Bilingual Greek-English Code Switching -- Research Proposal

All respondents also engage in code-switching on a linguistic level to clarify meaning when referring to both stories. The linguistic responses were not culturally monolithic -- rather, bilingual speakers showed a remarkable ability to fuse the two cultures and languages in which they were fluent. Although the different English and Greek scenarios elicited different responses, when speaking about their feelings the study subjects were able to delve into both vocabularies to find the right word to express their ideas. The study suggested that "1) one's emotional reaction shifts with language (and cultural context) and (2) all emotion terms (and reactions) are available to bilingual speakers, almost regardless of the context" (Panayiotou 2004: 132). Their use of different linguistic tropes also highlighted how language and culture were inexorably intertwined, given that the subjects' expressed emotional responses were substantially different, depending on whether the scenario was presented as about a Greek or an American.

The scope of this study is somewhat problematic, given that it was conducted on a relatively small number of subjects. As in all studies, there is a self-limiting aspect given that only fully bilingual speakers were used, and finding test subjects who are equally comfortable in two languages can be relatively challenging. Also, given that every subject's perceptions and experience levels of his or her native and acquired language will differ slightly, this may affect the use of code-switching and positive and negative associations with the foreign language.

Experiment

Methodology

This is an experimental study, examining the responses of bilingual (Spanish and English-speaking) subjects to different photographs. The test subjects will be shown a series of similar images, first asked to describe half of the images in their native Spanish, then in English. Then, they will be shown the images again in the same order, only asked to describe the first five images in English, then the second five images in Spanish. These responses will be analyzed for their language patterns (subjective vs. objective) and any use of 'code-switching' (intentional or unintentional) when describing the images. The impact of language upon the expressions of emotions of the subject when viewing similar images will be noted. Specifically, it will be determined if 1. The vocabulary and descriptions in the native vs. acquired language are more emotionally based and/or affected by culture and 2. If code-switching occurs with greater frequency in the native or acquired language.

References

Bishop, M.M., & Peterson, M. (2010). Impact of media context on consumers' responses to code-switched advertising. Journal of Advertising, 39(3), 55-67.

Panayiotou, N. (2004). Switching code, switching codes: Bilinguals' emotional responses in English and Greek. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 25 (2&3),

124-139.

Qing, X. (2012). A tentative analysis of code-switching in college bilingual education.

Cross - Cultural Communication, 8(4), 30-33.

Thompson, M. (2013).…