Language Question

[skywalker]

Well, I know there was a thread (at least one!) about language a while back, but I can't seem to find it nor recall if my question was answered then.

I remember saying in one particular thread that my voice, style, word-choice, accent, etc, all change dramatically depending on who I'm speaking to. That's something that happens to a lot of us, I'd imagine. I was told this was called "code shifting," but have since learned that code shifting refers to the (seemingly arbitrary) shifts between languages that occur among bilingual and multilingual people. I do this too, but it's not as frequent, and of course only with those who will understand me.

But today, I was made aware of something else: Not only do I make those changes up there in English (my first, native language), I also (seemingly effortlessly) change the way I speak in Spanish. As an example, my Spanish professor last semester was from Spain, and was convinced that I had studied abroad in her country. Today, I was watching the Uruguay-Netherlands soccer game with a Spanish-speaking friend. During the parts of our conversation that were in Spanish, I apparently convinced him I had researched and was effecting a Uruguayan accent, with no conscious effort on my own part. I was completely unaware, just as I am when I switch accents between speaking to my parents and speaking to my friends.

So, my point is: What on Earth is the terminology for this? I have searched, and so far found nothing. I know it's a documented phenomenon which must have a name, I'd just like to know what it is.

K? Thanks in advance!

[Crimmy]

I dunno what the "official" term is, but I'd call it "adaptation".
In your mothertongue, I'm sure you'll speak in only one way, with little to no variation in it if you change, say, your state or country.

However, I've found myself using a somewhat weird English. Sometimes, australian, sometimes british, and sometimes american, but it's never the same.
It seems that the "learned" language adapts to the person you're speaking to, because you're trying to make yourself clear.

If I were to speak with a british policeman, I would not use an australian accent, because he wouldn't understand a thing I say. I imagine it's the same deal.

[dehro]

being bilingual by birth, and having lived in various areas of 3 different countries each with their own dialect, I totally get where you're coming from... and have been doing this all my life.
had no idea there was a scientific name for it

[Don Julio Anejo]

If I were to speak with a british policeman, I would not use an australian accent, because he wouldn't understand a thing I say.
Actually he would. Although it's still a bad idea because then he's going to think you've got a 'noif on you.

[ForzaFiori]

In your mothertongue, I'm sure you'll speak in only one way, with little to no variation in it if you change, say, your state or country.

Not always true. My native language is English, and I have lived not just in South Carolina, but UPSTATE South Carolina my entire life. I have been known to, at various times, have a Upstate accent, Tennessee accent, Southern and Northern New Jersey accent, and eubonic accent, despite not being Tennessean, African American, and while I have family from New Jersey, all are in Southern New Jersey.

[Savannah]

I believe you are changing registers. If you want, I can dig out my Language Development notes and find out for sure.

[Cealocanth]

Interesting. The accent tends to change with me too, although on a much more rare and smaller scale. Occasionally I go off into a Romanian accent or a Boston accent.

There really should be a term out there for this.

[Edit: I googled "subconsiously switching accents spontaniously" and found that this is completely normal for any person. A person tends to match the accent of the person they're talking to because your brain hears the way they're pronouncing them, and registers that that's the way the next word should be pronounced. Each piece of information (your words vs their words) goes to the spot of your brain in charge of language. Because listening and interpreting them is more important than how you say the words, your brain tends to "forget" how to say them where you're from and replaces it with how they're from.

This happens with some people more than others. Some people may change accents fairly quickly, while others may change them slowly over time. While I may develop a drawl with a week in Kansas, you may suddenly switch accents when you stop talking to your native friend to your uncle who's from Boston.]

[Fortuna]

I'm only fluent in English, but I have noticed that my accents do really strange things. I often drop into a british, bad scottish or outrageous french in casual conversation, and fail to notice for maybe five minutes (OK, not so much the outrageous monty python-esque french, but still). I'm told that it's quite irritating sometimes. Of course, my default accent is a bit strange anyway (it's got Canadian, New Zealand and the odd bit of random in there).

In speaking to different people. it's usually my choice of words as opposed to my accent that changes radically.

[CurlyKitGirl]

Well, I know there was a thread (at least one!) about language a while back, but I can't seem to find it nor recall if my question was answered then.

I remember saying in one particular thread that my voice, style, word-choice, accent, etc, all change dramatically depending on who I'm speaking to. That's something that happens to a lot of us, I'd imagine. I was told this was called "code shifting," but have since learned that code shifting refers to the (seemingly arbitrary) shifts between languages that occur among bilingual and multilingual people. I do this too, but it's not as frequent, and of course only with those who will understand me.

But today, I was made aware of something else: Not only do I make those changes up there in English (my first, native language), I also (seemingly effortlessly) change the way I speak in Spanish. As an example, my Spanish professor last semester was from Spain, and was convinced that I had studied abroad in her country. Today, I was watching the Uruguay-Netherlands soccer game with a Spanish-speaking friend. During the parts of our conversation that were in Spanish, I apparently convinced him I had researched and was effecting a Uruguayan accent, with no conscious effort on my own part. I was completely unaware, just as I am when I switch accents between speaking to my parents and speaking to my friends.

So, my point is: What on Earth is the terminology for this? I have searched, and so far found nothing. I know it's a documented phenomenon which must have a name, I'd just like to know what it is.

K? Thanks in advance!

Code-shifting is language to language.

What you do is convergence.
Convergence is when you subconsciously or consciously adapt your way of speaking to a situation or area.
So when you're in your childhood home with your parents you'll speak more informally, and perhaps your accent'll be stronger.
[Using my example here a second to make it clearer] And when I'm home my Cornish accent is quite thick, I use a lot of dialectal words and phrases and my syntax is looser and 'less correct'; but when I go up country or to university I drop most of my accent, and my dialectal words and phrases almost disappear.

In essence, converging (which can be either postive or negative) is when you try to speak as much like the others around you as possible (that's positive convergence) in order to put them at ease.
Negative convergence is when you exaggerate, emphasise or otherwise don't adapt your utterances and speech patterns to others around you, and in effect isolating people from what you're trying to say.

[skywalker]

I believe you are changing registers. If you want, I can dig out my Language Development notes and find out for sure.

Changing registers.

I'll go with that from now on.

And whenever someone claims they're code-switching (or that I am) I'll be like "HA!! You're wrong! I'm changing registers!!!"

And they will say "I don't see a cash drawer anywhere in sight!!"

...

And then two drums and a cymbal will fall off a cliff

[SpiderMew]

I tend to do this too. I only need to hear an accent for long enough before i start talking in it. One time at summer camp, this British kid thought i was making fun of him, i haddent even noticed the change in my accent.

You should defently pratice and develop this. Its a fun ability to have some times.:smallwink:

[skywalker]

Code-shifting is language to language.

What you do is convergence.
Convergence is when you subconsciously or consciously adapt your way of speaking to a situation or area.
So when you're in your childhood home with your parents you'll speak more informally, and perhaps your accent'll be stronger.
[Using my example here a second to make it clearer] And when I'm home my Cornish accent is quite thick, I use a lot of dialectal words and phrases and my syntax is looser and 'less correct'; but when I go up country or to university I drop most of my accent, and my dialectal words and phrases almost disappear.

In essence, converging (which can be either postive or negative) is when you try to speak as much like the others around you as possible (that's positive convergence) in order to put them at ease.
Negative convergence is when you exaggerate, emphasise or otherwise don't adapt your utterances and speech patterns to others around you, and in effect isolating people from what you're trying to say.

Oof, ninja'd... Thanks for your in depth analysis, tho.


I tend to do this too. I only need to hear an accent for long enough before i start talking in it. One time at summer camp, this British kid thought i was making fun of him, i haddent even noticed the change in my accent.

Yeah, I look at the British guy and say "Cheers, mate!" and he gives me this "what are you playing at?" look...

[Cahokia]

I seem to have an odd variation of this problem. When I speak Spanish, I only speak it one way, and when I speak French, I only speak it one way. It is instead my native tongue that is more apt to change depending who I'm speaking to, and my "neutral" accent is not neutral at all. It rather seems to depend on subtle changes in my mood. Generally speaking, it is an odd mix of Transatlantic, California stoner, fast-talking New Yorker, your generic middle-class English (I'm often asked if I'm from England, actually), and Irish, with an occasional drawl that's a mix of New Orleans and South Carolina.

[Jimorian]

I love threads like this where you learn new things. :smallsmile:

Back when I participated in rec.arts.sf.fandom, there was a saying referring to how somebody in the newsgroup always had the answer to just about any question, "All Knowledge Is Contained in Fandom", so when somebody had an obscure question, they'd open a thread with the acronym AKICIF. Here, of course, it would have to be modified to AKICITP. :smallwink:

[Pinnacle]

A person tends to match the accent of the person they're talking to because your brain hears the way they're pronouncing them, and registers that that's the way the next word should be pronounced.

Talking to? Hears? I sometimes find myself mimicking the dialect of the book I've been reading.

[Jimorian]

Talking to? Hears? I sometimes find myself mimicking the dialect of the book I've been reading.

It's very tough for a writer to get an accent/dialect right, particularly if they use the alternate spellings heavily. Generally, a very little goes a long way, and the suggested method is to just very lightly sprinkle in a few marker accent/dialect spellings and let the reader's brain do the rest so that they hear it in their head when reading.

Your brain just goes the next step and makes you talk that way too. :smallsmile:

[Yora]

I got an english language question:

Is a doughnut a pastry? And if it's not a pastry, what else do you call these backed goods?

[Tirian]

They're not usually called pastries. In fact, they aren't even "baked goods", since they're fried and not baked. They fall into their own delicious category.

[KenderWizard]

My accent is pretty neutral, and a lot of people find it hard to guess what part of Ireland I'm from. My mother is the same, she says we'd make good spies, because it's almost impossible to mimic an very specific accent completely, but with a pretty neutral accent, you'll blend in in a lot of places! I also reflect accents a lot; my boyfriend is American and now a lot of people think I am too, because I talk to him more often than I talk to anyone else. Being in America for a long period of time (the summer) has allowed me to hear my own accent for the first time, as I can now register when I'm using Irish inflections and turns of phrase, which don't stand out in a pub in Dublin, but do stand out in iHop.

I'm not as bad as my friend, though. She picks up accents pretty noticeably. I don't know if anyone here is familiar with a Belfast or Cork accent, but both are very strong and distinctive, and once at a summer course for students from all over Ireland, this poor friend of mine picked up a really bizarre mixture of those two accents, which came out as a weird but strong Cork accent ending on an upswing. It was pretty terrible!

[rakkoon]

I try and keep an English accent when speaking to an American. The only reason for that is that if I try and use an American accent I sound like the cowboy time forgot.
Two Englishmen have asked if I were Irish/Gaelic though so it depends.
And more drinking means more of an Irish accent. Must be something wrong in my brain.

Language convergence (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Language_convergence) seems to be between languages not dialects? Cool question, register change sounds good enough for me

[KenderWizard]

Two Englishmen have asked if I were Irish/Gaelic though so it depends.
And more drinking means more of an Irish accent. Must be something wrong in my brain.


Nah, that's probably why Irish people have Irish accents, we'd be speaking in RP if it wasn't for being sloshed all the time. :smalltongue:

Did you first get drunk in Ireland or in the company of Irish people? Apparently when your mind is in a particular chemical state (such as having drink taken), it's easier to recall what was going on the last time you were in that state. Maybe you keep reverting to something?

[rakkoon]

No but the first time it happened was at a LARP in the middle of the forest after just meeting my ex while I was in full armour. Apparently my accent was perfect and nobody understood me.
Their fault for putting a hut with only beer to drink in the middle of the forest...

Spent 5 months in England where nobody spoke RP. Very confusing.

[dehro]

Nah, that's probably why Irish people have Irish accents, we'd be speaking in RP if it wasn't for being sloshed all the time. :smalltongue:

Did you first get drunk in Ireland or in the company of Irish people? Apparently when your mind is in a particular chemical state (such as having drink taken), it's easier to recall what was going on the last time you were in that state. Maybe you keep reverting to something?

lol..that brings something back that I'd all but forgotten about. my first stint in the UK was in stoke-on-trent... working for a month in a factory with local guys. took me 2 weeks to understand their accent fully even though my english wasn't half bad.
anyhoo..sometime during this month, in comes this ginger bear of a man, mumbling something that I simply don't understand...and by that I mean RRREALLY not even getting what language he was talking, which is quite unsettling to me as I usually can make at least an educated guess as to what language I'm being talked to in...
anyway, in a couple of minutes it became apparent that none of the dozen of co-workers had better luck than I had in understanding the man...and it took the boss coming out of his office to findally get that the man was a truck driver who needed us to sign for a delivery.
an irish guy who, I was told WAS actually speaking english
now whether my co-workers were just taking the piss and making fun of him (apparently ginger guys get that a lot, for reasons that escape me..irish ones doubly so, I suppose)...or whether they were having my same difficulties...I KNOW that I was trying my best and still didn't get a word through :smalleek::smalleek:
it's all very odd, because I've been to ireland since and had no problem comunicating:smallmad:

[Quincunx]

Ah, that would be the Cork accent!

I won't forget the first time my husband and I went to the bank in Cork. His English is impeccable. He thinks in nuanced English. However, English is not his first language and he could not understand a word the bank employee was saying. I only speak American English, and while I could pick out the words, the vocabulary used was so unfamiliar to me (I think the two sets of banking vocabulary diverge right after the word "bank") that I didn't understand what was being said. Same language, no communication whatsoever.

[Xyk]

I don't do this. I have friends with thicker Texan accents and even a friend with a very thick German accent. I talk the same around all of them. I have a flat American accent and that's it. Except I say "y'all" casually.

[Fifty-Eyed Fred]

My accent's rather posh (RP English), and I have a tendency towards overeloquence (I'll check myself there, but if you've seen my posts you must surely have noticed), so I'm often typecast linguistically.

On the other hand, those stereotypes are probably the best that could be applied to me, so it's not something I regard as problematic in any way.

It also works in my favour that I refuse, unlike so many others, to be pedantic when it comes to language... did you spot "overeloquence" up there? You won't find that in a dictionary; I just made it up.

[WalkingTarget]

I do this somewhat.

I have my "normal" voice that is what I sound like in my own head and is what I use around friends and most of my family, but I notice that my speech patterns shift a bit when I'm talking to my grandparents if it's just me and them (a bit more country, despite the fact that I grew up literally next door to them, so it's not like it's a geographical thing). Just a difference between how my parents speak and their parents I guess (my mom purposefully stopped saying "warsh" instead of "wash" during her college years, for example).

My last job involved a lot of phone calls to various parts of the country and I noted that I would shift to match other people's accents then, too.

[skywalker]

My accent's rather posh (RP English), and I have a tendency towards overeloquence (I'll check myself there, but if you've seen my posts you must surely have noticed), so I'm often typecast linguistically.

On the other hand, those stereotypes are probably the best that could be applied to me, so it's not something I regard as problematic in any way.

It also works in my favour that I refuse, unlike so many others, to be pedantic when it comes to language... did you spot "overeloquence" up there? You won't find that in a dictionary; I just made it up.

Well, the making up of words probably dovetails with the posh accent to make people think you know what you're talking about and they're just not as erudite as you are.

[Fifty-Eyed Fred]

Well, the making up of words probably dovetails with the posh accent to make people think you know what you're talking about and they're just not as erudite as you are.

That just about sums it up, yes.

It has its positives and negatives, but I've learned to maximise the former and mask the latter over the years, so I'm not about to complain about it.