MAELT 714- Applied Linguistics

Code Switching as Indexical of Social Negotiations

General Instructions: Acceptable answers in paragraph form should reach a

minimum of five (5) sentences.

1. Why is the following conversation considered marked code switching?

Context: The learner S2 switches to Afrikaans with an expression which is understood by
her classmate but not by the teacher, who is a visiting student teacher from the United
States of America.

S1 Miss Shannon, have you ever been to Table Mountain?

T Yes I went yesterday.
S2 Did you enjoy it? I have never been.
T Really?
S1 Me either, but we live here.
S2 I know, should we go together?
S1 Yes then we can bungi jump off the cable cart.
S2 Yes that would be so kwaai né?
harsh hey

Ans.
The conversation is considered marked code-switching because S2, one of the
learners, switches from speaking in English to incorporating Afrikaans words and
expressions within the predominantly English conversation. This is evident when S2
says, "Yes that would be so kwaai né?" The term "kwaai né" is an Afrikaans expression,
and its inclusion in the conversation marks a shift in language.
The code-switching is marked in this context because it occurs in a predominantly
English-speaking environment, involving an American teacher (T) and student (S1) who
are primarily conversing in English. When S2 introduces the Afrikaans expression
"kwaai né," it is understood by S1, indicating a shared understanding of the term
between the two South African students. However, the teacher, Miss Shannon (T), does
not comprehend it, as evidenced by her lack of response to that specific part of the
conversation.
This form of code-switching serves to maintain a connection to the speaker's cultural
and linguistic background while engaging in a conversation primarily conducted in a
different language (English). It also highlights the unique cultural and linguistic diversity
in South Africa, where both English and Afrikaans are commonly spoken languages.
 2. How is marked code switching observed in the following conversation?
Context: The teacher teaches a class with S1 whose L1 is Afrikaans.

Ans.
In this conversation, marked code-switching occurs when S1, who speaks Afrikaans as
their first language, tries to speak in English but faces difficulty. Here's how it happens:
1. The teacher starts the conversation in Afrikaans by talking to Johanellie, and then
Michelle. So, Afrikaans is the main language used.
2. When Johanellie (S1) tries to speak in English, the teacher tells her to speak in
English so everyone can understand.
3. S2 encourages S1 to continue speaking in Afrikaans, showing a preference for that
language.
4. S1 says she doesn't want to switch back to Afrikaans and wants to continue in
English, which is a marked code-switch because she's choosing to speak a different
language.
5. The teacher accepts S1's choice and continues in Afrikaans with another student.
This marked code-switching occurs when S1 initially tries to speak in English, and it
shows how the teacher tries to accommodate different language preferences in the
classroom, even though Afrikaans is the main language. It illustrates how languages
can be used flexibly in bilingual or multilingual settings.
 3. Why is code switching necessary in the following situation? Is the code switching
marked or unmarked? Why?
Context: The teacher is sufficiently familiar with her learners and their bilingualism.

Ans.
Code-switching is necessary in this situation to help the learners understand and
communicate with the teacher. The code-switching is unmarked, which means it
happens naturally and doesn't disrupt the conversation.
In this conversation:
1. The learners start in Afrikaans, saying "vet ruspers," which means "fat caterpillar."
2. The teacher switches to English, asking, "No, who's been vreet-ing?" to clarify the
meaning of "vreet-ing" (gorging).
3. The learners switch back to English, asking, "So what's the object, miss?" to
understand a grammatical concept.
4. The teacher responds in English to explain it better.
5. The learners continue in English, saying "Plantjies" (little plants) to answer the
question.
The code-switching is unmarked because both Afrikaans and English are understood
by everyone, making it easier to explain and understand the topic.