Why Telling People Not to Code-Switch May Not Be as Woke...

为什么让人们停止语码转换可能不是个好建议

2021-07-19 21:30 multilingual

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In recent years, posts have begun circulating on social media claiming to be uncovering the true nature of code-switching, the act of changing between languages or types of speech, urging people to stop the practice itself. New discourse on this topic is occurring as people are tracing its origins to classist and racist practices. Oftentimes, people from developing countries use code-switching to be accepted into and succeed in Western cultures. For example, in the podcast We Ga Link, hosts Celine and Alicia discuss the use of code-switching in the Bahamas as a means for people to seek educational opportunities in the United States, Europe, and Canada. The necessity of this practice is inherently racist, as what is perceived as “white” speech is considered the correct, educated form of speech that others must then adhere to. The practice is also classist, as private educational institutions emphasize this skill whereas students at government schools may not ever learn to code-switch. Due to its racist and classist origins, these social media posts have been urging people to stop code-switching. One can argue, however, that code-switching remains a necessary skill in our society, one which has benefits people may not have considered. Firstly, code-switching is a tool for easing communication, as it allows the speaker to be understood by the listener. The speaker may not want to explain everything they are saying should the listener not understand their native speech patterns, and code-switching alleviates this problem in communication. Code-switching can also help the speaker feel less like an outsider when in a new social milieu. The ability to code-switch helps them assimilate to new situations and can help speakers feel more accepted into a new community. Importantly, code-switching can also be a form of protection in gatekeeping one’s culture. When new vernacular is introduced to the public sphere there is always the possibility of it being appropriated. For example, many elements of African American Vernacular English (AAVE) have been appropriated as general internet slang, leading to terms from AAVE being wrongly attributed to internet platforms. Code-switching could have been a way to prevent this from happening. Code-switching can also be used as a form of protection against others caricaturing one’s culture. Multiple accents are now known in the public sphere and made fun of in harmful manners. The Jamaican accent, for example, has been introduced into public media and is now caricatured in what people believe is humor. Seeing how the Jamaican accent has been ridiculed, code-switching could be a viable option for protecting one’s accent against such harm. Finally, code-switching is a tool that can help people achieve access to things that were previously closed to them. To some, it may not alter their identity but simply be an additional form of communication that they use when necessary. Speaking in a specific manner can be a right that is afforded only to people within one’s community. Code-switching delineates who is in one’s community and who isn’t. These aspects and benefits of code-switching hopefully show that the debate is much more nuanced than simply a matter of race and class. One should critically evaluate these social media posts requesting the end of code-switching. Oftentimes, they come from influencers who are in a position of privilege when, in reality, not everyone has the luxury to choose not to code-switch. They also assume that people who code-switch are unaware of its racist and classist origins, which is in itself demeaning. Yes, code-switching’s origins are problematic, however, in practice in our current world, it is a necessary skill with more benefits than one might initially think.
近年来,社交媒体上开始流传一些帖子,声称要揭开语码转换也就是就是在语言或语言类型之间转换的行为的真面目,并且敦促人们停止这种做法本身。 人们将这一问题的根源追溯到阶级和种族主义的行为,随后,激发了有关这一问题的新一轮讨论。通常情况下,在发展中国家,人们经常使用语码转换来显示自己被西方文化所接受,并在西方文化中取得成功。例如,在播客We Ga Link中,主持人Celine和Alicia讨论了在巴哈马使用代码转换作为人们在美国、欧洲和加拿大寻求教育机会的一种手段。 本质上,这种做法的必要性是种族主义的。因为,人们视“白人化”的语言是正确,并且受过教育的言论形式,其他人必须遵守。这种做法也是有阶级倾向的,因为私立教育机构强调人们要语码转换,而公立学校的学生可能永远学不到语码转换。 由于其种族主义和阶级主义的起源,这些社交媒体帖子一直在敦促人们停止语码转换。然而,人们认为,语码转换仍然是我们社会中的一项必要技能,它具有人们可能没有考虑过的好处。 首先,语码转换是一种方便交际的工具,因为它可以让听者理解说话者。如果听者不理解他们的母语语言模式,说话者可能不想解释他们所说的一切,而语码转换在交际中缓解了这个问题。 在一个新的社会环境中,语码转换也能帮助说话者看起来不像一个局外人。语码转换可以帮助他们适应新的环境,也可以帮助他们感到为新社会所接受。 重要的是,语码转换也是一种保护文化的方式。当新的方言引入公共领域时,总有被挪用的可能性。例如,非洲裔美国人白话英语(AAVE)的许多元素,现在已用作一般的互联网俚语,导致AAVE中的语言被错误地用于互联网平台。语码转换是可以防止这种情况发生的一种方法。 语码转换也可以称为一种形式,以保护并防止他人对自己的文化进行讽刺。现在,许多种口音已经在公共领域广为人知,并被恶意取笑。例如,牙买加口音已引入公共媒体,并在人们认为是幽默的情况下被漫画化。看到牙买加口音如何被嘲笑,代码转换可能是保护自己的口音免受这种伤害的一个可行的选择。 最后,语码转换是一种工具,可以帮助人们获得他们之前无法知道的东西。对一些人来说,使用语码转换可能不会改变他们的身份,而只是他们在必要时使用的一种额外的交流方式。以一种特定的方式说话可能是一种权利,只提供给一个人的社区内的人。语码转换划定了人是否属于这个社会。 这些方面和语码转换的好处希望表明,这场争论比单纯的种族和阶级问题要细致入微得多。 人们应该批判性地评价社交媒体上,这些要求人们停止进行语码转换的帖子。通常,发帖者都是那些处于特权地位的有影响力的人。而实际上,并不是每个人都有选择不进行语码转换的特权。发帖者还认为,进行语码转换的人并不知道其种族主义和阶级根源,而这本身就是一种贬低。 语码转换的起源的确是有问题的,然而,在我们当今世界中,它是一种必要的技能,其好处可能比人们最初想象的要多。

以上中文文本为机器翻译,存在不同程度偏差和错误,请理解并参考英文原文阅读。

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