В этой статье автор проводит анализ ряда статей, посвященных код-переключению — процессу, в ходе которого говорящий может переходить с одного языка, диалекта или стиля на другой. Код-переключение обычно ассоциируется с недостатком лексических или общих языковых навыков, необходимых для того, чтобы выражать свои мысли на одном языке или в одном стиле. Однако в этой статье мы попытаемся найти иные варианты использования переключения кодов, помимо его использования в качестве способа избежать использования говорящим недоступного ему языка.
Ключевые слова: код-переключение, смена языка, лингвистика, смена стиля.
A person’s identity has a multitude of ways to show itself when the said person interacts with others in any capacity or form. As such, people express their likes, dislikes, preferences and ideas both negative and positive and in return people view those shared aspects of a person and create their own subjective view of that person. One of such little pieces of personal identity formulation may come from a very particular linguistic peculiarity that is called code-switching. It is a name given to a practice of switching between two or more languages, dialects or communication styles that varies in its definition depending on the contextual conditions of those who attempt to define it. While the more basic necessity for such a practice can be linked to people lacking the vocabulary basis to hold a conversation in one language or style and resorting to code-switching to express complex ideas, concepts and thoughts, this unique aspect of linguistic flexibility actually has a lot more depth than it may seem the naked eye. This paper aims to remedy that by analyzing works of several researchers on the same topic and compiling a list of aspects that may elevate this practice above its lowly commonly accepted understanding as a form of vocabular dodging.
According to multiple research papers code-switching is actually a unique and multifaceted social and literary tool that can be used to establish your identity through conversation and to negotiate cultural boundaries as well as create a sense of belonging. In a world being consumed by globalization it is especially of a big importance to some to have an outlet for self-expression that would allow others to efficiently view their interlocutor’s identity and other aspects of their persona. As Grutman states in their research, in context of sociolinguistics studies there are actually three aspects that stand out:
– Code-switching is more-so not even a requirement but an everyday thing;
– Switches are not isolated instances but are a pattern that is repeated consistently;
– And last but not least, since it is not a chaotic process, it does have patterns of use as well.
Specifically, when speaking about place of use it is important to note that these language switches occur not randomly but in accordance with the grammatical constraints of the language these switches are embedded into. As such it may also be quite understandable why one would have an easier time code-switching when interchanged languages belong to the same group or are related at any capacity.
Grutman also concludes that code-switching is used in literary sources to establish identity of a character and create meaning “between the lines of text”. While the author does also claim that code-switching is not natural and instead is consciously manipulated to serve a meaning that is needed for the writer’s idea to be expressed through the use of the practice, the general idea of applying code-switching to give a character in a work of fiction a flair or establish something about their character is definitely not something new. In fact, this is an established trope that gets mostly used in media and literary sources that are designed to be viewed in English first and foremost. As a commonly accepted language of a globalized world, English derives with its existence any linguistic subtlety that a character may have had conceptually, especially in literary texts, however use of code-switching is one saving grace that may give a character some spice for their identity to shine through.
The reason for it to be especially potent in written text is that the text medium does not really allow the author to use that many trick and ways to establish a character’s background and culture, but with the use of this nifty language embedding technique one may skillfully give a hint at the very least at a character’s cultural heritage with a well-placed phrase or exclamation on another language or dialect. The same ideas that are backed up by research conducted by Weston, who in their paper highlights potential use of code-switching in a more stylized way for poetry and drama can embody complex multicultural identities and patterns of language choice, even in the absence of strict verisimilitude.
What is more interesting, is that code-switching use may also be bolstered by social factors as well, meaning that at times it is not really an action made freely, but in accordance with some need or choice. Myers-Scotton writes in her first book-length treatment that in the context of multilingual African speech, many of those who participate in communication use code-switching not as “an alternative strategy for a person who cannot carry on a conversation in the language in which it began”, but as quite a skillful performance act that is done in order to make various stylistic choices to negotiate a change in social distancing with an interlocutor. As such it plays largely the same role for multilingual speakers as the switch in language styling for monolingual ones. The work written quite a ways back in 2012 by Moyo also supports this, as the author inclines towards both versions, the lack of linguistic capacity and its exemplar abundance, to be both factors for necessity of code-switching but due to severely different reasons, as those who lack the required vocabulary switch due to their inability to express themselves, while more educated members of society do it not because of their linguistic deficiency but rather present it as a spontaneous expression of their ambivalent phycological state, almost forcing them to use both their native and other languages in conjunction with each other even though both are of equal competence. The author also notes that code-switching can positively affect social groups as during the aforementioned mixed emotional states such linguistic embeddings demonstrates “a type of group identity and solidarity among the users at both linguistic levels, at competence and performance levels, and also at the cultural level, to some extent”.
Moreover, it can also be argued that code-switching can be used to characterize various communities by becoming a predictor of linguistic functionality and intergroup competition inside aforementioned communities. This is claimed in another work written by Myers-Scotton, in which she defines a variety of types of code-switching and links them to communities via linguistic functionality.
Additional uses for code-switching were marked down by Hamdan in their work, that highlights eleven various uses for language swapping among Bruneian students. The most used function for code-switching for these younger members of society was actually referential, with discourse markers, clarification, expressive function, quotation imitation, turn accommodation, insistence, emphasis, question shift, situation shift, poetic function followed it in that order. According to the study it is possible that students also used code-switching to avoid indecent forms and phrasing, since the participants of the study were Malay and were limited in self-expression largely due to the fact that Malay language and culture are quite conservative and therefore limit a list of available statements that can be made without jeopardizing one’s cultural ideals. As such code-switching to English has become an innovative way to circumvent cultural topic bias and still express personal opinions on topics deemed taboo in the Malay culture, but which at the same time are perfectly fine to discuss in English as per Western cultural standards. This, in addition to noted sensitivity for others’ linguistic ability and apt code-switching to remedy communication issues in favor of comfortable communication, shows that those who participate in language swapping may even develop sociolinguistic awareness on top of the already proven aspects of code-switching.
All of these research articles lead to one specific conclusion. While it is perfectly reasonable to claim that in some, usually education-adjacent, cases the presence of code-switching is clear proof of speaker’s inability to completely and fully express themselves in one language or style due to insufficient vocabular capacity or other linguistic limitations, it can also serve as a valuable tool for cultural and societal development. Reference of cultural background, highlight of specific personal aspects, sociolinguistic consciousness and even adaptive social linguistic qualities all point to code-switching being not only a useful tool for multilingual speakers but at times a necessity for achieving a higher level of communication.
References:
- Grutman R. How literary texts ‘stage’ code-switching //Forum for Modern Language Studies. — Oxford University Press, 2024. — Т. 60. — №. 1. — С. 19–40.
- Weston D., Gardner-Chloros P. Mind the gap: What code-switching in literature can teach us about code-switching //Language and literature. — 2015. — Т. 24. — №. 3. — С. 194–212.
- Myers-Scotton C. Social motivations for codeswitching: Evidence from Africa. — Oxford University Press, 1993.
- Myers‐Scotton C. Codeswitching with English: types of switching, types of communities //World Englishes. — 1989. — Т. 8. — №. 3. — С. 333–346.
- Auer P. (ed.). Code-switching in conversation: Language, interaction and identity. — Routledge, 2013.
- Moyo T. Code-switching among competent bilinguals: a case for linguistic, cultural and group identity? //Southern African Journal of Applied Language Studies. — 1996. — Т. 4. — №. 1. — С. 20–31.
- Hamdan H. Functions of student code-switching in a Bruneian classroom //Southeast Asia: A Multidisciplinary Journal. — 2023. — Т. 23. — №. 1. — С. 55–69.
