ENG 3230 Language and Society Chapter 2 Language Choice in Multilingual Communities PDF

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ENG 3230 Language and Society Chapter 2 Language Choice in Multilingual Communities Dr. Gavin Bui Lecture overview 1. Linguistic repertoire 2. Domain 2.1 definition 2.2 modelling code choice 2.3 stability of a domian 3. Diglossia (narrow and extended senses) 3.1. criteria for diglossia (narrow). 3.2...

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ENG 3230 Language and Society Chapter 2 Language Choice in Multilingual Communities Dr. Gavin Bui

Lecture overview 1. Linguistic repertoire 2. Domain 2.1 definition 2.2 modelling code choice domian

2.3 stability of a

3. Diglossia (narrow and extended senses) 3.1. criteria for diglossia (narrow). 3.2. diglassia (extended) and bilingualism 3.2. polyglossia. 3.3. triglossia 4. Code-switching and code-mixing 4.1. Reasons for code-switching 4.2. Code-mixing

1. Linguistic repertoire

 Read p. 19-20 of the textbook. What codes are involved

in Kalala s linguistic repertoire?

 Answer:

 _____ _______codes (Standard, _______, _________)  Two _________ codes (________, _______________)

Your linguistic repertoire Listen

Speak

Read

Write

Cantonese

Cantonese

Traditional Chinese

Traditional Chinese

Putonghua

Putonghua

Simplified Chinese

Simplified Chinese

English

English

English

English

Toishan

Toishan

Chiuchow

Linguistic repertoire  A tool kit of linguistic and communicative

resources  Breadth – Number of codes you speak  Depth – Level of development of each

code

2.1. Domains of language use (P.22) 1. Definition: A domain is an area of human activity in which one particular speech variety or a combination of several varieties is regularly used. 2. Three elements: A domain involves typical interactions (topic) between typical participants in typical settings. E.g. what is involved in the family domain?

participants: setting: topic:

______________ _______________ _________________

2.1. Domains of language use (P.21)  e.g. Table 2.2, P.22

2.2. Modelling code choice Domain is a general concept involving social factors in code choice such as participants, setting, and topic.

It is possible to draw a simple model summarizing language use in a community. Example 4, Figure 2.1

A model for code choice in Paraguay

Fasold, Ralph. 1984. The Sociolinguistics of Society. Oxford: Blackwell Publishers, p. 201.

2.3. Caveat: Stability of code choice in a domain  Code choice in the domain is typical, but not absolute.

 Social factors and social dimensions could alter the

code choice in the same domain.  Read p. 25-26 for further explanation.

3. Diglossia in the narrow sense (P.27) Definition (narrow sense): The situation where two varieties of a language exist side by side throughout the community, with each having a definite role to play (Ferguson, 1959).

Three crucial features: 1. Two distinct varieties of the same language are used in the community, with one regarded as a high (H) variety and the other a low (L) variety. 2. Each variety is used for quite distinct functions; H and L complement each other. 3. No one uses the H variety in everyday conversation

3.1. Criteria for diglossia (Fasold, 1984)         

Function Prestige Literary Heritage Acquisition Standardisation Stability Grammar Lexicon Phonology

Function  Each variety is used for quite distinct functions;  Little overlapping;  H and L complement each other.

Functional distribution of H and L varieties across different domains of language use in diglossic situations Domains of Language Use Sermon in church or mosque

Instructions to servants, waiters, workmen, clerks Personal letter Speech in parliament, legislative councils, political speech University lecture Conversation with family, friends, colleagues

News broadcast TV ‘soap opera’ Newspaper editorial, news story, caption on picture

Poetry Folk literature Popular youth magazines

Facebook, Line, WhatsApp, Skype, Google Talk, WeChat

H

L

3.1. Criteria for diglossia (Fasold, 1984)         

Function Prestige Literary Heritage Acquisition Standardisation Stability Grammar Lexicon Phonology

Prestige

 H is superior to L.

 There is a usual belief that H is somehow more

beautiful, more logical, better able to express important thoughts. This belief is also held by speakers whose command of H is quite limited.

Criteria for diglossia (Fasold, 1984)

        

Function Prestige Literary Heritage Acquisition Standardisation Stability Grammar Lexicon Phonology

Literary heritage

 A sizeable body of written literature in H is held

in high esteem by the speech community.  Contemporary writers tend to use words, phrases,

or constructions which were used in literary history.

18

Criteria for diglossia (Fasold, 1984)

        

Function Prestige Literary Heritage Acquisition Standardisation Stability Grammar Lexicon Phonology

Acquisition  L is learned by children in what may be regarded

as the "normal" way of learning one's mother tongue.

 H is chiefly learnt by means of formal education.

 The grammatical structure of L is learned

without explicit discussion of grammatical concepts; the grammar of H is learned in terms of "rules" and norms to be imitated.

Criteria for diglossia (Fasold, 1984)

        

Function Prestige Literary Heritage Acquisition Standardisation Stability Grammar Lexicon Phonology

Standardisation

 There is a strong tradition of grammatical study of the H form of the language. There are grammars, dictionaries, treaties on

pronunciation, style and so on. The orthography is well established and has little variation.  For the L variety, there is no settled orthography and there is wide variation in pronunciation, grammar, and vocabulary.

Criteria for diglossia (Fasold, 1984)

        

Function Prestige Literary Heritage Acquisition Standardisation Stability Grammar Lexicon Phonology

Stability

 Diglossia typically persists at least several

centuries, and evidence in some cases seems to show that it can last well over a thousand years.  The communicative tensions arisen in diglossia

situation may be resolved by the use of relatively uncodified, unstable, intermediate forms of the language and repeated borrowings of vocabulary items from H to L.

Criteria for diglossia (Fasold, 1984)

        

Function Prestige Literary Heritage Acquisition Standardisation Stability Grammar Lexicon Phonology

Grammar

 H is more rule-governed. H has grammatical

categories not present in L and has an inflectional system of nouns and verbs which is much reduced or totally absent in L.  For example, Standard German has four cases in

the noun and two indicative tenses in the verb; Swiss German has three cases in the noun and only one simple tense.

Criteria for diglossia (Fasold, 1984)

        

Function Prestige Literary Heritage Acquisition Standardisation Stability Grammar Lexicon Phonology

Lexicon

 Generally speaking, the vocabulary of H and L is

shared.

 H includes in its total lexicon technical terms and

learned expressions which have no regular L equivalents.

 L includes popular expressions and the names of

very homely objects.

 There is existence of many paired items, one H and

one L.

Lexicon Greek

H ikos idhor eteke als

L spiti nero eyenise ma

house water gave birth but

Lexicon American H illumination purchase children

L light buy kids

Criteria for diglossia (Fasold, 1984)

        

Function Prestige Literary Heritage Acquisition Standardisation Stability Grammar Lexicon Phonology

Phonology H and L phonologies may be:  quite close, as in the two varieties of Greek;  strikingly divergent, as in Standard German and Swiss

German.

3.2. Extended definition of diglossia Fishman (1967, 1971) extended the notion of diglossia to any situation in which different linguistic varieties have functionally differentiated roles in a society.

Diglossia and bilingualism Diglossia  A characteristic of speech communities Bilingualism  A characteristic of individuals

Possible situations of diglossia + Bilingualism

- Bilingualism

+ Diglossia

+ Diglossia + Bilingualism

+ Diglossia - Bilingualism

- Diglossia

- Diglossia + Bilingualism

- Diglossia -Bilingualism

3.3. Polyglossia Fasold 1 4 proposed the term polyglossia to describe a situation in which there are more than 2 languages or codes which stand in mutually exclusive functional relations with each other. One standard language is used as a H form in several different speech communities, each of which employs its own L variety. High Low 1

Low 2

Low 3

Low 4

Example: Polyglossia in Singapore (p.32) H L

Mandarin Cantonese

Hokkien

Singaporean English formal variety Singaporean English informal variety

3.4. Triglossia

 Three languages, A, B and C.

 In relation to language A, language B is L;

in relation to language C, however, language B is H.  Such a case has been termed double overlapping diglossia  e.g. Tanzania

Triglossia in Tanzania ______________________________________ English H

____________________________________ H Swahili L ____________________________________ L Vernacular ____________________________________

4. Code-switching and code-mixing Code-switching Alternate use of two or more codes in an extended stretch of discourse, where the switch takes place in between sentences

Code-mixing Alternate use of two or more codes, but the switch takes place within a sentence

4.1. Sociolinguistic motivations for codeswitching  4.1.1. Marker of solidarity

marker of solidarity, new participants, and status  4.1.2. Topic

a. habitual lg for a topic

b. quotation

 4.1.3. For Affective Functions

Various emotions: good will, anger, indifference, shyness, disapproval…

 4.1.4. Metaphorical Switching

a. marking identity

b. showing judgment

4.1.1. Marker of solidarity Example 1 (p.35): In New Zealand, a person may choose to greet someone in Maori as a marker of solidarity.

e.g. Sarah: ) think everyone s here except Mere. John: She said she might be a bit late but actually I think that s her arriving. Sarah: You re right. Kia Ora Mere. Haere mai. Kei te pehea koe? [Hi Mere. Come in. How are you?] Mere: Kia ora e hoa. Kei te pai. [Hello my friend. I am fine.]

4.1.1. Marker of solidarity Example 3: In a Polish family in Lancashire in the 1950s, the family members switched code when the local English-speaking priest arrived. Example 4: In Scotland, Highlanders use Gaelic to signal their identification with the local Gaelic speech community. Example 5: In Hong Kong, Cantonese is a marker of group and ethnic solidarity (Gibbons 1987).

4.1.2. Topic  a. habitual or conventional use of a code for a topic

 Example:

 Chinese students at Harvard university talk to each

other in Chinese in daily life, but switch to English when discussing their study subjects.

4.1.2. Topic b. Quotation Example 11: A Maori person is recalling a visit of a respected elder to a nearby town:

That s what he said in Blenheim. Ki a mätou Ngäti Porou, te Mäoritanga I papi ake i te whenua. [We of the Ngäti Porou tribe believe the origins of Mäoritanga are in the earth.] And those Blenheim people listened carefully to him too.

4.1.2. Topic b. Quotation A special kind of quotation: a proverb or a wellknown saying Example 12, TB: A group of Chinese students studying in UK are discussing Chinese customs: People here get divorced too easily. Like exchanging faulty goods. )n China it s not the same. 嫁雞隨雞， 嫁狗隨狗. [)f you marry a dog you follow the dog, if you marry a chicken you follow the chicken]

4.1.3. For Affective Functions e.g. shyness (can be code-mixing) English Toilet Washroom Shxt

Cantonese 廁所 洗手間 X or XX

what about sex-related words?

Eg. anger Example 15 (Gal 1979) In the town of Oberwart two little Hungarianspeaking children were playing in the woodshed and knocked over a carefully stacked pile of firewood. Their grandfather walked in and said in Hungarian, the language he usually used to them:

anger cont d from last slide ： Szo! ide dzüna! Jeszt Jerámunyi mind e kettüötök, no hát akkor! [Well come here! Out all this away, both of you, well now.]

When they did not respond quickly enough he switched to German: Kum her! [Come here!]

4.1.4. Metaphorical Switching a. Identity marking

Example 17 of TB: At a village meeting among the Buang people in Papua New Guinea, Mr. Rupa, the main village entrepreneur and bigman, is trying to persuade people who have put money into a village store to leave it there.

Identity marking cont d from last slide

[Tok Pisin is in red. Buang is in black.] Ikamap trovel o wonem, mi ken stretim olgeta toktok. Orait, Pasin ke ken be, meni ti ken nyep la, su lok lam memba re, olo ba miting autim olgeta tok …, moni ti ken nyep ega, rek mu su rek ogoko nam be, one moni rek, … moni ti ken bak stua lam vu Mambump re, m nzom agon. Orait, bihain, bihainim bilong wok long bisnis, orait, moni bilong stua bai ibekim olgeta ples.

4.1.4. Metaphorical Switching b. Showing judgment (or feeling or ambivalence)

Example 18, TB (example of ambivalence) Alf is talking to a fellow Samoan at work about his attempt to go on a diet.

[English is in black. Samoan is in blue.] My doctor told me to go on a diet. She said ) was overweight. So I tried. But it was so hard. ) d keep thinking about food all the time. Even when I was at work. And in bed at night ) d get desperate. ) couldn t get to sleep. So ) d get up and raid the fridge. Then ) d feel guilty and sick.

4.1.4. Metaphorical Switching  Showing judgment (or feeling or ambivalence)  Eg. On whatsapp (example of judgment)  Kate Wong: 佢話佢冇講過wor. She s lying!  Polly Lam: Exactly! 個日我都聽到lor。

4.2 Code-mixing  Compared with code-switching, code-mixing happens

more on the lexical level.

 There is usually a dominant grammar in code-mixing. For

example, students in this class speaks Cantonese (dominant) mixed with some English words (only lexis, not much syntax)

 In code-switching, the two linguistics systems (codes) are

independent. In code-mixing, the less dominant code could be absorbed into the dominant one, leading to new variety of language. e.g. Tok Pisin in Papua New Guinea....