Style Shifting and Code Switching

 So far we have looked at variation in different contexts and for different purposes: how speakers draw on different varieties to communicate effect: nationhood, identity, social class and education.

 The way people talk will differ according to several contextual factors: where the speakers are (the situation); who are they with (the audience); what are they speaking about (the topic).  The way people talk will differ according to several linguistic dimensions: pronunciation, grammatical structures, and choice of words.

 Code switching: changing to another language while speaking  Style shifting: changing to another variation of the same language while speaking

 Situation: formal or informal will affect the language used.  Audience:  People vary their accent in relation to who their audience are.  People tend to “converge” towards the speech of their interlocutors to reduce social distance.

 People also diverge (become linguistically less similar) when they want to increase social distance. This theory on the motivations for stylistic variation is known as accommodation theory.

 Sociolinguists conduct research to confirm hypothesis. They collect their data through:  Quantitative research methods: numerical, count up, correlational large scale research, and  Qualitative research methods: interpretive, relatively small scale case studies, longer periods of time.

 Correlational methods: correlate variants and produce indicators for further studying. The danger of correlational studies is set up of pre- determined categories ruling out variation and its purposes and functions (p.130).

 Speakers are not only responding to contextual features as audience, setting, topic, but also indicating through their language use alliances, negotiations, challenges or affirmation.  A researcher needs a certain amount of contextual knowledge to interpret the use of different linguistic features

 1. Identity: (p.311) Le Page argues that the use of code switching or style shifting relates to attempts to identify with or dissociate from a particular group.

 2. In-group regional solidarity: (p.312) Coupland argues that language use is never neutral.  He introduces the notion of the micro- context made up of the situation, audience, topic and highlights creativity in variation;  variation in pronunciation and the meanings attached to it; “voice” taking up complex associations drawn from speaker and contexts.

 3. Neutrality: (p.313) Monica Heller in a study in Quebec argues that code switching is used as a strategy to avoid being associated with one particular group.

 4. Context dependent (p.313) Myers- Scotton argues that people use expected code switching in unmarked situations, and marked code switching in unexpected situations to highlight specific messages.

 5. In-group relations: Labov argues that code switching or style shifting marks categories of “us versing them”

 How does the grammar of English and other languages allow a speaker to switch from one language to another?  Switches follow certain patterns and constraints. (p.318)

M & E languages UG

 Shana Poplack drew on the principle of Universal Grammar UG that views all languages as having the same underlying structures, to argue that switches between languages occur only at equivalent sites where the surface structures of the two languages map into each other.  Switches at equivalent sites would not disturb the syntactic balance of either language.

 p.319, Myers-Scotton identifies two language categories in code switching:  The term Matrix language refers to the language that provides the frame and most language items, and the Embedded language to refer to the language that provides word insertions or the switched items.

 The Matrix Language supplies system morphemes (function words) and  the Embedded Language supplies content morphemes (lexical content words).  EL follows the frames of the ML.

 شفت الفيل  I feel إني شفته  فين الشنطة؟ أهيه  Give me نيها  Take ها  هات لي سي دي  حاضر يا سيدي

 ابغي ا set up ال windows وأ format ال hard وأنزل antivirus و ألغي حساب ال administrator  أبغى أنصب نظام النوافذ وأهيئ القرص الصلب وأنزل مضاد للفيروسات وألغي حساب المستخدم المتحكم  I wan to setup the windows, format the hard disk, download an antivirus and delete the administrator account

 - hello, what’s the good word?  Not much really. Professor is coming  Good mooring professor, how are you?  Fine, thanks, you?  We are fine, thank you.

 I walked to his mosque from afar To Madina that shines like a star His love left in me a scar He's Muhammad Rasool Allah

 Our Lord we must obey And never forget to pray And follow the path way of Muhammad Rasool Allah

 To others we must convey His teaching and portray For if we do then they Will love Rasool Allah