Code-switching and Translanguaging: Potential Functions in Multilingual Classrooms

Abstract

The rise of multilingualism has drawn the attention of language researchers and instructors to various phenomena that have been observed in multilingual speakers, who develop knowledge on how and when to use their languages depending on, for instance, the interlocutors involved in the conversation, the topic of the conversation, and the social context (Reyes, 2004). The present paper aims to focus on two representative multilingual phenomena, namely code-switching and translanguaging. Each phenomenon will be defined based on existing literature and their potential functions in multilingual classroom research will be highlighted and discussed.