, 1980) which means "Sometimes I'll start a sentence in English and finish in
Spanish.

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Intra-sentential
This term is switching the languages in the level of word or phrase.
Ex: "Otherwise, yu bai go long kot." (Weinreich, 1968, as cited in Romaine, 1995)
(Otherwise, 'you will go to court). This sentence is included as the correct grammar but
switching the languages.

Extra-sentential
This terms happens when the word or phrase in the first language is switching to other
language.
Ex: "The proceedings went smoothly, ba?" (Bautista, 1980, as cited in Romaine, 1995)
(The proceedings went smoothly, 'didn't they'). This example is using the question tag
conversion.

The Advantages of Code Mixing and code Switching

There are some benefits with the use of code mixing and code switching in acquiring the
language. According to Aimee (2018) stated that the advantages of code mixing and code
switching are as follow:
1. The use of code switching and code mixing able to help the learners to improve
class participation by inducing a relaxed class atmosphere that helps the learners to
perform better.
2. Easier the students to get the meaning of words or phrases from the paragraph they
read.
3. Students who are allowed to code switching and code mixing in the classroom are
better able to convey their knowledge of subject matter to their classmates and
teachers.
4. Code switching and code mixing is used as language transfer.
5. Code switching and code mixing as specifically regarding accuracy.
6. Code switching and code mixing as flow of conversation.
7. Code switching and code mixing as Language variation.

The disadvantages of Code Mixing and Code Switching

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Besides the advantages of Code Mixing and Code Switching above, there are some
disadvantages of them. They are as follow:
1. If Code switching & code mixing is used too much, language learners may come to
rely on Code switching & code mixing and “reduce the sense of necessity to speak
(the target language).
2. Code switching & code mixing can have an adverse effect on a speaker’s accent in
a language.
3. Tend to follow the dominant phonology of the language they speak.

Discussion
From the theories above, it can be seen that the term of code mixing is not a new learning
style in the educational field of Indonesia. It occurs somehow in the daily conversation
accidentally, but then nowadays, it is a strategy that can be used as the strategy of the
learner in acquiring the target language. It seems like the learners are using the code
mixing and code switching purposely as their strategy if there are some words or phrases
that they don’t know in their conversation and their writing. It can be seen that it really
helpful to avoid the stop and pause in the conversation. They alive conversation is when
two conversant understand each other when they are talking. Therefore, the use of code
mixing and code switching is the conversation need to consider that point where the each
conversant understand the code mixing and code switching use.
Over all, the use of code mixing and code switching in teaching and learning specially in
acquiring the target language brings positive effect. It shows that the capability of the
students are improved as they are trying and trying to study and use this strategy in their
learning time. This would be complexly beneficial after they implement this strategy, they
many reflect back on its usage and complete their sentences in the correct way without
mixing and switching.

CONCLUSION
Code mixing and code switching is not a new learning style. Not only international
educational field, this also occur in Indonesian learners. Accidentally used of code
switching and code mixing often exist in the society when two or more people are talking.
At the moment, code mixing and code switching is also being used as the strategy for
learning the language and beneficial in acquiring the target language. Some learners are
familiar with this strategy and some are not. That is why, the teacher bring this strategy to

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the classroom to help the student to acquire their target language. By implementing the
code mixing and code switching, it being positive effect towards the learning outcomes of
the students. When they are implementing this strategy, there is no stop or stuck moment
during the conversation where they may use mixing and switching codes to avoid it.

SUGGESTION
As the learning strategy by using the code mixing and code switching, it may make the
students count on the use of code mixing and code switching and they might lazy to
improve their vocabulary mastery in a proper English because they might think that If they
don’t know some words in English, they may just use Bahasa Indonesia or other languages
to avoid that. It is better if the teacher also takes time to jot down any code mixing and
code switching that the students use and in the end of the learning, they reflect on them
together and the teacher could say the correct way in English properly.

REFERENCES
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Cedar Ville University: Digital Commons p. 8 &19.

Bogaerde, B. V. (2006). Code mixing in mother-child . (Published Doctoral Dissertation).

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