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Task

Code Switching

Do you ever use English words when you speak Norwegian? Then you have been code switching. To put it simply, code switching is when we use words and phrases from different languages in the same sentence. In this task you will study code switching in the media and on social media.
Woman in a blue sweater, she is talking. There are speech bubbles in different colours in front of her. Illustration.
Have you ever used English words when you speak Norwegian or Norwegian words when you speak English? Image: Jamie Jones / CC BY-NC 4.0

What is code switching?

'Code' is a neutral term that can be used to mean language or a variant of a language. When people speak several languages, it is not uncommon to switch between them. When a speaker code switches, they usually have an expectation that the person they are speaking to will understand what is said.

In Norway, people often use English words in their conversations. It is far less common to add for example Spanish, German, or French words, even though most Norwegians have studied at least one of these languages in school.

Someone with a minority background may use words from their language when speaking the majority language. This may be a way to establish and signal identity and help identify others who share the same background.

Code switching also occurs when someone switches between varieties of a language. We can code switch between dialects, for example when someone from Texas switches to a New York accent. We can also switch between sociolects, for example when someone who uses quite formal language switches to teen slang.

The Task:

Start by collecting a number of text samples from the media and social media. Choose text examples from a limited time period, for example a week or ten days. The texts may be news articles, advertisements, blog posts, status updates, etc.

Note the frequency of English sentence structure, English loan words, and English words in your text samples.

Present examples of code switching and discuss what is achieved by code switching in each example.

Discuss whether there is a difference between the frequency of English loan words, English sentence structure, or code switching in the texts found in traditional media compared to the texts found on social media.

Explain what code switching is, and discuss how common it is, based on your findings.

Sources that may provide a starting point:

Link to NDLA resource about code switching

Link to Harvard Review article about the costs of code switching

Link to article in Norwegian about English loanwords on Språkrådet's website