Published
2025-01-19
Issue
Section
Research Article
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
As a whole, the author(s) declare that ( download model ):
1.- Original and innovative contributions are made through this text. I/we certify that this work has not been published in whole or in part by any other means nor is it under consideration for publication in another journal.
2.- I/we acquire the commitment to accept the writing, publication, review and evaluation standards considered by Fonseca, Journal of Communication.
3.- I/we take responsibility for the content of the text that I/we send and for having contributed to the conception, design and execution of the work, analysis and interpretation of data and for having participated in the writing of the text and its possible revisions as well. as in the approval of the version that I/we finally send.
4.- I/we have been informed that changes in style of the manuscript may occur but that, nevertheless and in any case, the final galleys will be sent to me/us before the text, in case of favorable evaluation, is definitively published as an article. I/we undertake to acknowledge receipt of said proofs as well as, once verified, to give approval for their publication in the shortest possible time. I/we understand that we give tacit approval to the galleys if I/we do not send a response within 10 calendar days of receiving them.
5.- I/we affirm to know that the publication of an article in Fonseca, Journal of Communication does not entail any cost or remuneration.
6.- I/we declare to be free of any personal and/or commercial association that may pose a conflict of interest in connection with the article submitted as well as having respected the ethical principles of research.
7.- The undersigned author(s) transfer/we transfer the property rights (copyright) of this work to Fonseca, Journal of Communication so that it may be published under a Creative Commons license (in the modality indicated at the bottom of the main page of Fonseca, Journal of Communication. I/we assign the editing and reproduction rights.
How to Cite
DOES CONTEXT AFFECT CODE SWITCHING? A CASE STUDY OF SAUDI ARABIC SELF-REPORTED CODE-SWITCHERS
Saeed Abdullah Alzahrani
Al-Baha University – Saudi Arabia
Abstract
Code-switching is the use of two languages within a conversation. Bilinguals can adjust to social and cultural situations very easily. Socio-linguistic triggers have dominated previous research, but the personality and socio-biographical factors determining code-switching among Arab-English bilinguals in Saudi Arabia are generally less investigated. This is a quantitative study where the impact of age, education, language history, current language use, and personality dimensions of Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism, on code-switching behaviour was analysed. Self-reported questionnaires were used in gathering data from 74 participants that were analysed with SPSS. The sample had balanced gender distribution, and the average age was under 30. Pearson’s correlation analysis shows significant positive relations between cultural empathy and the frequency of
code-switching (r = 0.37, p < 0.01), and also between emotional stability and code-switching with a stranger (r = 0.42, p < 0.001). Principal Component Analysis revealed that Openness and Extraversion were the most salient predictors of code-switching patterns. Contextual factors, including location (home, workplace) and the type of interlocutor (family, friends, colleagues), were found to significantly affect code-switching behaviour. Such results contribute to an understanding of bilingual communication in the dynamic interaction between personality traits, socio-biographical factors, and situational contexts. The research highlights the changing cultural environment in Saudi Arabia and opens up lines of future inquiry, such as class, ethnicity, and how technology influences bilingual practices.
