The Influence of Code-Switching on Cognitive Processing and Lexical Retrieval: A Psycholinguistic Study of Urdu–English Bilingual Speakers

Abstract

Code-switching, the alternating use of two or more languages within a single discourse, has become a defining feature of communication among bilingual speakers. In multilingual societies such as Pakistan, Urdu–English bilinguals frequently switch between languages during academic, professional, and everyday interactions. Previous work has mainly focused on the sociolinguistic and discourse-related aspects of code switching, but relatively little has been explored about the cognitive consequences of code switching, especially the effects it has on lexical retrieval and language processing. In the present study, the impact of code switching on the cognitive processing and lexical retrieval of Urdu–English bilingual speakers is explored by adopting a psycholinguistic approach. This study draws from the Inhibitory Control Model, Bilingual Interactive Activation Plus (BIA+) Model, and Adaptive Control Hypothesis to explore the cognitive mechanisms involved in bilingual language selection and lexical access. A mixed method research design has been suggested, which includes lexical decision tasks, picture-naming experiments, reaction-time measurement, and semi-structured interviews with the university students who regularly use code-switching in Urdu–English. The study proposes that the effect of frequent code switching is increased flexibility in language and increased demands to executive control for language selection and that this would enhance lexical accessibility as a result of the code switching. The results will be of great potential to bilingual language-processing research and empirical evidence from Pakistan, as it is under-represented in psycholinguistic studies. The study will also contribute to the field of bilingual education, language policy, and cognitive theories of bilingual lexical processing by providing evidence for the effects of everyday bilingual practices on mental language organization and lexical retrieval.

The keywords are Code switching, Psycholinguistics, Lexical Retrieval, Cognitive Processing, Urdu–English Bilingualism, Executive Control, Bilingual Lexicon.