| Code switching has been an important research topic in many disciplines: sociology, psychology, linguistics and so on, where there are diversified approaches to code switching. Generally speaking, code switching, a common phenomenon in language contact, permeates bilingual and multilingual society. It refers to circumstances in which a speaker uses two or more than two language varieties. This paper is intended to present an overall review of studies on code switching, focusing on approach, function, and motive.After the elaboration on the definition of code switching, the author points out the different categorizations of types of code switching. Then various approaches to the analysis of code switching are generalized and introduced, namely, the sociolinguistic, grammatical, psychological, and conversational analysis approaches. Examples for each approach are presented, and their advantages and disadvantages are identified with the purpose to present an objective picture of the research.In verbal communication, code switching can always convey certain semantic information. Through observing code switching between languages in different language communities and different contexts, it is discovered that in spite of the striking difference in the languages involved in code switching and semantic contents, code switching has some similar social functions in verbal communication. And this proves the universality in some of the social functions of code switching. Code switching combines the social situation with the linguistic situation, in contrast to the different cultures in the speaker's cognitive structure. It has social functions that can change the social situation, which in turn sets up a new one. In conversation, code switching also reflects the speaker's psychological state and his attitude towards a certain language or a language variety. Thus, one of the focuses will be on the analysis of socio-psychological factors which exert strong influences upon code switching.
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