...What is Bilingualism and how do people communicate bilingually? A critical analysis of the topic in the book “Academic Writing: Making the transition” by Steve Marshall. The book has a number of definitions for the term Bilingual. Edwards (1994), states that virtually all people were bilingual in nature. He stated that anyone who can communicate few words of another language is bilingual. This is to say that for example, if someone went on holiday to another country and could exchange a simple greeting in the foreign language, then he would be considered to be bilingual. The writer of the article states that the definition by Edwards is far from what most people consider to be bilingual because most people define bilingualism as the ability to fluently speak two languages. The problem with the Marshall’s statement is that he has not explained how he found out that most people define Bilingualism to be the ability to speak two languages fluently. He simply assumes this without giving conclusive evidence. It would have been better if he would have conducted a research or had the opinions of people on what they considered to be bilingual and would conclude based on the response by the people. Edwards’s definition is also ambiguous because the assumption that simply speaking a word of a foreign language makes one bilingual makes almost all people of the world bilingual because most people know few words of a foreign language and this would mean that everyone is bilingual...
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...THE ROLE OF LANGUAGE CODESWITCHING IN INCREASING ADVERTISING EFFECTIVENESS AMONG MEXICAN-AMERICAN YOUTH by MELISSA MAIER BISHOP Presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School of The University of Texas at Arlington in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT ARLINGTON December 2006 Copyright © by Melissa Maier Bishop 2006 All Rights Reserved ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS A wise professor told me before starting my PhD work to not forget my distractions. Therefore, this work is dedicated to my three favorite distractions—my husband Jeff and my two sons, Abel and Peyton. Thank you, Jeff, for all of your encouragement, your support, and your shoulder to lean on and your ear to listen during the past five years as we’ve come together on this journey. Thank you, Abel and Peyton, for sharing me with my studies and for often keeping me company while I studied for my exams and wrote my papers. Thank you also to my wonderful committee who were all so encouraging and patient with me, especially my Chair, Dr. Mark Peterson. Your excitement for my ideas inspired me as well as your belief in me. You have an unselfish and self-sacrificing nature that shines through you, and you are a gift to all of your students. Many thanks also to Dr. Roger Dickinson, who was a great support to me over the past five years and a big reason I decided to join the program in the first place. Thanks to my parents and to Jeff’s parents...
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...Before I started my research in Code-Switching, I had very little knowledge of what code switching actually was. Through my research, I came to find that code means language; switching means alternating between. Right as I started my research, I started to notice that authors spell “code switching” in different ways. For example, they use it as two words, with a hyphen between them, or as one word. The different ways to spell code switching is a perfect example of the meaning of the word/s itself. Switching languages can mean a variety of things. As the articles I annotate below indicate, language switching can occur without notice, between dialects of a language, between different languages, and so on. Due to its broadness, it is important to focus on a topic of interest when researching code switching. I decided to focus on the advantages and benefits that Code Switching provides. The articles I reviewed give reasons why code switching happens, and some articles present many explanations. However, the main reasons as put forth by Arnfast and Jorgensen (2003), imitate the three main reasons that code switchers give for using their skill. These reasons are: to fill in linguistic gaps for words, acquisition or maintenance of social power, and social acceptance. After much research and by reading several studies of these approaches, I came to the conclusion that code switching is used rarely for one purpose. It is also doubtful that the users are completely aware of all the reasons...
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...Why do People Code-switch 1 Why do People Code-switch: A Sociolinguistic Approach Why do People Code-switch: A Sociolinguistic Approach Walid M Rihane Arab Open University Why do People Code-switch 2 Abstract This paper sets out at the beginning different definitions and approaches to the linguistic phenomenon - Code-Switching. Through my work, I will highlight five different factors that motivate code-switching in a bilingual speaker although the reasons for code-switching are many . I will talk about the role of ethnic solidarity, social class, topic, affection, and persuasion in motivating switching codes. I will use different approaches and case-studies conducted by researchers from inside and outside Lebanon to back up my discussion. Why do People Code-switch 3 Why do People Code-switch: A Sociolinguistic Approach 1. Introduction: A person is said to be multilingual if he or she is competent in more than one language. Multilingualism is usually the result of many factors, such as colonisation, intercultural marriage, cultural interaction, education, and many other reasons. The applied linguist Del Hymes defines communicative linguistic competence as, '[a person] acquires competence as to when to speak, when not, and as to what to talk about with whom, when, where, in what manner' (Hymes, 1979). In this way, a person who is capable of using appropriately two languages or more is said to be multilingual. Usually, bilinguals and multilinguals...
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...Data Collection Project Topics Students in Sociolinguistics I are expected to choose from among these topics listed below. Why? Because it is difficult, as a beginning researcher who may never have conducted fieldwork before, to design a good project that will yield meaningful results and anticipate known pitfalls in one short academic quarter. (It’s much more important to design a good study than to conduct a novel study. So, it is fine to simply do one of these projects.) See what the syllabus has to say about the evaluation of this project here. If you really think you have a GREAT project idea, different from any below, that you want to pursue, you must obtain permission to do it. You will be asked to show that you really know: 1) your research question, 2) the limitations and advantages of your proposed methodology, 3) how your research is situated within a tradition of sociolinguistic research. General Calendar: The notations for WEEKS show a recommended schedule for working on the project without having a frantic rush at any one time. 1. WEEK 2: In class this week, you will choose a presentation. Carefully consider making your data collection project tied to this presentation. This is because you want to have a good understanding of some of the extant research on your topic around which you can structure your project. Previous research also gives you 1) good insight into how to narrow a topic of appropriate size for focused...
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...In regards to the perceptions widely else on a predominantly White campus, Smith argued that whiteness is commonly seen as neutrality as Black is to be at deficit .To offset this in his personal life, Smith says that he has adjusted in ways that make him appear less threatening such clothing ways that would be considered formal and his argument is supported in the shift in responses he gets in accordance. This is one form of codeswitching evident in many instances on campuses and Smith states that from his own observation he has observed other ways where the aspects of a Black person’s physicality can change to be accepted in accordance with the European gaze. Also, Smith states that from his observation, the presence in a White spaces forces African Americans to move close to “blackness” and embrace identity due to the dilution that would occur otherwise and retain a sense of identity. By being a marginalized individual there’s a plit in identity where on either chooses one or has a balancing act that is...
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...One of the key elements to having a successful team would be communication which can either be verbal or nonverbal. Now even though these two are separate types of communication, they are both essential to use in order to fully express everyone’s understanding and point of view. Groups have to connect in a way for everyone to comprehend and contribute to make the final product. Without good communication within a team, the process may become that much more difficult especially when trying to express ideas over a medium such as e-mail or text messages. As explained in Ch. 7 of Working in Groups, verbal communication is simply the vocabulary we use to communicate such as the words we say to each other or the words used to create an essay just like this. Nonverbal communication emphasizes more on the way we say the words or the emotion behind the sentence being used. Some examples of nonverbal communication would be the tone of a person’s voice, body language, or even eye contact. Nonverbal communication may be difficult to express through things such as text messaging or e-mail but people have used symbols which can represent a certain type of emotion like using all capital letters or over exaggerating punctuations. In Ch. 7 of Working in Groups, it explains that scientist believe that men and women think differently but each of these types of thinking are needed when working within a group of men and women. When working in a group of this nature it is best to not use...
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...Verbal and Nonverbal Tajanae Kane SOC/110 December 17, 2012 Victoria Yancey Introduction This paper will discuss the relevance of Ch. 7 verbal and nonverbal communication between cultures and genders. I will answer the following questions: How do people communicate? How are verbal and nonverbal communications different? Provide examples. What are challenges in communicating between genders? How might someone of the opposite gender understand similar information differently than you? Provide examples. What are challenges in communicating across cultures? How might someone from another cultural background understand communication styles differently than you? Provide examples. How might you communicate more effectively in diverse environments? Provide examples. How do people communicate? How are verbal and nonverbal communications different? Provide examples. Everyone has a different way of communicate with each other weather you realize it or not. It can range from eye contact, body language, verbal, and nonverbal communication. But, we are going to focus on verbal and nonverbal communication, verbal communication “ Focuses on how you use words and language,” (Engleberg & Wynn, 2010, pp163). Verbal communication is used in many places from the work place, school, and general conversation with a spouse, friends, members of families, and even strangers. Nonverbal communication “refers to message component other than words that generate meanings,” (Engleberg &...
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...Code-switching as a Communication Device in Conversation Kamisah Ariffin Universiti Teknologi MARA Malaysia Shameem Rafik-Galea Universiti Putra Malaysia Abstract Like in other multilingual contexts, code-switching has gained a foothold as a verbal mode of communication among Malaysian bilingual speakers. It occurs in both formal and informal contexts of communication. Empirical research has shown that the practice of alternating or mixing languages is not only common, but serves important communication strategies (Heller, 1992; Myers-Scotton, 1992). This study examines the purposes of code-switching and how it is used to achieve the speakers’ communicative intents in Bahasa Melayu (BM)-English bilingual conversations Data were collected through audio-recording of speakers’ speech during organizational training sessions. The data were analyzed according to the situations that triggered the code-switching. The findings show that speakers employed code-switching to organize, enhance and enrich their speech. Keywords: code-switching, discourse functions, communication device Introduction Code-switching, which may be defined as the alternation between two or more languages in a speaker’s speech, occurs naturally in the scheme of bilinguality. Studies have reported that code-switching often happened subconsciously; ‘people may not be aware that they have switched, or be able to report, following a conversation, which code they used for a particular topic’...
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...CASE STUDY 145 A U.S. lease-to-own chain considers expansion abroad SYNTHESIS 150 The rise of artificial intelligence, and the human response Life’s Work 156 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on career transitions Experience Illustration: justin gabbard Managing Your Professional Growth hbr.org The world of work has changed dramatically over the past decade. Companies are more global and employee groups more diverse than ever before. Organizational structures are less hierarchical and more collaborative. And today’s networked offices are full of technological distractions that would have been unimaginable to the 20th-century manager. We asked experts in cross-cultural communication, information networks, and the science of attention what specific skills executives should cultivate to tackle these new challenges. Here are their answers. January–February 2012 Harvard Business Review 139 EXPERIENCE Skill 1 Code Switching Between Cultures To work well with foreign colleagues, you may have to risk feeling inauthentic and incompetent. by Andrew L. Molinsky Marco, the Italian COO of a technology company in Mumbai, can’t motivate his Indian employees. Anat, an Israeli management consultant working in the United States, struggles to give “American style” feedback. Seungwoo, the CEO of a Korean software firm with a new Shanghai office, has trouble retaining Chinese staffers. All three of these executives should be successful in their...
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...Linguistics and the Human Sciences LHS (print) issn 1742–2906 LHS (online) issn 1743–1662 Article A linguistic analysis of Spanglish: relating language to identity Jason Rothman and Amy Beth Rell Abstract According to the 2000 census, 35.3 million Hispanics live in the United States. This number comprises 12.5% of the overall population rendering the Latino community the largest minority in the United States. The Mexican community is not only the largest Hispanic group but also the fastest growing: from 1990 to 2000, the Mexican population grew 52.9% increasing from 13.5 million to 20.6 million (U.S. Department of Commerce News, 2001). The influx of Mexican immigrants coupled with the expansion of their community within the United States has created an unparalleled situation of language contact. Language is synonymous with identity (cf. Granger, 2004, and works cited within). To the extent that this is true, Spanish is synonymous with being Mexican and by extension, Chicano. With the advent of amnesty programs such as Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA), which naturalized millions of Mexican migrants, what was once a temporal migratory population has become increasingly permanent (Durand et al., 1999). In an effort to conserve Mexican traditions and identity, the struggle to preserve the mother tongue while at the same time acculturate to mainstream Americana has resulted in a variant of Spanglish that has received little attention. This paper will examine the...
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...UNIVERSITY OF THE WITWATERSRAND LANGUAGE AND IDENTITY: INVESTIGATING THE LANGUAGE PRACTICES OF MULTILINGUAL GRADE 9 LEARNERS AT A PRIVATE DESEGREGATED HIGH SCHOOL IN SOUTH AFRICA. Submitted by: Nomakhalipha Margaret Nongogo Student Number: 0309644N Supervised by Dr Carolyn McKinney Research report submitted to the Faculty of Humanities, University of the Witwatersrand in partial fulfilment of the degree of Masters of Arts in Applied English Language Studies. 2007 ABSTRACT This research report engages with the concern that African learners attending English medium, multiracial schools are losing their proficiency in African languages. In so doing, the report explores the language practices of four multilingual Grade 9 learners at a desegregated private high school in Gauteng. In a school environment that does not overtly support the use of African languages, I explore the extent to which multilingual learners use African languages in the school context, to position themselves and others, as an identity building resource, and the extent to which the use of African languages is implicated in their identities. I also explore the possible influence of the learners’ cultural and ethnic backgrounds on their language practices, and related to this, the expression of their identities. I look at how their language practices help them shift identities with space and purpose, and the contradictions therein. The study draws on poststructuralist theories of language and...
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...Actualizing Free Primary Education in Kenya for Sustainable Development by Mbatha Mathooko, Ph.D. pmathooko@yahoo.com Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, Nairobi, Kenya Abstract The right to education is one of the basic human rights stipulated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 1948. In Kenya, this right has recently been livened through the launch of the Free Primary Education program (hence FPE) by the newly elected NARC government. The FPE program is faced with major challenges that range from lack of facilities, few teachers, over-age children, street children, no books, lack of finances and socio-cultural impediments such as HIV-AIDs. The FPE has been received with mixed feelings from different sections of the society. While some have expressed feelings of discontentment, failure, betrayal among others, many low income members of the population view it as a God sent opportunity. While a lot of concern has been raised, little has been advanced concerning the propagation of the actual learning itself. This paper seeks to underscore some of the pertinent issues concerning actual instruction in the FPE program. A glaring gap, which poses a major challenge to the success of the FPE, exists in terms of the language of instruction. The existing language policy disregards mother tongues as tools of disseminating knowledge and does very little to promote them. The paper suggests the training of teachers to equip them with skills in mother tongue instruction...
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...COLLEGE OF ARTS AND LETTERS Department of English, Foreign Languages and Linguistics Sta. Mesa, Manila Adaptation of Swardspeak to the Language of Bachelor of Arts in English Second-Year Students of the Polytechnic University of the Philippines Joanna Marie N. Cabanatan Maricon A. Alisuag Jenny L. Carlos Fatima B. Dela Cruz Prof. Evangelina S. Seril CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION I. Introduction Today’s modern generation, many youth are engaged in different languages. Some of us have experienced being near to a group of gays who were talking in quite a different language and you were surprised that you could understand some of the words they were saying. That language is what we called gay lingo but in 1970s, it is Swardspeak. Here in the Philippines, they called the term, "Swardspeak" or "Gay Lingo". Nowadays it is one of the most prominent kinds of language that most of the youth rather people engaged to. It consists of mainly Filipino language, but also uses elements of English, Spanish and other Asian or foreign words (especially Japanese), gays make uses of words that are derived from other words and try to make the words colorful and enticingly comical. It is also their way of speaking and their own mannerisms that make it different to those of the females. Because of the spread of Swardspeak, many Filipino try to engange themselves and makes use of it. . Like any other languages, Swardspeak is...
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...An Introduction to Sociolinguistics AITA01 1 5/9/05, 4:36 PM Blackwell Textbooks in Linguistics The books included in this series provide comprehensive accounts of some of the most central and most rapidly developing areas of research in linguistics. Intended primarily for introductory and post-introductory students, they include exercises, discussion points, and suggestions for further reading. 1. Liliane Haegeman 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. Andrew Spencer Helen Goodluck Ronald Wardhaugh Martin Atkinson Diane Blakemore Michael Kenstowicz Deborah Schiffrin John Clark and Colin Yallop 10. 11. 12. 13. Natsuko Tsujimura Robert D. Borsley Nigel Fabb Irene Heim and Angelika Kratzer 14. Liliane Haegeman and Jacqueline Guéron 15. Stephen Crain and Diane Lillo-Martin 16. Joan Bresnan 17. Barbara A. Fennell 18. Henry Rogers 19. Benjamin W. Fortson IV 20. AITA01 Liliane Haegeman 2 Introduction to Government and Binding Theory (Second Edition) Morphological Theory Language Acquisition Introduction to Sociolinguistics (Fifth Edition) Children’s Syntax Understanding Utterances Phonology in Generative Grammar Approaches to Discourse An Introduction to Phonetics and Phonology (Second Edition) An Introduction to Japanese Linguistics Modern Phrase Structure Grammar Linguistics and Literature Semantics in Generative Grammar English Grammar: A Generative Perspective An Introduction to Linguistic Theory and Language...
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