SOCIO-PRAGMATIC EFFECTS OF CODE SWITCHING AND CODE MIXING OF ESL LEARNER UNIVERSITY STUDENTS LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY IN PAKISTAN

Abstract

Code-switching and code mixing is a dominant phenomenon in any bilingual ESL setting. Therefore, the study aims to evaluate their socio-pragmatic effects on the English language proficiency of ESL university students in Pakistan. The study takes insights from the socio-cultural theory of Vygotsky. Employing a mixed-method approach, data were gathered through a questionnaire on 4-point Likert scale language proficiency assessments, classroom observations, and semi-structured interviews with 150 students and 10 ESL instructors across three major Pakistani universities. The findings highlight that code mixing and code switching are restrictions in ESL learning, and researchers conclude that there must be a focus on students' learning outcomes (SOL). Although these strategies serve as powerful tools for making meaning, classroom engagement and peer interactions, frequent reliance on these practices may impede full immersion in English, affecting fluency and accuracy in formal language contexts. Finally, it is underscored in the study that pedagogical strategies are required to create harmony between the pragmatic benefits of code-switching and code-mixing and structured opportunities by targeting language use, offering implications to curriculum designers, linguists, stakeholders and policymakers by keeping in view the aim to improve ESL outcome in multilingual outcomes.