An Investigation on the Impact of Code-Switching and Code-Mixing in Teaching Hindi as a Foreign Language to the Native Sinhalese Speakers

Abstract

Hindi is taught as a foreign language at University of Kelaniya for the students of B.A. General and B.A. Special degree programs. Impact of Second Language; English (L2) plays a vital role in the process of teaching and learning Hindi as a foreign language to the native Sinhalese speakers. The case of switching between two or three languages during a conversation can be seen while teaching and learning Hindi language. Thus Code-Switching and Code-Mixing have become a common phenomenon in teaching and learning process of Hindi to the bilingual students in Sri Lanka. This paper aims to study the impact of CS and CM in learning and teaching Hindi language to the students of the University of Kelaniya. This survey investigated fifty students and ten lecturers attached to the Department of Hindi Studies, University of Kelaniya. Qualitative (questionnaire) and quantitative (open ended questions) methods were conducted to collect data. This investigation shows that most of the teachers use CS and CM to introduce new words and grammar rules to the beginners and low-proficiency learners. According to the teachers although CS and CM helps the students to get through their examination easily, it affects badly the language proficiency of students. According to the students they use CS and CM in the class room when it is hard to find appropriate words in Hindi to express their thoughts. Although teachers consider that CS and CM help the students to get through their examinations easily, this research shows the negative perception of the students towards the teachers those who use too much of CS and CM while teaching. This paper indicates that the excessive use of CS and CM while teaching may badly affect the spoken ability of the students.