Code-switching among Moulay Ismail University Students

Thanks to the remarkable geographical location and diverse population, the sociolinguistic situation in Morocco is interestingly rich. The coexistence of various languages and varieties coming together and with the continuous interactions has led to numerous phenomena such as Code-switching. An inevitable outcome of bilingualism and multilingualism, Code-switching is omnipresent in all of the Moroccan societies. However, despite its widespread, little has been done to study all the different aspects of code-switching and the lack of knowledge on this concept has caused the stigma around it. The main focus of this study is to examine the concept of Code-switching in the Moroccan context; the reasons why do Moroccans code switch and what type of code-switching they use. It is also interested in the opinions and attitudes towards it.This research paper is built on three main assumptions.. Moulay Ismail university students code switch mostly in order to integrate with the native speakers of a certain language. students in the English department, for instance, identify themselves with Americans or British.. Depending on the context and situation, Moulay Ismail university students resort to using all the existing types of Code-switching.. Each language in Morocco serves a particular function; However, Moroccans regard English and French as to be languages of science, technology, and modernity.The research study will therefore seek to answer the following questions.Why do Moroccans code-switch?What types of code-switching do Moroccans use?What are their attitudes towards switching to certain foreign languages?The theoretical part of this study will aim to set a background for the study and present the framework it will be based on by drawing from previous works in the field such as Ennaji (2005), Jamai (2010), Poplack (2001), to name but a few. It will start by examining Morocco's linguistic scene to get a better view of the relationships between the different linguistic items before moving into examining code-switching as a sociolinguistic phenomenon.The practical part, on the other hand, will introduce the method used to gather the data needed to test the hypothesis by describing the followed methodology which will be quantitative through the use of a questionnaire. The last three chapters of the study will be geared towards presenting the results from the data collection, discussing them, and finally drawing the appropriate conclusions from them. Read more