A Study Of College Teachers' Code-switching In English Major Classrooms From The Adaptation Perspective

The phenomenon of code-switching(CS)as an inevitable consequence of language contact,refers to the switches between different dialects,languages or language varieties.The foreign language classroom is a communicative context where knowledge is constructed and cultures are shared between teachers and students.Thus code-switching is a crucial means through which communication is achieved in English class.CS in the classrooms has been studied from the approaches of grammar,sociolinguistics,psycholinguistics,conversational analysis and pragmatics.Adaptation Theory is a cognitive theory which is the basis of cognitive pragmatics.As a new and effective theory,Adaptation Theory covers the cognitive,social and cultural factors and thus provides us with a new approach to the comprehensive analysis of code-switching.This thesis analyzes the phenomena of teachers' code-switching between English and Chinese in foreign language classrooms from the perspective of Adaptation Theory.A sample of six English major teachers from a leading private college in Zhuhai City,Guangdong Province are recruited.Four research questions will be addressed in this study:1.What functions does English teachers' English-Chinese code-switching serve in intensive reading class?2.What kind of features does English teachers' code-switching exhibit in intensive reading class in terms of frequency?3.What factors are related to teachers' switching to Chinese in intensive reading class?4.What are teachers' perceptions in regards to the use of Chinese in EFL classrooms?Both quantitative and qualitative approaches are adopted in the study.Data were gathered through three-month classroom observation of six lecturers' intensive reading class,and personal interview after the classroom observation.Through quantitative method,this study runs statistics on the number and percentage of CS.Through qualitative method,this study analyzes and discusses the functions,the reasons and teachers' perceptions of English-Chinese code-switching.This case study has yielded the following four research findings.1)Within the framework of the Coding Scheme,there are three major functions of teachers' code-switching,translation,metalinguistic use and communicative use.In the current study,CS plays a significant role in unknown vocabulary translation,grammar instruction and class management.2)The frequency of six teachers' code-switching varies from 1 to 20 times,among whom Grade 1 English course teachers' CS accounts for the most amount of switching,then Grade 2 English course teachers' CS occupies the second,and Grade 3 English course teachers' CS positions the third.In other words,the number of the occurrence of English teachers' English-Chinese code-switching in intensive reading classrooms shows a declining tendency as students advance from one level to the next.3)As for the reasons of CS in EFL classrooms,adaptation to the linguistic reality,teachers' roles and psychological intentions contributes to teachers' classroom CS for the purpose of accomplishing specific teaching goals.4)Six teacher participants hold a neutral attitude towards the code-switching behaviour in EFL classrooms.They underscore that students' foreign language proficiency should be regarded as the key factor for teachers' switching to Chinese.For the students in lower grades,moderate use of Chinese as a scaffolding to facilitate teaching when necessary is available.The comprehensible input produced by teachers' code-switching can help the freshmen make transition from the English study in senior high school to the English major study in college.As for the advanced learners,teachers should advocate the English-only instruction so as to create a more close-to-native foreign environment.