PBI Students Research Benefits
8 1
This morning mi hermano y yo fuimos a comprar some milk. This morning my brother and I went to buy some milk.
2 The student brought the homework para la profesora.
The student brought the homework for the teacher. Gumperz 1982 defines code-switching
as “the juxtaposition within the same speech exchange of passages of speech belonging to two different grammatical
systems or subsystems”. Based on Fasold 1984, sometimes a person speaks two or more languages and has to choose which one to use. This is one of the major
kinds of choice we have to deal with, and is sometimes called code-switching. Gal 1988 provides a bit more explanation on code-switching by stating that code-
switching is a conversational strategy used to establish, cross or destroy group boundaries; to create, evoke or change interpersonal relations with their rights and
obligations. Meisel, as cited in Cantone 2007 points out the competence of the speaker both in the pragmatic and grammatical aspects of the language by stating:
Code-switching is the ability to select the language according to the interlocutor, the situational context, the topic of conversation, and so forth,
and to change languages within an interactional sequence in accordance with sociolinguistic rules and without violating specific grammatical
constraints.
The following are some examples of code-switching provided by Cantone. 3
A: Do you know Pavarotti’s newest song? B: Yes, I know it. E una bellissima canzone.
It is a beautiful song. A: Anche a me piace.qqq
Also to me like I it. 4
Oggi Sara era al nuovo negozione, weisst du? Today Sara was at the new shop, you know?
5 Quella situazione era too much per me.
That situation was too much for me.
9 In 3, the conversation is basically conducted in English and the speakers switch
their code into Italian. On the other hand, in 5, the sentence is basically in Italian and the speaker switched it to English in the middle of the sentence. The speaker
in 4 uses Italian and then switched to German at the end of the sentence.