Code-switching on Facebook among Jordanians

Over the past years, the Internet has become a tool of communication among different people in the world. Due to the spread of the Internet, many researchers have focused their attention on the study of language use through the Internet. Code-switching is one of the sociolinguistic phenomena that have been observed in Computer Mediated Communication (CMC). The present paper explores the sociolinguistic phenomenon of code-switching in computer mediated communication by Jordanians. The study highlighted several English words that have been utilized for code-switching through online interaction. Furthermore, it studied the participants’ views about the role of Facebook in mixing Arabic with English. The methodology used in this study was descriptive, involving both qualitative and quantitative methods. An online questionnaire was shared on Facebook pages and groups. The sample included 181 participants; in addition, 35 interviews took place at home with relatives, with neighbors and in shops. The results revealed several perspectives about code-switching. Some participants mentioned that Facebook has led them to code-switch by using the most frequently switched words, such as; comment, like, group, share. Nevertheless, other participants mentioned that they prefer to use Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) and avoid using any English words in online activities, which means that Facebook has no impact on their language. A higher percentage of participants agreed that Facebook plays a role in mixing Arabic with English.