ENGLISH- AMHARIC CODE SWITCHING IN FACEBOOK UPDATES AMONG UNIVERSITY STUDENTS: ST. MARY’S UNIVERSITY IN FOCUS

Abstract

The study attempts to explore the functions of Code switching (henceforth CS) in Facebook status updates and messages by Computer Science Department Students, at St. Mary’s University in Ethiopia. Data were recorded from 32 Facebook status updates and messages, posted by the Computer Science students, who were chosen based on convenience purpose. The study concluded that there are six functions of CS in Facebook status updates and messages; these are Lack of Facility, Mood of the Speaker, Habitual Expression, Pragmatic Reasons, Emphasizing a Point and Attracting Attention. Moreover, the study concluded that CS is common in an electronic discourse, and is practiced by computer science students to enhance their interaction and to communicate and construct meanings during their communication in one of the social networking websites, Facebook. Eventually, the study recommends that Facebook could be used as a platform for teaching- learning English, particularly for practicing the writing skill.