Language Switching (codeswitching)

When do you switch languagesin a conversation? Why do you switch from one language to another in a conversation? Do you think you are more epressive when you switch from primary language to secondary language? Are you consciences when you switch. So what i means is if you are bilingual, when you are in a conversation do you switch back and forth from your native to your secondary language for example "chinese to english" or "english to chinese" or some other other languages. Iam doing this for my linguistic project. Love to hear your input on this.-^_^

 

Well, I usually talk with a mix of Cantonese and English, and it is much more expressive only because my Cantonese (Chinese in general in fact) has deteriorated over the years I've been to Canada.

However, if it is necessary I can carry on a conversation in Cantonese/Mandarin without adding English terms, I am able but I will be conscious of that fact. It depends on the audience, if the person I am talking to understand both languages (like me), then I will let some words slip, but otherwise I can carry on a conversation in one single language.

Of course I can carry a conversation exclusively in English... What other reason would make it possible for me to go on PA?

 

just depends on the group i'm around i guess

depending who it is, it seems natural to have canto/english mixed up
but of course, we're all capable of canto or english only convos =)

i just can't type in chiense ><

 

^ Ha ha, I can type in Chinese But yeah, it is sometimes difficult to carry on a conversation with a person who doesn't know English AT ALL, because there are times when I mixed up the grammar (of Cantonese and English) which have me end up talking very Zen... @_@b

 

Yea i think i switch from Canto to english too, but i was just wondering if the switch is better expressing what i have to say. When you switch do you feel like you express it more clearly? Or you switch due to the people around who also understand your language?

 

I switch because I couldn't find the proper/accurate word in the original language quick enough.

 

i speak chinglish cause im cool like that

 

how would you define chinglish?

Adding wor at the end of the sentence or la or some other particles to make it chinglish or the input of certains words? Like borrowing words from english when you dominately speaking in chinese

 

Do you predominately speak in english or cantonese? percentage wise.

 

Both quite equally... More towards the Cantonese side, which is filled with English terms. Since my friends speak both languages (they are stronger in the Cantonese department...)

While English conversations are often exclusively English...

 

Hiake, so you are saying that your friends are cantonese native speakers is that right? Can you give me an example when you fill in that english term? can you Romanized the cantonese LOL..i don't know how to read chinese ..hahahha.
Can you provide an example?

 

lets go yum cha.......i was wan gun ds and then ngor ah gor came in my room..........get it?

 

you guys know what, my family and i speak english, vietnamese, and french all in one sentence.





im serious.

 

lol..oh i get it...i was playing DS and then your brother came into my room. is that right? just wondering..Oh by the way i have to print these data out. I have to ask permission. So if it is okay that i print out the things you say on this forum.

 

Hmmmmm, I don't really know how to romanize Cantonese @_@ but in the following sentences the bolded words are spoken in English while the rest are in Cantonese/Mandarin:

"I'll see you at cafe"
"OMG, that girl's totally a b!tch, I wonder why her BF is tolerating her passive agressive tactic"
etc...

 

dan: aujourdi i ate cuc lol

 

Alright Hiake can you type that in chinese...?? I will transcibe it.

 

all three lol im fluent in all of them, and i can switch just like that XD

^ LOL nice one XD

 

ahh...i see ...so Dann do you switch alot ? And do you switch it with your friends too? Or u just do it in the family?