Code switching

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In linguistics, the term code switching (also spelled code switching ) describes a process in which a speaker changes from one language to another within an utterance or within a text or dialogue. It will also change of language , code changing or code-switching called. Such a change can occur within a conversation, a sentence or even a single part of a sentence (a constituent ). It can also occur in an analogous way when writing. The code change often depends on the context. Mixing of languages ​​is a common phenomenon in multilingual societies and groups.

If the phenomenon was previously seen as a deficit, today it is seen as an ability to adjust to different modes of conversation and to be able to deal with the requirements of the respective communication situation particularly appropriately.

Examples:

  • It was Mr Fred Burger, who lived there in Gnadenthal and he went out there one day and Mrs Roehr said to him : "Who are the men from here?"
  • Sometimes I'll start a sentence in English y termino en español.

In the first example, the speaker changes first from German to English and then back to German, albeit in a dialect variety that is evidently due to literal speech . In the second, he switches from English to Spanish.

Definition and demarcation

One speaks of code switching when speakers who speak several languages ​​switch between the different languages ​​(or dialects or sociolects) in a discourse or dialogue. The phenomenon can occur from sentence to sentence (intersentential code switching) as well as within a sentence (intrasentential code switching).

In principle, one speaks of code switching when the structures of languages ​​or language varieties do not change at all, but appear mixed within linguistic utterances. On the other hand, one speaks of code mixing when the grammatical structure of the two languages ​​is the same. There is no clearly defined language for interaction, also known as a matrix language. If it is not clear which of the two languages ​​is the matrix language in a bilingual speech, code mixing is often used instead of the term code switching.

Furthermore, code switching must be distinguished from lexical and / or grammatical transfer, e.g. B. borrowing words. Also, unlike the phenomenon of interference , it can be viewed as an expression of a special competence rather than a linguistic violation of norms. Furthermore, code switching as an individual competence must be distinguished from linguistic creolization .

Typifications

According to functionality

A distinction is made between functional and non-functional code switching .

With functional code switching, the language is changed either due to external factors or for strategic reasons. A distinction can be made between situational and conversational code switching . The external influences of the situational code switching can u. a. Be the conversation partner, location, or the subject of the respective statement. A language change takes place, for example, when addressing a conversation partner with whom you normally speak another language. The type of interaction can also play a role in these cases, namely when, for example, you speak to one and the same person as a private person in language 1, but when it becomes business, switch to language 2.

In conversational code switching, on the other hand, strategic discursive reasons play a role in changing the language. Often the language is changed when quoting, as one often wants to reproduce the pitch and the exact wording of a quotation, which would not be possible with a translation. A speaker can also change languages ​​to express a personal opinion; this is referred to as an expressive function of code switching. It occurs particularly often in typical diglossia .

The non-functional code switching refers more to internal processes of speech production. The change from one language to the other usually takes place without the direct intention of the speaker, which is why one can also speak of a psycholinguistically motivated code switching.

An example:

Then the drogati 'hang around (-) er the drugged (-) or how do you say in German (-) drug addicts. [Example from South Tyrol , speaker German-Italian]

In this example, the delay sound can be determined, as the speaker later realizes that she has changed the language and now wants to find the appropriate word for German. The non-functional language change can be obtained by so-called trigger words ( trigger-words are favored) or caused.

Grammatically

Another perspective looks at the grammatical side of code switching. It is determined at which point in the sentence or within a phrase you can switch from one language to the other. The language change at sentence boundaries or after a partial sentence is particularly frequent. In this case, one speaks of intersential code switching . In contrast, there is intrasential code switching , which describes a change within a sentence unit.

With this classification, a distinction is made between the following types of code switching:

  • turn- specific : there is a change at a turn-taking limit.
  • intraturn-specific : A person changes the code within their speech, divided into:
    • interphrasal : A sentence boundary is changed.
    • intraphrasal : it is changed within a sentence.

See also

literature

Web links

Wiktionary: Code-Switching  - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Bußmann 1990 and Földes 2005, p. 210 ff.
  2. ↑ See literature: Chilla, Rothweiler and Babur
  3. ↑ Clyne, Michael: What can we learn from Sprachinseln ?: Some observations on 'Australian German'. In: Berend, N./Mattheier, KJ (Ed.): Sprachinselforschung. A memorial for Hugo Jedig. Lang, Frankfurt et al. 1994, p. 112.
  4. ↑ Poplack, Shana (1980): Sometimes I'll start a sentence in Spanish Y TERMINO EN ENSPANOL: Toward a typology of code-switching. Linguistics , 18 (7/8), 581-618.
  5. ↑ Johannes Bechert, Wolfgang Wildgen: Introduction to Language Contact Research. Darmstadt 1991, p. 59.
  6. ↑ Johannes Kabatek; Claus D. Pusch: Spanish Linguistics. Narr Francke Attempto, Tübingen 2009, ISBN 978-3-8233-6404-7 , p. 186.
  7. ^ A b Claudia Maria Riehl: Language contact research. An introduction. Gunter Narr Verlag, Tübingen 2004, p. 46.