Lecture Outline

1
Lecture Outline

• ? Code Switching
• Language Choice
• ? Conversation Structure
• Grices Principles of Conversation
• ? Cross-Cultural Differences
• ? Conclusion

Trudgill, Peter. 2000. Sociolinguistics An
Introduction to Language and Society, 4th
edition. London Penguin Books, Chapter 6.
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Code Switching

• Code Switching
• Using two languages in the same utterance (in
  same sentence or different sentence)
• Language Choice
• Selecting a language to use based on context

Trudgill, Peter. 2000. Sociolinguistics An
Introduction to Language and Society, 4th
edition. London Penguin Books, pp. 105-106.
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Code Switching English and Spanish

• Talking about quitting smoking
• "I didn't quit, I just stopped. I mean it
  wasn't an effort I made que voy a dejar de fumar
  porque me hace dano o this or that. I used to
  pull butts out of the wastepaper basket. I'd get
  desperate, y ahi voy al basurero a buscar, a
  sacar, you know?"

Trudgill, Peter. 2000. Sociolinguistics An
Introduction to Language and Society, 4th
edition. London Penguin Books, pp. 105-106.
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Why Code-Switch?

• ? For emphasis
• ? When quoting someone who is speaking the other
  language
• ? Maybe to hide something from people who do not
  speak the other language
• ? Can express oneself better
• ? Increases intimacy (according to Trudgill)
• ? Signal more than one IDENTITY at one time

Trudgill, Peter. 2000. Sociolinguistics An
Introduction to Language and Society, 4th
edition. London Penguin Books, p. 106.
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Source http//www.munoz-group.net/pics/map_africa
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Language Choice in Kampala, Uganda

• Social Situation
• Tenants' association meetings
• Housing Estate Language
• More prestige English/Luganda
• Less prestige English/Swahili

Trudgill, Peter. 2000. Sociolinguistics An
Introduction to Language and Society, 4th
edition. London Penguin Books, p. 107.
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Complex Switching in Uganda 1

• Participants
• 1. Young man from Kenya (ethnic Bantu)
• 2. Another young Kenyan (different native
  language)
• 3. Older Ugandan (ethnic Bantu) (with senior
  post)

Trudgill, Peter. 2000. Sociolinguistics An
Introduction to Language and Society, 4th
edition. London Penguin Books, pp. 107-108.
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Complex Switching in Uganda 2

• Topic / Participants
• Two young Kenyans (12) working in Uganda
• 12 Young man's job loss problems of Kenyans in
  general in Uganda
• Swahili (language of their status as equals
  and their fraternal relationship)
• 12 Boasting about money or young women
• probably English

Trudgill, Peter. 2000. Sociolinguistics An
Introduction to Language and Society, 4th
edition. London Penguin Books, pp. 107-108.
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Complex Switching in Uganda 3

• Topic / Participants
• Young Kenyan (1) and older Ugandan (3)
• 13 Young man wants help getting a job
• 1 Tries Luganda (language of deference)
• 3 switches to English (1 speaks Luganda
  poorly)
• 1 Goes back to Luganda (1 asks for favor)

Trudgill, Peter. 2000. Sociolinguistics An
Introduction to Language and Society, 4th
edition. London Penguin Books, pp. 107-108.
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Some Rules or Principles of Conversation

• 1. Turn-Taking
• 2. Right to Speak
• 3. When interruptions are allowed
• 4. Obligation to Speak
• 5. Introducing New Topics
• 6. Sequences are structured too

Trudgill, Peter. 2000. Sociolinguistics An
Introduction to Language and Society, 4th
edition. London Penguin Books, pp. 109-110.
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Silence

• "It has been said that, in a conversation between
  two English speakers who are not close friends, a
  silence of longer than about four seconds is not
  allowed (which means that people become
  embarrassed if nothing is said after that
  timethey feel obliged to say something, even if
  it is only a remark about the weather.)"

Trudgill, Peter. 2000. Sociolinguistics An
Introduction to Language and Society, 4th
edition. London Penguin Books, p. 109. Emphasis
added.
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Two Views of Silence in Conversations 1

• Scenario 1 Corunna El Man, who has just arrived
  from their home planet Dorsai, is talking to
  Michael de Sandoval, another Dorsai who has been
  stationed on the planet Ceta for some time.
• "Your father and mother are welland I hear
  your brothers are all right, out among the
  stars," I said. "But, of course, you know that."
• "No," he said, still watching the sky ahead.
  "I haven't heard for quite a while."
• A silence threatened.
• "How did you happen to end up here?" I asked.
  It was almost a ritual question between Dorsais
  away from home.

Dickson, Gordon R. 1993. Lost Dorsai. New York A
Tom Doherty Associates Book., p. 12.
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Two Views of Silence in Conversations 2

• Scenario 2 Two native American (Indian) friends
  who have addiction problems greet each other.
• You still using that shit the drug/medicine
  Ritalin?
• You still drinking that shit bourbon?
• It was an old ritual from our support group,
  but todays sarcasm had no bite. A wasp circled
  the uneaten pizza, its buzz, buzz the only sound
  for several minutes. You get used to silence on
  the Rez American Indian reservation. Nobody
  chatters just to escape silence, the way they do
  in cities or on TV. Silence is okay, silence is
  a way of life.

Cole, David. 2000. Butterfly Lost. New York
HarperCollins Publishers Inc, pp. 61-62.
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Rules of Conversation Grices Cooperative
Principle

• Contribute positively to achieving the goals of
  the conversation you are involved in.

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Rules of Conversation Grices Maxims

• Quality Tell the truth (or try to)
• B. Quantity Say enough, but not too much
• C. Relevance Be relevant
• D. Manner Be clear, be brief, be orderly

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Acknowledging Breaking the Rules

• When we break a rule, we might say
• ? 'I'm sorry to interrupt
• ? 'On a completely different topic
• ? 'To go back to what we were talking about
  before
• ? 'Just let me think about that for a minute

Trudgill, Peter. 2000. Sociolinguistics An
Introduction to Language and Society, 4th
edition. London Penguin Books, p. 109.
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Differences in Sociolinguistic Rules across
Cultures

• NA Indians European Americans
• Silence
• French Americans
• Telephone Etiquette
• Chinese Americans
• Asking about salaries
• Indians Americans
• Thanking behavior
• not in Trudgill

Trudgill, Peter. 2000. Sociolinguistics An
Introduction to Language and Society, 4th
edition. London Penguin Books, pp. 113-115.
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Intracultural Differences in Conversational
StylesMen and Women

• "The American sociolinguist Deborah Tannen has
  suggested that in many respects communication
  between men and women can be regarded as
  cross-cultural communication, at least in North
  America and Europe, though also, one suspects,
  elsewhere."

Trudgill, Peter. 2000. Sociolinguistics An
Introduction to Language and Society, 4th
edition. London Penguin Books, p. 115.
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Tannens View of Gender Differences

• Men Women
• Competition Cooperation
• Interrupting Overlapping
• Directness Indirectness

Trudgill, Peter. 2000. Sociolinguistics An
Introduction to Language and Society, 4th
edition. London Penguin Books, p. 115.
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Lecture Summary 1

• 1. Code Switching
• ? RULE BasedNOT ??
• ? Gives us lots of options for expressing
  ourselves (for example, switching to signal
  identities among other things)

Trudgill, Peter. 2000. Sociolinguistics An
Introduction to Language and Society, 4th
edition. London Penguin Books, Chapter 6.
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Lecture Summary 2

• 2. Conversation Structure
• ? Existence of RULES / NORMS
• ? Knowledge of RULES
• ? Rules include Grices rules
• ? Expectations of participants to follow the
  RULES

Trudgill, Peter. 2000. Sociolinguistics An
Introduction to Language and Society, 4th
edition. London Penguin Books, Chapter 6.
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Lecture Summary 3

• 3. Cross-Cultural / Intercultural Differences
• ? DON'T JUDGE  (Hard to do)
• ? Help us avoid misunderstanding
• ? Help us avoid giving offense
• ? Help us avoid taking offense

Trudgill, Peter. 2000. Sociolinguistics An
Introduction to Language and Society, 4th
edition. London Penguin Books, Chapter 6.
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