Code‐switching and code‐mixing: The case of a child learning English and Chinese simultaneously

This paper examines the code‐switching and code‐mixing behaviour of a child between the ages of 3;6 and 5;0 learning English and Cantonese‐Chinese simultaneously. The data show the child's choice of code was dependent on socialisation: while he would associate a particular language with particular persons, he was at the same time flexible in his code‐choice if this was exhibited by his interlocutor, provided that he was not particularly emotionally involved. The data also show how the child exploited the bilingual situation for certain communicative purposes: to reinforce or clarify his meaning or to mark off a parenthetical remark. Furthermore, the data show that the child code‐mixed for different reasons depending on the base language. The code‐mixing he engaged in when using English as the base language was mainly a developmental phenomenon. The code‐mixing he engaged in when speaking Cantonese‐Chinese was also a reflection of his limited vocabulary command, and an examination of how he code‐mixed in speaking Cantonese‐Chinese suggests that there are four stages in the development from the ability to comprehend words to full, internalised control of them.