The  sociolinguistic aspects of Code-Switching  I

Contents

Contents   I

Symbols  and Abbreviations.  II

1.  Introduction  1

2.  Code switching  1

2.1  General definitions  2

2.2  Structural aspects  2

2.3  Sociolinguistic approach  3

2.3.1  Gumperz  3

2.3.1.1  Situational switching vs. metaphorical switching  3

2.3.1.2  The functions of Code-switching  5

2.3.2  Myers-Scottons’ Markedness theory  6

3.  Case study: Types of Code-Switching in the movie “Real women have curves  7

3.1  Facts about the movie  7

3.2  Hispanic influence in the USA  8

3.3  Methodology and research interest.  8

3.4  Analysis  8

3.4.1  Change of addressee  9

3.4.2  Change of topic  11

3.4.3  Tag switching  12

3.4.4  Affective switching  13

3.5  Summary of results  14

4.  Conclusion and outlook  15

Bibliography   III

Symbols and Abbreviations

[…] indicates an omission of speech passages CS Code-Switching GA General American MLFT Matrix Language Frame Theory RWHC Real Women Have Curves USA United States of America

1. Introduction

Whenever people with different language backgrounds share the same territory or have close relations the linguistic outcome is usually bi- or multilingualism. In such contact situations the languages involved often start to interact and influence each other, which results in a series of phenomena such as borrowing, convergence, pidginization, etc. (Haugen 1978, 21-22). Of all these concepts the one which has probably raised most interest among linguists and researchers is code-switching (CS), the alternate use of more than one language within a single conversation. While formerly this kind of language use was considered rather negatively and as a transitional step in the process of language shift, it is nowadays widely regarded as a vital and stable part of many bilingual communities all over the world (Myers-Scotton 1993, 2). But not only linguists are interested in CS. Filmmakers have also discovered its potential and use it as a creative element in their productions.

The overall purpose of this paper is to provide a short overview on the sociolinguistic approach on CS and to show how it is illustrated in contemporary media productions. Therefore, after presenting some of the most important theories of CS in the first part, in the second part I will analyze selected scenes of the movie “Real women have curves”. The goal thereby will be to find and explain possible connections between the social situation and the language choice in the respective scenes. Finally a short conclusion shall summarize the main results and ideas.

2. Code switching

As already mentioned in the introduction, of all contact phenomena CS is surely the one which has been studied most extensively throughout the last decades. The result is a great variety of different models, definitions and classifications and there are in fact many controversies among linguists in the study of the topic. In general CS can be analyzed from two main perspectives: a grammatical one and a sociolinguistic-pragmatic one (Winkelmann 2007, 15). In my paper I will focus on the sociolinguistic dimension of CS which means I will concentrate on its social, pragmatic and functional aspects. But first some general definitions:

2.1 General definitions

Haugen (1978) was one of the first to offer a definition of CS, referring to it as “a process of code-preservation in which two languages are not superimposed, but

follow one another” (p. 21). ¹ This description was mainly supposed to point out the difference between CS and borrowing, which includes an overlapping and a mixture of the codes involved (p. 21-22). Later definitions vary according to the respective research focus. Poplack (1979) who represents the grammatical perspective describes CS as the “alternation of two languages within a single discourse, sentence or constituent” (p. 583). Carol Myers-Scotton (1993) on the other hand refers to it as “the selection of bilinguals or multilinguals of forms from an embedded language (or languages) or utterances of a matrix language

during the same conversation” ² (p. 4). The important aspect of this definition is that the switches of a bilingual speaker are no coincidence but an intentional act with social meaning.

Summarizing the common elements of all these definitions, CS can generally be

defined as the alternate use of more than one language or language variety ³ by a single speaker within a single conversation.

2.2 Structural aspects

As mentioned before, this paper focuses on the sociolinguistic and functional aspects of CS. Nevertheless, the other major approach - the grammatical or structural one - shall also be mentioned briefly.

From a structural perspective there can be differentiated between four types of switching: inter-sentential, intra-sentential, intra-word and tag switching (Winkelmann 2007, 16). While in the case of inter-sentential switching the switch occurs after a complete sentence or clause, intra-sentential switching means switching within a sentence or clause (Pelzer 2006, 72). Intra-word switching is more rare and refers to switches within a single word, e.g. at a morpheme boundary. Finally tag switching is an expression for the insertion of tags,

¹ The quote, however, was from one of his earlier works in 1953

² The concepts Matrix Language and Embedded Language will be explained in 3.4

³ In this paper, however, I refer to it exclusively as the alternate use of two different languages

interjections or fillers from one code into an utterance which is otherwise exclusively in the other code (Poplack 1979, 605).

2.3 Sociolinguistic approach

Unlike structural classifications, sociolinguistic approaches of CS are extremely varied and cover a whole range of different theories and models. I will therefore focus on two of the most important approaches in this aspect: the classification introduced by John Gumperz and Myers-Scotton’s markedness theory. These two models include some of the most important notions in the sociolinguistic exploration of CS.

2.3.1 Gumperz

Probably the most influential sociolinguistic approach on CS was made by John Gumperz, whose first publication about code-switching in Norway created a whole new taxonomy of the phenomenon. The following chapters shall highlight the most important results of his work: the differentiation between situational and metaphorical switching and his functional categories of CS.

2.3.1.1 Situational vs. metaphorical switching

According to Blom and Gumperz (1972) situational CS refers to a switch “where an alternation between varieties redefines a situation, being a change in governing rules” (p. 409). They describe a social situation as “a particular constellation of personnel, gathered in a particular setting during a particular span of time” (p. 424), including a range of mutual rights and obligations. Language shift occurs, when the participant’s perception of these rights and obligations changes (p. 424-425). In general situational switching can be interpreted as switching motivated by external factors such as participants, setting or topic (Myers-Scotton, 1993, 52- 54). Blom and Gumperz’s approach is therefore closely linked to Fishman’s