“Yo What’s Up?” to “Hello. How are you?” The Marvels of Code Switching!

Language has always fascinated me solely because my life revolves around them: my first language was Spanish, I learned English in order to attend school (although if you ask my mother she would say that I learned both at the same time), and as an army brat I have spent around 13 years of my life in Germany so I have picked up a few words here and there.  But what exactly is language??  My anthropology textbook defines language as “…a system of arbitrary vocal symbols that human beings use to encode their experience of the world and to communicate with one another” (Lavenda & Schultz, 2007/2010, p. 36).  Okay, so basically humans learn words (symbols) in order to communicate.  Easy enough, except that you have to take into account other elements such as tone, volume, and even body language in order to determine the full meaning.  For example, if I am saying “I work tomorrow” in a ‘happy sing-song’ tone and I am smiling, one can assume that I am happy about it.  However, if I say those exact same words in a low monotone, while rolling my eyes and sighing, one can assume the exact opposite. You get it.  Well, one interesting thing about an individual’s language is that the ‘code’ is not always constant.  What I mean by code is a variety or type of language; this could mean slang, proper, or an entirely different language (for us bilingual folk), etc.  This phenomenon of changing the code is known as code-switching.

What is the Purpose of Code-Switching???

So, why is it that individuals switch their codes? Some researchers will say that it is due to a limitation in a language (forgive my lack of citation! I can’t remember where I read this). In a lot of cases, this is true. For example, I am currently enrolled in a beginning level Japanese class. I am not fluent in the language, and so most of my speech in the class is a combination of what I do know in Japanese and English for the words that I have not learned yet; I guess we can call this “Japan-glish”.

   

However, you don’t have to be bilingual to ‘code-switch’. A student may speak one code at home and a different code at school or an employee may speak one code at home and a completely different code at their job. Here is one man’s view on the different codes in the United States and how “standard English” affects individuals.

So again here is the question WHY??? Well, my theory is that individuals switch codes based on the social context and benefit.

In class today, one student explained that she is Korean. When she is with her friends that know little English, she uses more Korean than English and “speaks like they do”; in class, she spoke English very well and with no noticeable accent. Why?? Well, she based her code according to her peers (social context). It is beneficial for her to speak to her Korean peers with an “emic” code (insider) and to speak to her class peers with an “etic” code (outisder). It is the same with the student that speaks one code with his or her peers at school and another at home. You could almost argue that this “benefit” is the peer pressure to fit in.

Here are examples from my own experience:

• My family and I were touring Mallorca, an island off the coast of Spain; we went with a German tour group. I remember that we spoke Spanish to the locals and were mostly ignored; as soon as we switched to English, we were regarded as tourists and therefore everyone was kinder. We assumed that tourists were favored because of the business they brought, so we spoke English for the rest of our tour. It was more beneficial for us. 
• Someone I know speaks “proper” English when at home: proper grammar, pronunciation, etc. As soon as he enters an environment with his coworkers, his code switches to match theirs (this includes phone calls). For example, instead of “How are you?” this sentence becomes “What’s up brah?” The code switches to fit the social context. 
• When teaching a Spanish word or phrase to a friend, I first say the word with proper pronunciation. However, when they repeat the word, they often do not hear each sound. So, when I say the word again, I say it with what I call an “American accent” so that they can clearly hear each sound. For example, if I were to teach the word “perdido” or lost, the correct pronunciation of the “r” is a slightly rolled “r” and the “d” is a soft d, almost a “th” sound. The “r” or “d” is not always heard, so then I will say “pair-dee-doh”, with a stronger “d” sound and emphasized “r”. 
• The Spanish that I learned is from Puerto Rico, and as you probably know, Spanish dialects are different according to the country. The dialect in Puerto Rico is not exactly the most “standard”. For example, we have words like “lonche” for lunch, along with the standard translation “almuerzo”. In addition, we do not always use standard pronunciaton. For example, the word “pescado” is often pronounced “peh-cow”, and so the “s” and the “d” is often chopped. When I speak Spanish to my family in Puerto Rico, it is with this code. However, if I speak Spanish with someone who learned the “standard” Spanish, I will properly pronounce the words. I will not chop the “s” or the “d”! 

All of these are examples of social context or benefit: who are my peers and what do they expect to hear? Code switching is found everywhere, including advertisements!

Resources:

Lavenda, R. H., & Schultz, E. A. (2010). Core Concepts in Cultural Anthropology
(4th ed.). New York: McGraw Hill. (Original work published 2007)

Alcohol is For the Big Boys

A phenomenon that appears in many different cultures is a rite of passage.  A rite of passage is a ceremony, event, act, etc. that marks an individual’s passage to a stage of life (such as adulthood) or received status in a community; for example, a ‘boy’ is given a task to complete in order to become a ‘man’.  Specific examples are the Jewish Bah Mitzvah and the Spanish Quinceañera (which I myself have done).  Dr. Michael Kimmel wrote in his book, “Guyland”, that an informally established rite of passage for college males is binge drinking (Kimmel, 2009, p. 97).  So how did Dr. Kimmel come to this conclusion?? Now, I should say that Dr. Kimmel is a sociologist, but his research can still be looked at with an anthropological point of view.  So now let’s go through his process.

First, he had to choose a phenomenon to research and pick a community.  Dr. Kimmel chose the phenomenon of binge drinking among the college age community, and more specifically, among males ages 16-26.  Dr. Kimmel’s next step was to plan out his research.  He travelled throughout the United States for four years, interviewing nearly 400 males ages 16-26; he also researched through several surveys.  In his book, Dr. Kimmel adds various stories that he gathered from his interviews.  Some stories consist of a 21^st birthday and ‘stumbling’ out of a bar (Kimmel, 2009, p. 95).  Other stories consist of fraternity hazing rituals coupled with binge drinking and vomiting pledges (Kimmel et al.).  These stories I have gathered from my own interviews and observations:

•        I asked a friend how his 21^st birthday went; his birthday just happened to be about four days ago.  He starts off the story, “Well, I blacked out at around 11:45.”  With this first sentence I can see that the importance of his story is placed on when he had already had too much to drink.  “I left the bar and walked around to this parking lot.” We are driving at this time and he is pointing to a parking lot near another bar.  “I remember I had to pee right here, and there was a cop close by, just staring at me.  After I peed, we went back into another bar.  ------ paid for all of my drinks.  He spent about $300 that night.”

•       A week or two after my own 21^st birthday, a few friends of mine took me to a bar.  Later that night, one of my male friend’s went to use the restroom.  He immediately came out and said, “Dude, there is someone puking in the sink.  I think it’s his 21^st birthday because some guys are in there with him.”  A few minutes later, the entire crew gathers their friend and carries him out; he is unconscious, his feet dragging on the floor.  “This baby can’t hold his liquor.  He ain’t a man yet.”

These stories all have a common theme: only a man drinks alcohol.  It is because of the recurring theme that Dr. Kimmel came to his conclusion: binge drinking is a rite of passage for young males to display their masculinity.

Resources:

Kimmel, M. (2009). Guyland. New York: HarperCollins Publishers. (Original work 
     published 2008)

For more about Dr. Michael Kimmel and his book “Guyland”, click here!

Introduction

Introduction: What is Anthropology?           

So here is a quick introduction to my blog Anthropology in a Minute.  The purpose of this blog is to provide a brief understanding of the field of anthropology: what it is, its purpose, how it affects us, etc.  So what exactly is anthropology?  Well, it is the study of the human condition in a specific place and time.  That is a very broad definition, so how do we know what to study?  Anthropology has been broken down into four subgroups: biological, cultural, linguistic, and archaeology.  Biological anthropology focuses on the biological aspects of the human species: how we have evolved, genetics, adaptability, etc.  The next subfield is Linguistic anthropology which is the study of human languages.  Linguistic anthropologists research the role of language in human beings and its relationship with culture.  The third subfield is Archaeology which is the study of the human past.  Archaeology includes the study and analysis of material left behind by past human societies. The last subfield is Cultural anthropology or the study of how the lives of the many populations are shaped by culture. 

Anthropology vs. Sociology

Anthropology is not to be confused with sociology.  Sociology aims to explain how societies work and the purpose of social interactions and practices; these conclusions are usually drawn from surveys and related work.  Cultural anthropologists often research through fieldwork wherein the researcher actually places him or herself in the population or group to be studied in order to fully learn their way of life.  Although both fields are similar and may use similar practices, the difference is in the conclusions.  Sociological conclusions tend to be generalized, while anthropological conclusions are based on a specific group or population; in other words, sociology tends to be more quantitative and anthropology tends to be more qualitative.  It should be taken into account that any conclusions from either field are not ‘final’; these conclusions may be questioned and followed by further research.  

Why is Anthropology Important?

Anthropology can be found in everything around you.  Especially, as a college student, anthropology can be found somewhere in your major.  Don’t believe me??  Well, a group of students at the University of Florida have something to say about that: