Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Code-Switching and Diglossia with the Yooper Dialect

As I mentioned yesterday, the difference between code-switching and diglossia is that diglossia is a more intentional changing of dialect due to situation and code-switching is a more subconscious change. Following is an example of how this works with the Yooper dialect -

A family friend who is a 60ish non-native Upper Peninsula woman, says that even though she was not born or raised in the Upper Peninsula, she married a native and now uses the dialect on a daily basis. She attributes this, initially to her repeated exposure to the dialect and wanting to fit in, but claims it is now out of habit. Though when she talks to her family in Lower Michigan she subconsciously switches back to her original dialect. However, with certain friends from Lower Michigan she will not automatically switch and with others she has to make a conscious effort to do so to fit back in with these friends.

3 comments:

Homebrewer Brian said...

I have witnessed this with a lot of people who have come to the U.P. to go to school. By the beginning of summer everyone is a yooper. Then they go home for a few months and come back in the fall to start school and you can tell they have got their old accent back again. It doesn't take long up here to acquire that Yooper dialect up here.

Anonymous said...

Hey, I'm glad I found this blog! Looking forward to diving into your archives and hours of language play :)

I'd love your feedback on two code-switching posts that I wrote. I've examined the link between code-switching, identity and branding:

http://mothsmokelingers.wordpress.com/2008/12/16/iicode-switching-branding-2-languages-2-identities-%E2%88%9E-opportunity/

http://mothsmokelingers.wordpress.com/2008/12/17/code-switching-branding-pt-iii-the-language-fetish/

Cheers,
Hiten


P.S: I've been reading Salman Rushdie's 'Midnight's Children'. The author is a magician with words,combining his impressive vocabulary with a mischievous imagination to telling effect. I suggest you check it out if you haven't already, a bit difficult to begin, but once you're on the way...

Laura Payne said...

Wow, great posts. Thank you for bringing them to my attention. Hard to believe how much difference the use of one language over another in an ad campaign can change a person's perception of a product.

I will definitely keep reading your blog, it touches strongly on my interests in language and advertising.

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