(no subject)

[randomness]

I'm reposting this post from the Economist's Johnson blog for bloodstones, who explained code-switching to me a while back, and digitalemur, who more recently asked me to translate Gemütlichkeit.

Mixing languages: Que es ese code-switching?

An excerpt:

"There is no reason to say Weltanschauung for "worldview", unless you just don't get enough chances to type two u's in succession and have tired of writing about vacuums."

The comments are worth a glance, too.

Comments

[rmd.livejournal.com]

I code-switch with my level of boston accent in my speech. It's almost completely unintentional, too. I think part of it is being with someone who has the accent and part of it is trying to discuss certain subjects or strike a certain conversational mood.

It's been kind of startling to some people who haven't heard my wicked pissah accent.

[sarakate.livejournal.com]

Oh, I absolutely "catch" accents if I'm around someone with a strong one, whether it's an accent I normally possess or not. When I lived in Michigan, my coworkers could always tell if I'd been talking to my dad on the phone, because his Texas drawl would make mine kick back in for about a day before it faded out again. And I spent a couple of weeks working in Buffalo with a group of people with various British Empire accents (one actual Brit, two Australians, and a Kiwi), and wound up sounding Canadian (to the point where I had a minor debate with the border guard on my way home as to my actual nationality) for about 3 days. I'm afraid it sometimes comes off as mockery, but it's totally subconscious.

[kenjari.livejournal.com]

I do this, too. I had to be so careful when I was on my honeymoon in Wales, so that people wouldn't think I was mocking them.