A diachronic study of code-switching patterns in the language of a third culture Filipino kid in Korea

Abstract

Code-switching has been of immense interest in bilingualism for decades, and most previous studies present different code-switching functions in the language of bilinguals. However, a diachronic exploration of code-switching patterns in young polyglots’ production is a road less ventured. The present study follows the three-year language development of a Filipino third culture kid (living in a culture other than their parents’) in Korea from when he was 5;5 to 8;5 years old. Discourse analyses and hours of ethnographic observation through audio/video recordings expose a substantial shift of code-switching patterns across the three stages of language development. Significant changes can be observed explicitly in code-switching as referential function, addressee specification, and cross-cultural solidarity. The current investigation proposes that there is a diachronic change in the patterns of code-switching when a child’s new language develops, and the results resonate with the argument that code-switching is used for increasingly sophisticated purposes to manifest multicompetence, behavior transformation, and identity change when a certain level of communicative fluency is reached. Finally, the study provides useful insights toward a cross-cultural understanding of the dynamic interplay of code-switching and multicultural kids’ language in a pluralistic community.