Free English Language Dissertations - However, If The Third Person Is Someone In A Role Of Authorityfor Example, A
However, if the third person is someone in a role of authorityfor example, a supervisorthe shift will be more pronounced. A shift may also occur if the newcomer is a stranger, as most individuals tend to be more guarded around individuals until the social relationship is made clear. Regarding the shift itself: syntax may become more formal, word choice more selective, subject matter more refined. Additionally, the shift in style will most likely occur whether or not the third individual is directly involved in the discourse or not. The awareness of the presence of a member of a someone who is on a higher hierarchical level is often enough to affect the style of the speaker, who now considers the audience to consist of the colleague and the supervisor/stranger. This stylistic variation among monolingual speakers is what linguists refer to as 'style shifting' (Aitchison, 1999, p. 1278).
Codeswitching
Style shifting, when practiced by bilingual speakers, is known as 'codeswitching'. In fact, style shifting and codeswitching are very similar, as they are driven by the same sociolinguistic impulse. Bilingual speakers may have more options available to them, especially when their discourse is interrupted by the entrance of an individual who is not familiar with the second language. The overriding impulse, however, is driven by the same principle that is involved in style shifting: the need to adjust one's vocabulary and syntax to an appropriately comfortable level as dictated by the social hierarchy. As Gal writes, 'where monolinguals switch speech styles in discourse, bilinguals can codeswitch, that is, they switch to another language. A number of sociolinguistic studies indicate that bilinguals use code switching at the level of discourse in the same way that monolinguals style shift (Gal, 1979, p. 61).
According to Gal, codeswitching is driven by the same needs that cause style shifting. 'Codeswitching, like style shifting, is often motivated by the need for more expressive language' (Gal 1979, p. 95). When bilingual individuals are unable to find appropriate words to adequately express themselves in a newly acquired language, there is a strong tendency to revert to the native tongue. This is a natural impulse, particularly when the partner in discourse shares an understanding of the speaker's native language. Furthermore, the capacity to move easily from one language to another allows bilinguals to 'compartmentalize' their languages. In other words, they can separate familiar domains according to the language they associate with each, and at the same time establish bonds with other speakers.
Fishman (1972) has asserted that the ways in which bilingual individuals become proficient in each language is highly dependent upon a number of contextual variables, such as time, location, and functionwhat linguists refer to as 'domain'.
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