Morphological and contextual patterns in code mixing of a trilingual child

Abstract

This study investigates the code-mixing patterns of a three-and-a-half-year-old Tamil, English and Sinhala trilingual Muslim child, focusing on the most frequently switched morphological elements and the contextual factors influencing language choice. The research problem addresses the limited understanding of how early trilingual children negotiate multiple linguistic systems in naturalistic speech. The objectives were to identify the dominant morphological patterns, describe contextual variations, and examine the motivations behind language alternation. Literature on bilingualism and multilingualism identifies inter-sentential, intra-sentential, and tag switching as the primary types of language alternation. While earlier perspectives linked child code mixing to an inability to separate linguistic systems, contemporary research frames it as a strategic communicative resource for gap-filling and for adapting to social contexts. Data were collected over a three-month period through fortnightly visits to the child’s home and recordings of interactions in both the home and preschool settings. The audio recordings were transcribed and analyzed sentence-by-sentence to identify code-mixing instances, morphological categories, and contextual patterns. Findings revealed that nouns were the most frequently switched category, followed by verbs, adjectives, and adverbs. Both inter-sentential and intrasentential switching occurred, with tag switching observed less frequently. Language choice was context-sensitive, where Tamil dominated in family settings, English in preschool and Sinhala or mixed Sinhala–English with the researcher. Occasional three-language mixes within single sentences indicated cognitive flexibility, but also highlighted gaps in lexical and grammatical knowledge, particularly in the least dominant language, Sinhala. The study concludes that morphological vulnerability, environmental exposure, and interlocutor language proficiency significantly shape early trilingual code mixing. These findings contribute to the understanding of multilingual language development in young children and have implications for early childhood language education, suggesting the need for pedagogical strategies that acknowledge and support natural code-mixing behaviour as part of multilingual competence.