Code-switching patterns in young Yoruba-English bilinguals

Abstract

This study explores the code-switching patterns of young Yoruba-English bilinguals, focusing on how and why they alternate between Yoruba and English in different conversational contexts. Using naturalistic observations of children aged 5 to 8, the study identifies common linguistic structures in their code-switching, such as intra-sentential, inter-sentential, and tag-switching. The findings reveal that code-switching is not random but follows systematic linguistic and cognitive principles influenced by discourse context, social setting, and pragmatic functions. This research contributes to understanding bilingual language development and the cognitive flexibility of young bilinguals.