Multilingualism & Code-Switching

What is the role of code-switching in interactions between bilingual or multilingual individuals?

Code-switching: refers to linguistic behavior of a bilingual speaker who subconsciously shifts from speaking one variety to another
variety, usually in response to factors associated with the social situation

Elements of Code-switching

• often stigmatized behavior
• social inclusion/ exclusion
• switching as unconscious behavior

Purpose of Switching

• subconsciously signaling two identities at the same time
• convey meanings that go beyond actual words

Functions of Code-switching

• switching from the majority language to a minority variety expresses solidarity with the minority group and establishes rapport
• speakers feel they cannot adequately express what they want to say in one language so they switch
• can indicate attitude (friendly, distant, intimate, humorous) by switching

What social and linguistic factors influence code-switching?

3 types of Code-Switching

• Situational code-switching: the situation determines the choice of language
• Conversational code-switching: the topic of the conversation dictates the choice of language
• Metaphorical code-switching: the choice of language determines the situation

Linguistic motivations for switching

• Lexical gaps: speakers did not know semantic equivalents
• Semantic or stylistic incongruence: speakers knew corresponding words but felt they were inappropriate
• Medium-of-Learning Effect: English expressions learned first through medium of English, their usage had become dominant and habitual

Everyday examples?

Code-mixing: the process whereby speakers indulge in code-switching between languages of such
rapidity and density, even within sentences and phrases, that it is not really possible to say at any given time which language they
are speaking.

Sociolinguistic explanations for this behavior normally concentrate on the possibility, through using code-mixing as a strategy, of projecting two identities at once, for example that of a modern, sophisticated, educated person and that of a loyal, local patriot

Examples of "mixed languages"

• Franglais – French-English in Quebec
• Fragnol – French-Spanish in Argentina
• Spanglish – Cuban Spanish-English, Florida
• Singlish – Chinese and English, Singapore
• Chinglish – Chinese (Cantonese)-English, Hong Kong

diglossia: refers to a situation in which two dialects or languages are used by a single language community and one variety is considered more prestigious than the other