Code-Switching: Quantitative Data Analysis
English 215
November 3, 2017
Learning about language is a self-reflective process, it requires humans to go back to realizing how they are able to communicate with one and other. Personally, I do not think about language all that much, however, language impacts all our actions and the way we practice those actions. This can be known as discourses; a discourse is the thing in our rhetoric that has an effect on the way we ultimately communicate. Discourse can be seen as the intricacies of language, such as tone, mood, body language, environment etc. (Swales, 1990). In learning about the ways, I spoke I discovered how I am a code switcher, code switching is when we go from different forms of tone without even consciously realizing that we are making a switch. I thought that I was able to see this by just simply thinking of how I speak with my sister and how I speak with my friends. In examining the differences in the way, I speak in both of those situations, I knew there was a big difference. It not only showed me how I speak and how different my tones can become, it showed me how I am also subconsciously reserved around certain people when it comes to personal details. The same can be said for anyone, but I never made the connection to language and setting, which makes a lot more sense now. My goal is to show how setting impacts the way I speak to others. The data collection revealed I have 4 main discourses (types of speech) that I use daily, first is the formal English I use around family. Second is the slang English I use around my friends. Thirdly, a more formal but not totally formal form of English in school. Lastly, I am introspective when on the train as I do not feel the need to reach out and introduce myself to “strangers”. The thing that separates my form of speech is the formality that I exercise depending on the environment and that is my main hypothesis from my data collection.
Figure 1: Languages of a Discourse Community: The bar graph shows the difference between the frequency of the 4 codes I use to communicate based on setting and who I am talking to.
Methodology:
Over a period of four days, I recorded the instances where I was socializing with other people in order to further understand the various discourses of my personal rhetoric (Garcia, 1992). This was done in order to see whether I spoke the same when around different people, ex. is my rhetoric the same around my friends and my family. The four days in which I recorded my conversations were Saturday, Sunday, Thursday and Friday. When I was having conversations, I would look for things in my train of thought that dictated the way I spoke. For instance, when I was with my friends my rhetoric was a lot more “slang” and my cussing was more frequent. However, in school and around my family my rhetoric was a lot more conservative and reserved. I found that my awareness of my own code switching without this project was very limited, however since paying attention to these types of things I see what makes me speak the way I do, and setting are mostly to point to. I told my family about the project as I was recording the conversations. They felt that they too did not notice their own code switching, however they agreed that it could play a bigger role in their life than they thought previously.
I think that my research revealed a lot to me about code-switching, while I felt that at times it was difficult to be in a situation where I was not talking or around people I was not comfortable with, those moments made it easier to reflect on why I was silent. There were times when I was traveling on the train and when I was surrounded by people I did not know, I found myself totally silent in these times, I would have reflections about how attached I am to my phone like everyone else on the train. Next, I felt that my findings were important to showing me how I formulate decisions on my language choice based on who I am around. The data showed me that I do not care about how I talk in front of my cousins, but that in front of immediate and elderly family discretion is present. I think that individualistically it’s important to keep different facets of life in different levels of “code” in order to have the best possible reciprocation of respect. Meaning if you do not code switch and have one form of speech around everyone, then how will you know the difference between the value of people to your life? The third point I learned is that discretion shows how much you care about a person. If you use language that is deemed disrespectful by most of society around your family do you truly respect yourself? The answer is no, and respect is something I think is tied to family relationships.
Bibliography:
- Lowi, R. (2005). Code Switching: An Examination of Naturally Occurring Conversation. University of California Berkley. Retrieved 2017
- Lysicott, J. (Writer). (2017). I am Articulate. Live performance in New York, New York.
- Gee, James P. “Literacy, Discourse, and Linguistics: Introduction. “Journal of Education” 171.1 (1989): 5-17. Print.