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Cited by 113Language Development and DisordersNeurobiology of Language and BilingualismMultilingual Education and Policy

Code-switching as a marker of linguistic competence in bilingual children

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YOW, W. QUIN, TAN, JESSICA S. H., FLYNN, SUZANNE·2018·Bilingualism: Language and Cognition
DOI 10.1017/s1366728917000335
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Abstract

Code-switching is a common phenomenon that bilinguals engage in, including bilingual children. While many researchers have analyzed code-switching behaviors to better understand more about the language processes in bilingual children, few have examined how code-switching behavior affects a child's linguistic competence. This study thus sought to examine the relationship between code-switching and linguistic competency in bilingual children. Fifty-five English–Mandarin bilingual children aged 5 to 6 years were observed during classroom activities over five days (three hours each day). A number of different word roots and mean length of utterance for both languages, and a number of code-switched utterances for each child, were computed. English receptive vocabulary scores were also obtained. Additionally, teachers rated children's English and Mandarin language competencies approximately six months later. Correlational and hierarchical regression analyses support the argument that code-switching does not indicate linguistic incompetence. Instead, bilingual children's code-switching strongly suggests that it is a marker of linguistic competence.

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  • Code-switching has been stigmatized as random, a linguistic crutch, and a sign of cognitive confusion or lack of skill, and this sentiment continues.

    “Code-switching, like U.S. Spanish more generally, has also been stigmatized.During much of the 1970s, code-switching was thought to be random (Lance, 1975), a”

    From Sounds Like Politics: Cardi B and the Discourse of Español Ratatá (2026) · cites this paper as Yow et al., 2018

    The Introduction says early studies treated bilingual children’s code-switching as evidence of confusion or linguistic incompetence. The General discussion calls the incompetence view a “popular belief,” supporting the claim that it persists. Our copy does not establish the additional characterizations of code-switching as random or a linguistic crutch, or a broader stigma beyond the views about children discussed here. (LLM, conf=0.84)

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Cited by

Sorted by citations

Authors
YOW, W. Q., TAN, J. S. H., & FLYNN, S.
Affiliations
  • Singapore University of Technology and Design (SG)
  • Massachusetts Institute of Technology (US)
Corresponding author
YOW, W. QUIN
ORCID
Venue
Bilingualism: Language and Cognition
Publisher
Cambridge University Press (CUP)
Published
2017-09-04
Volume
21
Issue
5
Pages
1075-1090
ISSN
  • 1366-7289 (ISSN-L)
  • 1469-1841
DOI
10.1017/s1366728917000335
OpenAlex
W2752408238
Cited by
113
References
3
Citations by year
2026: 15 · 2025: 19 · 2024: 19 · 2023: 11 · 2022: 20 · 2021: 15 · 2020: 7 · 2019: 3 · 2018: 3 · 2017: 1
FWCI
7.15
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
www.cambridge.org/core/terms (unspecified)
Locations
Bilingualism Language and Cognition (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Language Development and Disorders
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neurobiology of Language and Bilingualism
  • Social Sciences › Linguistics and Language › Multilingual Education and Policy
Keywords
code-switching, language skills, bilingual children, receptive vocabulary, mean length of utterance, root words, language development, early childhood language

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