Code-Switching

Code-switching is a speech style characterized by the mixing of multiple languages and, like any other speech style, is subject to pragmatic and syntactic constraints. While linguists view code-switching as an indication of a high level of proficiency in the languages, laypeople perceive this mixing of languages as a lack of competence. This is especially true for children, who are the focus of this work. The introduction explains that bilingual children master the pragmatic and syntactic regularities of code-switching at a very early age, around two years old. They do this even when their language development does not progress equally quickly in both languages.