By: Natasha Archary
Code-switching is the alternating between languages, something most South Africans can do.
The ability to code-switch is however practiced in various parts of the world. It’s a type of linguistic capability that was common practice from as early as 1940 and 1950.
The Drive 959 team talked about why code-switching is an advantage, especially when English fails you.
Advantages of code-switching
- Speakers cannot express themselves adequately in one language so they switch to another. This may trigger a speaker to continue in the other language for a while.
- Switching to a minority language is very common as a means of expressing solidarity with a social group. The language change signals to the listener that the speaker is from a certain background; if the listener responds with a similar switch, a degree of rapport is established.
- The switch between languages can signal the speaker’s attitude towards the listener-friendly, irritated, distant, ironic, jocular and so on. Monolinguals can communicate these effects to some extent by varying the level of formality of their speech; bilinguals can do it by language switching.
- Some vernacular phrases lose efficacy when translated into English. A person may code-switch to drive home a specific point with emphasis that only makes sense in vernac.
- Code-switching is also beneficial to show solidarity. It makes minority groups feel included.
- Keeping the conversation private is another reason people code-switch.
From a linguistic point, the ability to code-switch shows a strong link to embracing multiculturalism and transformation.
Effectively changing from one South African language to another shows how far we’ve come as a nation that’s rich in diversity.
Listen to the conversation on Drive 959:
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