Delving Into Bilingual Dialogue: The Realm of Code Switching and Mixing in Arabic-English Societies

Abstract

Code-mixing and code-switching are prevalent in multilingual populations. Prior research has explored these phenomena among Arabic-speaking adults who are bilinguals, considering different viewpoints. However, only a limited number of studies have specifically evaluated the impact of code-mixing and code-switching in the language usage of bilingual communities (Ali, 2021). This study seeks to examine the characteristics of these occurrences within the Arabic-English bilingual community and their impact on several domains. The study employed analytical descriptive research methodologies, gathering data by observing the first season of the Al Kabeer Gawi Egyptian TV series and documenting instances of code-mixing and code-switching in the dialogue. The speech was systematically classified based on prevalent forms of code-switching. Proportions of usage were computed for each form, and consequently, the importance of each proportion was assessed. The results suggested that intrasentential code-switching is the predominant kind of code-switching employed and that several features of bilingual cultures are impacted by this phenomenon. The study also presented strategies to mitigate the adverse consequences of excessive code-switching in bilingual communities and offered suggestions to tackle this prevalent occurrence.