Bilingualism and The Problems of Code-Mixing and Code-Switching

This paper focuses of Bilingualism and the problem of Code – mixing and code-switching. It therefore aims at highlighting some of the problems so that bilinguals could become aware of them and from the awareness they could know the situation under which code-mixing should be avoided. Bilingualism, which is used here as the ability of one person to speak two different languages with a reasonable degree of competence, is a common linguistic phenomenon in all Nigerian speech communities. Anaan – English bilinguals, for instance, practice bilingualism by often mixing either Anaan with English or vice versa in the course of conveying a message or information. The mixing, in certain situation, often cause problems which may not be realized as such by the speaker. Data for the study were collected through personal interaction and observation of Anaan English bilingual and recording of their speech mannerisms on a number of occasions, which gave the researcher the opportunity of noticing the problem first-hand. This paper discusses the main problems associated with code-mixing. Findings reveal that Anaan English bilinguals code-mixing in their various language activities and it was concluded that code mixing is a serious linguistic trait among Anaan bilinguals. The paper recommends ways of curbing such problems.