Code Switching

Shoh   Sun Mar 09, 2008 12:42 am GMT
Hi, everyone. I am American of Japanese descent. I have lived in Southern California for my entire life and am fluent in both Japanese and English.

Until recently, I have always kept my Japanese and English separate. However, I now love to mix the two languages when speaking with my other Japanese-American friends.

So, I just wanted to start a discussion about code switching. Can we get examples? What do linguistic purists think of it? What are benefits of code switching?
Guest   Sun Mar 09, 2008 12:50 am GMT
It's awful. Speak one language or the other. Do not switch!
K. T.   Sun Mar 09, 2008 1:28 am GMT
I think Japanese is still considered a trendy or "hot" language, so I'm not surprised that you love to mix the languages.

It's also very common to mix English with Japanese in Japan.

In France, some people mix English with French, but that's a good way to get a bit of criticism if you are French. Funny, but I think it is much the same way if you mix French or other languages with English. There are some exceptions for words that pop into the language through political contact or songs as a couple of examples, but monolingual speakers HATE it if you use a word they don't know.

I hear mixing of languages fairly frequently and I think it's natural to a certain extent when speaking to others who also speak the same languages or if you are dealing with people who are not fully bilingual.

I do it without shame in Japanese.
I (almost) never switch in French.
I occasionally do it in Spanish.
I don't think I would hesitiate to do it in German or Italian if I could not recall the word, but I would like to hear what Germans and Italians think of this kind of mixing.


There is some sort of belief that there are two or three types of bilingual people. In one type, the bilingual associates certain words with a certain language (like a different personality); For example, "gaijin" and "foreigner" may have a different feeling for such a bilingual. Another bilingual may see these words as basic equivalents. Whether this is reflected by the need to switch into another language is an interesting question.

Interesting topic, Shoh.
Guest   Sun Mar 09, 2008 1:42 am GMT
Using 'trendy' English words is not really code-switching is it? Don't you have to be fluent in both languages? Anyone can learn random words.

Anyway, I code switch when reading mathematical equations which I always do in English because it's faster that way.

Shoh, why do you 'love to mix' your languages? What's the appeal in it?
K. T.   Sun Mar 09, 2008 1:46 am GMT
Shoh   Sun Mar 09, 2008 3:54 am GMT
Like I said, I love to do it with my friends who also are bilingual in Japanese and English. I would never think of doing it with my monolingual friends. I feel a certain pride in being able to code switch between Japanese and English because only a small number of people are able to do it well.

It gives me a sense of identity - being born on US soil, American citizenship is my birthright. Japanese citizenship is also my birthright since my parents are Japanese nationals. (Japanese citizenship is hereditary.) As a result, I have the right to carry two passports until I am eighteen. I will then have to declare one or the other.

But yeah, Nihonglish (as I like to call it) can only be spoken and understood by those who are fluent in both languages, so it's like a sort of secret language.
Xie   Sun Mar 09, 2008 3:59 am GMT
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Code-switching_in_Hong_Kong

You can see how I switch code every single day. Chances are that people who know their native language better don't code switch indiscriminately. I can code switch a lot but always put ideas in my native language and people would understand and wouldn't criticize me for not speaking trendily.

But there are certain circumstances under which I can't avoid code-switching. For example, I never knew that code-switching may be rendered as 語碼轉換(language-code-switch) until I just googled for it, because I never learnt this concept, unfortunately, in my native language. This is what has been termed as a vocabulary gap for business, education and social reasons. If you don't have a concept in your native language yet, you would naturally know the foreign brand-new idea before you know it in your native language.

And this is EXACTLY why I wrote that Chinese has a smaller vocabulary. I know code-switching must have a Chinese translation (this is not as hard to translate as qigong or jianghu or even zhongguo), but how do most Hong Kong students (I mean, those who know a bit about communication) know this translation when nobody tells them? Only being able to use an English word, rather than a good equivalent in one's own native language, is what makes the difference.
Guest   Sun Mar 09, 2008 4:20 am GMT
Code-switching is demeaning to any language and displays ignorance of the speaker. Either speak one language fully, or don't speak it at all - language learners are an exception. Because for many you'll come off as a foreigner or a beginner in your own native tongue. Even though if it's popular - at the moment - one shouldn't be a band-wagon. For the reason that it only places you in the category I've depicted.

For the people whom want to speak in this manner, I'll gladly say move to the Phillipines. There, they speak several tongues.
K. T.   Sun Mar 09, 2008 4:27 am GMT
I don't why it is "demeaning". Languages are just a mode of communication.
Guest   Sun Mar 09, 2008 4:31 am GMT
Shoh, how do you code switch? Can you give an example?
Shoh.   Sun Mar 09, 2008 4:52 am GMT
<<...displays ignorance of the speaker.>>

I am completely fluent in both of the languages I code switch in. I am not ignorant in either.

<<Shoh, how do you code switch? Can you give an example?>>

OK, jya, something random na koto hanasune. It's actually sorta hard when I'm sugoku ishiki shiteru, dakedo, when I'm with my friends, nanka shizen to detekuru.

So, it's really quite fun to do. Hmm...I just now realized that I never use the honorific speech when I code switch. It would just be weird to use "keigo". So, I guess that sort of gives you an idea of the nature of Nihonglish.
Guest   Sun Mar 09, 2008 5:04 am GMT
Don't worry Shoh, you'll grow out of this transitory fad...
Guest   Sun Mar 09, 2008 5:21 am GMT
<<It's a perfectly normal behaviour among multilinguals and help you improve both your languages.>>

Perfectly normal, hmm I guess so, unfortunately, apparently some find it fun. Oh well, that's all well and good, but HOW can it help improve both your languages? You lost me there.
Shoh   Sun Mar 09, 2008 5:47 am GMT
<<...unfortunately, apparently some find it fun.>>

What's the problem with it being fun? Also, not only is it fun, code switching helps me maintain my identity as a Japanese American. It reflects my rich cultural heritage.

<<HOW can it help improve both your languages?>>

It can help someone learn to speak with confidence. You can't expect people to start speaking a language with complete, perfect fluency. If a language learner has the opportunity to code switch, it can help build confidence. He can eventually work out the areas in which he lacks, especially vocabulary.

Guest, I'm sorry you have such a problem with code switching. However, my intentions in this discussion are not to attempt to convince people that it is good or bad. I only wish to have wholesome conversations about it.
Guest   Sun Mar 09, 2008 5:52 am GMT
Code switching is impure. You are desecrating both languages when you do it.