Signing part of an ASL sentence in Thai Sign Language is an example of which phenomenon?

• A. Code switching
• B. Idiomatic
• C. Literal translation
• D. Sign language mixing

Answer: (A)

Signing part of an ASL sentence in Thai Sign Language shows code-switching—the signer moves between language systems within one discourse. In bilingual or multilingual communication, people switch to another language or mode for specific reasons, such as conveying a concept more clearly, borrowing a term, or signaling a shift in context. Here, the sentence blends signs from ASL into Thai Sign Language, which is exactly switching between language systems rather than sticking to one language or translating word-for-word.

Idiomatic would refer to expressions whose meaning isn’t literal to the words themselves, which isn’t the case here. Literal translation would imply a word-for-word rendering between languages, which also isn’t what's happening. Sign language mixing is a possible descriptive phrase, but the standard term for alternating between language systems within a sentence is code-switching.