A Sociolinguistic Study of Code-Mixing and Code-Switching in Nigerian Institutions

This study conducted a sociolinguistic study of code-mixing and code-switching in Nigerian institutions. Specifically, this study examined the extent of use of code-mixing and code-switching among undergraduate students in Nigerian tertiary institutions, together with the effect of the use of code-mixing and code-switching on students’ proficiency in English Language. Based on the purpose of the study, two research questions were raised; two research hypotheses were formulated and tested, to determine the relationship between gender, socioeconomic status on the use of code-mixing and code-switching among undergraduate students in Nigerian tertiary institutions. The research design in this study was a descriptive design of a survey type. The population of this study consisted of all students in tertiary institutions in Nigeria. The total sample of this study was one hundred (100) respondents which were randomly selected from five (5) tertiary institutions in Ekiti State, Nigeria, while the stratified sampling technique was used to select twenty (20) students from each of the institutions. The instrument used in this study for the purpose of data collection was a close ended questionnaire titled: Sociolinguistics of Code-switching and Code-mixing Questionnaire (SCCQ). The data collected was correlated and 0.78 reliability coefficient obtained, indicating that instruments were suitable for the study. The data was analyzed using frequency counts and percentage statistics. The study found that code-mixing and code-switching were prevalent among undergraduate students in Nigerian tertiary institutions, driven by ease of communication, cultural context, and the need for clarity in both informal and academic settings. Socioeconomic status significantly influenced the use of these practices, with students from higher socioeconomic backgrounds engaging in them more frequently, while gender had no significant effect. Additionally, the frequent use of code-mixing and code-switching was observed to impact students’ proficiency in English, particularly in areas such as fluency, vocabulary, and grammatical accuracy. These findings highlighted the complex interplay between linguistic practices, demographic factors, and language competence.