Functions and Reasons for Code Switching to Arabic in EFL Classes: A Case Study of ENSC Students

Code switching is a whispered phenomenon that results from languages in contact and in which the juxtaposition of these languages is intentional and purposeful. Generally speaking, code switching refers to the alternate use of more than two languages by speakers in a discourse, and it concerns only bilingual and multilingual societies. The phenomenon of code switching has, undoubtedly, attracted the attention of many writers, linguists and researchers in the field. Various studies have been made to investigate and scrutinize the occurrence, the reasons and the functions of code switching. This work aims at scrutinizing the reasons for code switching to Arabic in EFL classes as perceived by students. The data analysis is essentially based on Appel and Muysken‟s (2006) six functions of code switching and Malik‟s (1994) ten reasons for code-switching. The study is conducted at ENSC (école normal supérieure) in Constantine. Findings have shown that code switching occurs in EFL classes mainly to serve referential, expressive, directive and poetic functions.