EXPLORING GENDER DIFFERENCES IN COMMUNICATION: THE IMPACT OF INTER-AND INTRA-SENTENTIAL CODE-SWITCHING
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5281/7fdp3f70Keywords:
Code-Switching, Qualitative, Single-Word Switching, Turn-SwitchingAbstract
The purpose of this study is to examine code-switching (CS) among Urdu–English bilinguals in the Gujrat region, with particular focus on gender-based variation. A total of 20 participants were selected, comprising 10 male and 10 female speakers, and data were collected through audio recordings of natural conversations. The recordings were transcribed into Roman Urdu for analytical purposes, and the data were analyzed using statistical tests in conjunction with the sociolinguistic framework proposed by Cheshire and Gardner-Chloros (1998), which identifies four types of code-switching: turn-switching, single-word switching, inter-sentential switching, and intra-sentential switching. The findings reveal notable gender differences, with female participants exhibiting a higher frequency of various types of code-switching. These results suggest that gender plays a significant role in shaping communicative practices within Urdu–English bilingual communities, influencing conversational strategies and contributing to the dynamics of language alternation. The study enriches existing literature by underscoring the crucial role of gender in bilingual communication and highlighting its impact on the smooth functioning of sociolinguistic interaction in society.
Downloads
References
Addin, M. F. (2026). The Power of Poetic Rhetoric: Evidence from The Discourse of Trump’s Presidential Campaign. Journal of Ethnic and Cultural Studies, 13(1), 208-227.
Afzal, F., & Haider, A. (2025). On Multiple Agreement in Urdu Language: A Cyclic-Agree Account. International Journal of Advanced Social Studies, 5(2), 149-159.
Akbar, M. K., Fadhilah, I. H., & Safnil. (2024). Gender representation of code-switching in students’ presentation: How do they differ? SALEE: Study of Applied Linguistics and English Education, 5(2), 586–602. https://doi.org/10.35961/salee.v5i2.1441
Aqsa, Y. (2023). Morphosyntactic study of Urdu ESL learners: A derivation by interface. Journal of Studies in Language, Culture and Society (JSLCS), 6(2), 36-43. https://asjp.cerist.dz/en/article/239075
Ashraf, J., Mehmood, N., Ali, A., & Jabbar, Q. (2021). Possessor in Urdu nominal phrases. Educational Research (IJMCER), 3(6), 30-37.
Ashraf, J., Munir, Z., & Ali, A. (2025). Nominal licensing in Urdu-Hindi applicative construction. Journal of Arts and Linguistics Studies, 3(1), 193-211.
Auer, P. (1998). Code-switching in conversation: Language, interaction and identity. Routledge.
Batool, A., & Akram, A. (2025). A sociolinguistic analysis of Urdu-English code-switching in Pakistani dramas: A sociolinguistics investigation. Journal of Applied Linguistics and TESOL (JALT), 8(4), 153–169.
Bilal, H. A. (2025). Digital identities and gendered code-switching: A corpus-based sociolinguistic study of online language practices in Pakistan. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/ZENODO.17894518
Butt, B., Ahmed, K., & Dar, N. K. (2021). Power and politeness: A study of female faculty interaction in college result meeting. PalArch’s Journal of Archaeology of Egypt/Egyptology, 18(1).
Chambers, J. K. (1992). Sociolinguistic theory: Linguistic variation and its social significance. Blackwell.
Cheshire, J. (2004). Sex and gender in variationist research. The handbook of language variation and change, 423-443.
Cheshire, J., & Gardner-Chloros, P. (1998). Code-switching and the sociolinguistic gender pattern. International Journal of the Sociology of Language, 129(1), 5–34. https://doi.org/10.1515/ijsl.1998.129.5
Creswell, J. W. (2014). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (4th ed.). SAGE Publications.
Farida, P., Pandhiani, S. M., & Buriro, A. A. (2018). Code-switching and gender identity. The Women Research Journal, 10, 42-59.
Fatima, I., & Kousar, F. (2025). Pedagogical and identity-driven motivations for code-switching: A gender-based study of Pakistani university students. Journal of Applied Linguistics and TESOL (JALT), 8(4), 805-814.
Gal, S. (1979). Language shift: Social determinants of linguistic change in bilingual Austria. Academic Press.
Gardner‐Chloros, P. (2020). Contact and code‐switching. The handbook of language contact, 181-199.
Gulzar, M. A., & Abdulrahman, A. A. (2013). Intra-sentential patterns of code-mixing between bilingual male and female teachers: A comparative study. European Journal of Scientific Research, 97(3), 411-429.
Gumperz, J. J. (1982). Discourse strategies. Cambridge University Press.
Ilyas, Y., Noureen, H., & Ali, A. (2023). Syntactic layer of coordination and conjuncts agreement: Evidence from Pakistani English newspapers. Journal of Education and Social Studies, 4(3), 683-691.
Jamil, M., Ali, A., & Naz, R. (2025). Long-distance agreement in Urdu-English code-switching: A proxy-agreement analysis. Social Sciences & Humanity Research Review, 3(4), 830-841.
Kane, H. (2020). Language variation: A case study of gender differences in Wolof-French codeswitching. International Journal of Language and Linguistics, 8(4), 122-127.
Karim, A., & Kanwal, S. (2013). Language, Power and Gender: A Case Study of Code Switching by Less Educated People in Pakistan. Acta Linguistica Asiatica, 3(3), 21-36.
Khan, A., & Khanam, T. (2026). Classroom code-switching practices in Pakistani universities: A sociolinguistic study of English and Urdu alternation. International Premier Journal of Languages & Literature, 4(3), 495–508.
https://ipjll.com/ipjll/index.php/journal/article/view/544
Khan, G. Z., & Badshah, I. (2024). Navigating gendered language: Linguistic strategies of non-binary individuals in Pakistan’s Urdu-English bilingual context. Journal of Applied Linguistics and TESOL (JALT), 7(4), 1–12.
Labov, W. (1972). Sociolinguistic patterns. University of Pennsylvania Press.
MacSwan, J., Guzman, N., McAlister, K. T., & Marcus, M. (2019). Effects of home codeswitching practices on bilingual language acquisition. In Codeswitching in the Classroom (pp. 148-161). Routledge.
Malik, N. A., Jamil, M., & Ali, A. (2026). Concord Asymmetries in Urdu Nominalization. International Journal of Advanced Social Studies, 6(1), 181-196.
Malik, N. A., Mustafa, R. E., & Ali, M. M. (2016). Phonological variant of /r/ as a marker of group identity: A sociolinguistic study of the residents of walled area of Lahore city. Science International (Lahore), 28(3), 2611–2615.
Mansoor, S. (2004). Language planning in higher education: Issues of access, equity, and identity. Oxford University Press.
Munir, A., & Anwar, M. S. A. (2025). Linguistic analysis of code-switching in Pakistani advertisement taglines and its impact on the audiences’ perception. International Premier Journal of Languages & Literature, 3(2), 115–135. https://ipjll.com/ipjll/index.php/journal/article/view/92
Myers-Scotton, C. (1993). Duelling languages: Grammatical structure in code-switching. Oxford University Press.
Othman, N. A., & Rahmat, N. H. (2019). Exploring the functions and reasons for inter-sentential code-switching among lecturers. European Journal of English Language Teaching
Poplack, S. (1980). Sometimes I’ll start a sentence in Spanish y termino en español: Toward a typology of code-switching. Linguistics, 18(7–8), 581–618.
Rahman, T. (2002). Language, ideology and power: Language-learning among the Muslims of Pakistan and North India. Oxford University Press.
Saleem, F., & Usman, T. (2025). Code-switching among bilingual university students: A study of language choice and social context. International Premier Journal of Languages & Literature, 3(4), 778–794. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18159697
Saram, M., Ali, A., Mahmood, A., & Naz, R. (2023). Neural trigger of speaking skills in autistic children: An intervention-based study. Journal of Education and Social Studies, 4(3), 424-430.
Sohail, R., & Malik, N. A. (2014). Co-relational study of the extent of intrinsic/extrinsic motivation to code switching on Facebook. European scientific journal, 10(29).
Valdés‑Fallis, G. (1978). Code‑switching among bilingual Mexican‑American women: Towards an understanding of sex‑related language alternation. International Journal of the Sociology of Language, 17(1), 65–72. https://doi.org/10.1515/ijsl.1978.17.65.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Hafiza Ruqia Bashir, Dr. Nazir Ahmed Malik (Author)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
