Multilingual Margins: A Critical Discourse Analysis of Code-Switching in Classroom Interactions and Its Implications for Linguistic Hierarchies

Abstract

This research examines the phenomenon of code-switching in multilingual classrooms through the lens of Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA), focusing on how language use in classroom interactions contributes to the maintenance or disruption of linguistic hierarchies. While code-switching has often been viewed from functional or pedagogical perspectives, this study foregrounds its ideological and political dimensions. It analyzes real classroom data from public schools in Lahore, Pakistan, where English, Urdu, and regional languages coexist. The research explores how teachers and students employ code-switching to navigate power structures, assert identities, or adapt to institutional norms. The findings demonstrate that language choices in classroom discourse are not neutral but reflect deeper socio-political structures that position English as dominant and regional languages as subordinate. The study concludes by advocating for inclusive language policies and critical pedagogical approaches that validate multilingualism as a resource for equitable education.

Keywords: code-switching, multilingualism, critical discourse analysis, classroom interaction, linguistic hierarchies, language ideology, education policy