Language choice in Language choice in multilingual nationsmultilingual nations

language & society

Overview

HOW MANY LANGUAGES DO YOU SPEAK?

Linguistic repertoire The number of languages you can speak is

your linguistic repertoire. The languages you speak in a multilingual

community are ‘varieties’ or ‘codes’.

HOW DO YOU CHOOSE YOUR VARIETY OR CODE IN A MULTILINGUAL SPEECH COMMUNITY?

A speech community  "A speech community is a

group of people who do not necessarily share the same language, but share a set of norms and rules for the use of language. The boundaries between speech communities are essentially social rather than linguistic... A speech community is not necessarily co-extensive with a language community." (Romaine, 1994)

http://www.missiontolearn.com/2009/12/learn-foreign-language-online/

Domains of language use The underlying concept

different settings characteristically call for the use of different languages in a multilingual society.

A domain Typical interactions between typical participants

in typical settings Participants Setting Topics

The domain helps determine which language (variety or code) you would use

Domains of language use

Domain Typical interactions between typical

participants in typical settings Participants Setting Topics

The linguistic domain helps determine which language (variety or code) you would use

Domain Participants

Setting Topic Language

Family Parents Home Planning a family party

Friendship Friends Café Talking about weekend plans

Education Professors University

Lecturing linguistics

Domains of language use (Fishman, 1972)

A: THE ‘EVENT’ CONVENTIONALLY ASSOCIATED WITH THE SETTING

Q:The determinant of using one language variety over another is the physical setting. Agreed?

Social factors affecting language choice

DIGLOSSIA

Diglossia

Diglossia

Example:

Attitudes to H vs. L

Situation H or L

Literature

Public institution

Gossiping

Election campaign speech

Polyglossia Situations where two or more distinct

codes or varieties are used for clearly distinct purposes.

A Chinese Singaporean speaks English Chinese

Mandarin Chinese Cantonese Hokkien

CODE-SWITCHING

Code switching

Alternative use between two or more languages. Discuss homework in Mandarin Chinese

and English

Why switches codes?

Code switching at the lexical level Lack of vocabulary To express a concept not readily

available in the language speakers are using.

Read the following dialogue in Taiwanese and note the code-switched part. What do you code-switch?

A: 你看你看，這是我跟我男（女）朋友的定情物！B: 甚麼，你好俗喔，甚麼時代了還定情物。A: 拜託，你不懂啦！這代表我們之間的愛！不論距離再遠，看到這個，就好像男（女）朋友就在身邊一樣。

B: 講的好像情竇初開的年輕人一樣，別以為我不知道你的秘密。A: 甚麼秘密，我沒有啊！B: 沒有？我之前看到你跟別的男（女）人打情罵俏，還說沒有？A: 不可能，你甚麼時候看到的？B: 就之前我看到你們兩個人在喝咖啡，我還想說，厚…你真的是兩個通殺，明明都有男（女）朋友了。

A: 我真的沒有啦，我知道你在說誰啦，他只是普通朋友，而且他也不是我的菜啊！我們真的只是普通的喝咖啡啦！

B: 好啦，我知道啦，跟你開玩笑啦！A: 吼，真的被你嚇死。

Select a short clip of local soap operas. Note the code-switched part. What kind of vocabulary or

expressions are code-switched?

Questions?