Insight Mosaic e-Megazine (First Edition)

Introduction As Malaysians, many of us speak more than one language, or at least understand and use words from other languages or dialects. This is one of the benefits of living in a multilingual country. We are so accustomed to it that we sometimes do not realize we are code-switching, it has become normalized. A common example is ordering food at a mamak restaurant. Calling the waiter “anney” (brother in Tamil) and then switching to Malay or English when ordering is considered normal and evokes a sense of familiarity. Code-switching in this context serves to make a person feel included and welcomed in the mamak restaurant’s discourse. What is code- switching? Code-switching, also known as “code exchange,” involves alternating between two or more languages or dialects within CODE-SWITCHING – A TOOL FOR IDENTITY PROJECTION & INCLUSIVITY Siti Nur Baiin Che Harun & Habibah Ismail Language Teacher, Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia (USIM) Lecturer, Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia (USIM) sitinurbaiin@usim.edu.my, habibah.ismail@usim.edu.my Siti Nur Baiin Che Harun holds a bachelor’s degree in English Language, Literature, and Linguistics (Linguistics) from IIUM and an MA in Applied Linguistics with TESOL from the University of Sheffield. With over a decade of teaching experience, she is currently a Language Teacher at FPBU, USIM, specializing in communicative, academic, and professional English. 19