LINGUISTICS 260-3
LANGUAGE, CULTURE AND SOCIETY
Answers to selected questions
1) I speak my native language, Taiwanese, both at home and at the church.
While I consider myself close to fluent in the language, I notice that a
pattern for code-switching from Taiwanese to Mandarin emerges when I am in
an argument with my parents (who speak Taiwanese with "total fluency"). In
this case, am I trying to distance myself away from the relationship with
my
parents in order to win the argument (as opposed to closing the social gap
as discussed in the lecture)? Or, Does my switching to Mandarin allow me
to
achieve the "function" or goal of winning the argument? In other words, code
switching may be affected by more than one factors, and that these factors
affect each other as well. Please comment.
ANSWER
You probably use Mandarin because it is more formal
than Taiwanese, and thus it gives your argument more gravity. It makes you
an 'authority', since Mandarin is the official language, and it is the language
that all other authorities in your society talk.
It also helps put a little distance between you and your parents, so that
you are not disrespectful in your arguing.
You are correct that there are two factors at work here
Good thinking.
2) Even though Mandarin is listed as the offical language spoken in Taiwan,
Taiwanese is still a dominant language spoken throughout the island,
especially in the southern part of the country where Taiwanese is the
primary use of code. Because of political reasons, Taiwanese was not allowed
to be spoken in schools (in my parents' generation) or the speakers would
get punished. Interestingly enough, nowadays there is a social movement
where the government encourages people to speak Taiwanese in an effort to
preserve the heritage. Given the above information, would you consider that
the Taiwanese society is diglossic with bilingualism? If so, which one is
a
H Variety (Mandarin?) and which one is a L Variety (Taiwanese)?
ANSWER
I would say that the situation was diglossic with bilingualism.
From what you describe it seems that the barrier between the two varieties
is breaking down.
Yes Mandarin is (was) H, Taiwanese the L variety.