Situational code-switching is the tendency in a speech community to use different languages or language varieties in different social situations, or to switch linguistic structures in order to change an established social setting. Some languages are viewed as more suited for a particular social group, setting, or topic more so than others. Social factors like class, religion, gender, and age influence the pattern of language that is used and switched between.
Development There are three different types of code switching which include: situational, metaphorical, and unmarked discourse code-switching. Situational and metaphorical code-switching were first described by John J. Gumperz and Jan-Petter Bloom. In the paper "Social meaning in linguistic structures", Gumperz and Bloom are the first to suggest the division between situational and metaphorical code-switching. Gumperz and Dell Hymes describe this difference between situational and metaphorical code-switching.
An important distinction is made from situational and metaphorical code-switching. Situational switching is where alternation between varieties redefines a situation, being a change in governing norms. Metaphorical switching is when alternation enriches a situation, allowing for allusion to more than one social relationship within the situation. In metaphorical code switching, the context of the conversation is undisturbed but rather the changes adhere to the social context including the roles of those involved in the conversation. Unmarked discourse code switching serves as "markers" for a change in the context of the conversation such as the topic or quoting something. In his book Beyond Culture, anthropologist Edward T. Hall argues that face-to-face interaction within a given culture is governed by thousands of culturally and institutionally coded situational frames, each associated with a linguistically restricted means of speaking known as the Situational Dialect (SD). A SD facilitates concise communication through the reliance on high-context messages. Hall refutes the notion of a universally applicable basic form of a language, stating that "the classroom is the only place where the classroom form of the language will be found". Hall describes situational frames as:
Compiled of situational dialects, material appurtenances, situational personalities, and behavior patterns that occur in recognized settings and are appropriate to specific situations. Some common settings and situations are: greeting, working, eating, bargaining, fighting, governing, making love, going to school, cooking and serving meals, hanging out, and the like. The situational frame is the smallest viable unit of a culture that can be analyzed, taught, transmitted, and handed down as a complete entity. Frames contain linguistic, kinesic, proxemic, temporal, social, material, personality and other components. Hall gives an example of an SD:
The language used between pilots and the control-tower personnel is an excellent example of a very high-context SD, developed in response to the need for a language of great parsimony and low ambiguity. (...) Situational dialects of these types frequently make use of restricted codes–and remember, restricted codes are for the insider. Everything is condensed: grammar, vocabulary, intonation. All the rules that are so carefully learned in the classroom go right out the window. In the decades since Blom & Gumperz's and Hall's work first appeared, significant advances have been made in the analysis of code-switching.
Factors that affect code-switching
Functions Situational code-switching usually occurs when information is being exchanged, replicated, emphasized or the speaker wants an intended reaction. Situational code-switching has a wide set of functions whether it is to clarify, elaborate, bring focus to a subject or switch topics overall. It can also be used when something is being quoted in its original language, the speaker wants to address a specific individual, directly address or bring attention to a particular context within the conversation.Situational code-switching relies on adapting to the speakers within a conversation in order to accentuate, explain or change the context.
Psycholinguistic aspects Code switching frequently occurs due to the psycholinguistic state of the speaker's ability or inability to select words from their mental vocabulary. Language in the bilingual brain is not completely separate, which is why code switching can and does occur. Code switching occurs due to the mechanisms responsible for processing, decoding, storage, retrieval, and production of linguistic material. There are four main types of factors involved in the process of the selection of a language: (1) deselection of the undesired language, (2) the effect of proficiency, (3) the factors that trigger a switch and (4) the monitoring capacity which allows the selected language to be maintained. This process is largely sub-conscious as speakers are not very aware of their code-switching behavior.
… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.
