Work

Missing the mix: Perceiving code-switches as a mechanism for bilingual adaptation

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Code-switching is a common and natural aspect of many bilingual individuals' everyday language use. For many infants growing up in bilingual environments, such language mixing forms may be a regular part of their daily input. However, the frequency and type of code-switching can vary widely by caregivers' language proficiency, context, and social norms. As early as infancy, increased exposure to code-switches in bilingual environments promotes differences in attention at the behavioral, physiological, and neural levels. In this article, we propose that exposure to code-switching may act as a mechanism driving cognitive adaptations in bilingual children's attention, but more evidence is needed on children's exposure to code-switching. Robust measures of bilingual experiences focusing on qualitative and quantitative aspects of code-switching are necessary to deepen our understanding of the variations in bilingual cognitive development.

Source: Child Development Perspectives

DOI: 10.1093/cdpers/aadaf014

Authors: Maria M Arredondo, Stephanie Castro

Institution: The University of Texas at Austin

Language: English

Topic: Language Development and Disorders

Subfield: Developmental and Educational Psychology

Field: Psychology

Domain: Social Sciences

Open Access status: green

Funders: University of Texas at Austin, National Institutes of Health, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development

Award: Population Research Center