Linguistic Practice, Gaelic Use and Language Socialisation: Findings from Qualitative and Quantitative Analyses

2019 ◽  
pp. 65-107
Author(s):  
Stuart Dunmore
Keyword(s):  
Language Use ◽  
Code Switching ◽  
Clear Picture ◽  
Linguistic Practice ◽  
Qualitative And Quantitative ◽  
Consistent Relationship ◽  
Quantitative Analyses ◽  
Linguistic Practices ◽  
Home And School ◽  
At Home

Considering the overarching question of Gaelic language use, this chapter draws attention firstly to the varying degrees to which interview participants claim to use the Gaelic language in the present day. Three discernible categories or extents of use are apparent in interviewees’ accounts with respect to their present-day linguistic practices. The discussion subsequently considers two particular types of Gaelic use that are frequently reported within the interview corpus, relating to code-switching and use of Gaelic as a ‘secret’ language. As will be demonstrated, there exists a consistent relationship between higher levels of Gaelic ability and use in the present day, as there is between high levels of Gaelic use and past socialisation in the language at home and school. Triangulation of the qualitative and quantitative datasets thus produces a clear picture of limited ongoing Gaelic use among the majority of 130 Gaelic-medium educated adults who participated in the study, particularly in respect of the key domains of home and community.

scholarly journals An Exploratory Study of Language Use and Preferences among Nursing Lecturers and Students at Mzuzu University in Malawi

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 178-198
Author(s):  
Agness C C Hara
Keyword(s):  
Exploratory Study ◽  
Language Use ◽  
Code Switching ◽  
The Other ◽  
Nursing Profession ◽  
Classroom Setting ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Qualitative And Quantitative ◽  
The One

This article reports on the insights gained from multilingual nursing lecturers and students at Mzuzu University in Malawi on the languages they use and prefer in a classroom setting. Research (Setati, Chitera and Essien, 2009; Chowdhury 2012) has found that both lecturers and students in multilingual and multicultural settings favour code-switching practices in the classroom setting. Code-switching is, therefore, an important phenomenon, which researchers should continue exploring because of the several distinctive attributes associated with it. The study adheres to qualitative and quantitative designs through the use of a questionnaire and follow-up interviews as methods of data collection. The results reveal that both lecturers and students favour code-switching from English to Chichewa during lectures. From both lecturers’ and students’ perspectives, code-switching helps to translate and clarify difficult concepts. It also helps to prepare students for the nursing profession. The study has some practical and pedagogical implications. On the one hand, it contributes some meaningful insights for language planners and policy-makers; on the other hand, the study sheds important light on the need to include the workplace dimension during language in education and language planning conversations. This study is also important because it addresses the issue of how code-switching might effectively be exploited as a communicative and pedagogical resource in instruction.

scholarly journals Linguistic Identity Construction of Shina Speakers: An Ethnographic Study

2019 ◽  
Vol IV (III) ◽  
pp. 278-283
Author(s):  
Shamim Ara Shams ◽  
Zia Ul Haq Anwar
Keyword(s):  
Identity Construction ◽  
Language Use ◽  
Ethnographic Study ◽  
Code Switching ◽  
Formal Context ◽  
Work Place ◽  
Hybrid Identity ◽  
Linguistic Identity ◽  
Code Mixing ◽  
At Home

The present research intends to investigate the linguistic identity construction of Shina speakers in different contexts. The objective of the study is to study the pure Shina identity and to see how language use varies according to context. An ethnographic study was conducted to find out how Shina speakers construct their linguistic identities in different contexts. The sample for this research was purposive which included multilingual Shina speakers and the data was collected through interviews. The data was analyzed using Markedness Model by Myers- Scotton (1993). The findings of the study revealed that multilingual Shina speakers construct their linguistic identity in their interaction through code- switching and code mixing. It was found that a pure Shina identity is constructed at home and in close circles whereas a hybrid identity is constructed at the work place and formal context.

Individual variation in attitudes towards Chinese-English code-switching

2021 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hong Liu
Keyword(s):  
English Language ◽  
Language Use ◽  
English Proficiency ◽  
Language Attitudes ◽  
Mainland China ◽  
Code Switching ◽  
High Status ◽  
Language And Culture ◽  
The Social ◽  
Quantitative Analyses

Abstract This paper aims to improve our understanding of the social psychology of code-switching by investigating societal attitudes towards two types of Chinese-English code-switching, insertions of English words in Chinese sentences and switching to English at clausal boundaries in Chinese. It examines how subjects’ evaluation of code-switching is influenced by their general language attitudes and language use associated with network exposure. The subjects were recruited from four different cities in mainland China. They participated in an online perception experiment and completed a socio-biographical questionnaire. Quantitative analyses show that clausal switching was rated as the least likable CS mode, but at the same time was considered as having high status as an indication of high English proficiency. Their evaluation was mainly influenced by their general attitudes towards English language and culture. Network exposure also played a marginal role, affecting their judgement of the speaker’s English proficiency.

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