Code Switching in the Algerian EFL Classroom:. A Sociolinguistic Study

      Аннотация: The present book investigates the use of code switching in the Algerian multilingual classroom discourse from a sociolinguistic perspective. It examines mainly the Algerian EFL students’ code switching between Mother Tongue / French and English as an effective strategy to foster their interaction and participation in the classroom. Between for and against code switching in educational settings, the present researchers used mixed methods encompassing both qualitative and quantitative measurements to investigate the use of the most fascinating sociolinguistic phenomenon. Accordingly, this investigation shows that the majority of the participants switch to other languages in EFL classes for different reasons and in different situations mainly to overcome vocabulary gaps. Besides, code switching helps the learners in ensuring continuity in the flow of communication; and helps them to understand and to be understood since they expressed their positive attitudes towards the phenomenon. However, all the participants agree that its overuse may influence on the language acquisition.

Ключевые слова: classroom discourse, code switching, EFL, Sociolinguistics, Algeria.