COMPREHENSION AT THE COST OF FLUENCY: CODE-SWITCHING AND ITS IMPACT ON SPOKEN ENGLISH DEVELOPMENT IN PUBLIC SECTOR UNIVERSITIES OF KARACHI

Abstract

Code-switching between English and Urdu constitutes an ubiquitous and largely unregulated phenomenon within the context of English language teaching in public sector universities of Pakistan. Although existing literature has analyzed the role of code-switching in terms of comprehension, vocabulary learning, and overall classroom involvement, the effect of the same on the spoken English proficiency of Pakistani undergraduate students still requires further empirical investigation. The present study aims at exploring how code-switching influences spoken English proficiency among undergraduates studying in public sector universities in Karachi through a combination of descriptive statistical and thematic analysis. Data were collected through the use of 50 respondents' completed questionnaires consisting of 17 items, 10 undergraduate students' interviews, 10 English language teachers' interviews, and non-participant observations carried out in the classrooms for two weeks. Comprehension-fluency paradox emerges from findings showing that code-switching positively affects comprehension and eliminates negative affective factors related to students' involvement in class activities, but, nevertheless, decreases their motivation for spoken English practice. Teachers apply reactive code-switching techniques in the classroom without following institutional recommendations for doing so, resulting in passive acquisition patterns. Based on the theory of sociolinguistics by Gumperz (1982), as well as Interlanguage Theory formulated by Selinker (1972), the study argues that unmanaged code-switching risks fossilising a comprehension-only orientation in learners whose academic and professional futures require genuine oral fluency. Institutional policy reform and targeted teacher training in bilingual pedagogy are recommended as priority interventions.