Date:
May 1997
Page No.:
106
Writer(s):
Ethel Ogane, Tokyo Y.M.C.A
Ll use by L2 learners has been couched in negative terms like "resort to" and
"fall back on." However, L1 use can be looked at in a more positive way. The
alternative use of the learners Ll and their approximation of the TL may be
termed codeswitching (CS). This study looks at CS in five female Japanese EFL
learners. Analysis of spoken data and insights from subjects' verbal reports suggest
that cs is discourse related. CS helps learners manage and smooth the flow of
conversation, and allows them to express their dual identities of student and
individual in the classroom .
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