The Lexis Praxis of Code-Switching By High School Teachers in Elucidating Multifaceted Problems in Sciences and Mathematics Fijian Classrooms (Published)

This explanatory study has investigated the use of code-switching by high school teachers in elucidating multifaceted problems, who are subject-area specialists in sciences and mathematics Fijian classrooms. The data for this study were obtained from twelve science teachers and twelve mathematics from randomly selected high schools ranging from Ba to Rakiraki corridors, Fiji. English as the second language and Fiji-Hindi as the first language was used for the comparative analysis of data throughout this study. A structured and semi-structured research questionnaire was used as a tool to collate the data needed for this study. The collected data was analysed through a coding system using Gumperz’s semantic model of conversational code-switching. According to the results of the research, sciences and mathematics high school teachers used code-switching as an applied linguistics learning strategical tool towards assisting the learners in acquiring complex problems using natural language verbalisation.

Keywords: Code Switching, Mathematics, Multilingualism, Natural language, bilingualism, sciences

Language Use and Language Maintenance in Ọ́lọ̀wà, Dèkínà Local Government Area, Kògí State, Nigeria (Published)

This study investigated language use and language maintenance in Ọ́lòwà, Dèkínà Local Government Area, Kògí State, Nigeria with a view to identifying the factors responsible for the use or non-use of the languages in contact, namely Ígálà, Bàssà-Ngé, and Bàssà-Kómǒ, and how the factors manifest across different socio-cultural groups in the community. Fishman’s theory on the relationship between micro- and macro-sociolinguistics, which centres around who speaks what language to whom and when, was used. One hundred respondents from each of the three language groups totaling three hundred respondents representing the different age groups, sexes, and socio-cultural classes were selected through random sampling. The data were analyzed using simple percentage to determine the extent of language use and language maintenance. The findings show that each respondent is proficient in his or her native language and in the dominant language, Ígálà. Factors responsible for this include ethnic identity consciousness, inter-ethnic relations such as marriage, economic, communal and other socio-cultural activities. Another factor is religion. This work adds to our existing knowledge of how the three languages used in the community have co-existed without any of them being endangered

Keywords: Language, Language use, Multilingualism, Proficiency, language maintenance