Teaching in Two Tongues: Language Alternation in Foreign Language Classrooms. Research Report No. 3.

A study investigated language alternation (LA) between the native language (L1) and second language (L2) in the lessons of four teachers of English as a Second Language in Hong Kong secondary schools. Qualitative analysis of classroom discourse revealed that LA is often used as an effective marker of boundaries in discourse and changes in frame. The act of code-switching and direction of switch were both found meaningful, rendering possible the effective communication and negotiation of meaning otherwise difficult to express explicitly. In addition, teachers may use L1 when teaching vocabulary and grammar, and in highly ordered patterns of LA reflecting the teacher's response to conflicting demands: ensuring limited English speakers' comprehension of the teaching points and fulfilling L2 teaching requirements. Findings suggest that the principle of using only L2 in the second language classroom should not be translated into rigid classroom practice that is not sensitive to the needs and constraints of individual classroom situations, but rather that the value of LA in discourse structuring, frame marking, teacher-student negotiation, and vocabulary teaching should be recognized. Contains 85 references. (MSE)