Language and Dialect
6,909 languages listed in the Ethnologue database of world languages are among the languages that have so far been recorded. The 6% of languages that make up the total number of languages spoken in the globe are spoken by more than a million people worldwide. Language, according to Florian (2013), relates to the ways in which people express themselves verbally and in writing. However, a social group or specific group of people may choose to express themselves using a specific language that is unique to that area or group. In such a case, the means of communication is referred to as dialect.
Thoughts and Language Prowess
According to Annabelle et al. (2011), some people in different countries are not known for their language but are known for their intelligence and thinking abilities. It is argued that it is not important for people to learn more languages for them to become competent and thoughtful. For instance, when considering any form of invention and innovation that has occurred from any field, these inventions are only named after they are invented. A good example is electricity that was named after it was invented, and not the other way round. As such, thoughts are not attributed to grammar and language prowess.
Language Prowess and Critical Thinking
However, from the supportive point of view, it is evident that through language prowess, critical thinking is engaged. For instance, the way people are brought up from their young ages and learn how to speak, the language they understand impacts how they think and interact. Moreover, in the course of growing, without learning more languages, one is unable to think and interpret other materials for learning new outcomes critically.
Code-Switching and Multilingualism
According to Annabelle et al. (2011), code-switching refers to the practice of people alternating different languages while they are speaking within a single conversation. The experience is mostly encountered by multilingual who are attributed to speaking in more than one language, thereby using multiple languages while conversing with each other. The children whom I teach have learned English and their local languages. Their parents as well are not good in speaking English, and hence, it is assumed that at home the children do not speak English with their parents. As such, the children are multilingual.
Mixing of English and Local Language
With the children learning the English language and studying all their subjects in English, it is evident that they may mix up the both English and their local language. According to Ronald (2006), when people are used to speaking in one particular language, and in the process, they are learning a new language, they may get confused and mix up the two dialects. When the children in the class learn all their subjects in English and speak a different language while at home, they are thus bound to use works from either language while talking, and hence mixing them up.
Code-Switching in Communication
Code-switching explains that terms used to denote a particular aspect that the children may not remember in English may be utilized and spoken in the local language. In this regard, the multilingual persons thus use terms and phrases to describe various phenomena which they may not remember the synonym word in English and hence use their local language instead.
Swiss German and Standard German
The sociolinguistic phenomenon reflected by the data is a code-switching activity whereby certain names may be derived from the Standard German or the Swiss German. According to Annabelle et al. (2011), code-switching refers to the practice of people alternating different languages while they are speaking within a single conversation. The experience is mostly encountered by multilingual who are attributed to speaking in more than one language, thereby using multiple languages while conversing with each other. The two languages, Swiss German and Standard German, are dialects of different states and thus people speaking with these languages in the setting may use words from either language.
Similarities and Differences between Swiss German and Standard German
The two languages relate in that various words from the two languages have the majority of their grammatical rules were similar, their punctuation in some words are also similar, and the words sound almost the same. However, the Swiss and standard German differ regarding the rules governing some of their grammar, the punctuation of words and the spelling of the same. Some words within the two languages also differ in their usage within a sentence and pronunciation of the same. The Swiss-German accent is different from the standard German language, which also makes a difference when the two languages are used in verbal communication. However, it is easy for a German to understand any of the two forms of dialect since the differences do not change the meaning of words, but they only change the accent of speaking and general pronunciation of the same.
References
Annabelle et al. (2011). Language, Society & Power: An Introduction. 3 rd edition, Routledge: London and New York.
Florian C., (2013). Sociolinguistics: The Study of Speakers’ Choices. 2nd edition, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Miriam M.,(2011). Introducing Sociolinguistics. 2nd edition, Routledge: London and New York.
Meyerhoff, M. (2015). Introducing sociolinguistics. Taylor & Francis.
Ronald W.,(2006). An Introduction to Sociolinguistics. 3rd edition, Wiley-Blackwell: Chichester, West Sussex.
