#codeswitching

This is such a specific pet peeve that I know is petty but

As a linguistics major who is also trilingual and has real life experience code-switching (changing from one language to another) mid-sentence on the daily, one of the BIGGEST bothers to me in fanfics is when it happens unnaturally. 

I get that we all think ‘wow, a character suddenly speaking in another language is sexy ;)’ but the truth is, there are natural AND also really awkward and unnatural ways to codeswitch, and unless you have first-hand experience, there is a high risk that your sexy insertion of a foreign word in the middle of a sentence is actually making someone who speaks that language natively cringe just a little bit.

And - I want to make this clear - that’s not your fault! It’s a difficult thing to write well. 

Summary:

In no particular order, here is an illustrated list of reasons I love Sacha Dhawan’s Master, most of which boil down to the way that Sacha Dhawan so expertly embodies the Master to such a degree that we can look  into this character’s mind as we never have before.

Find my full series under the HELP I WUVS HIM tag or at the why I love Dhawan Master tag.

Read more about my version of Dhawan Master/Thirteen [plus fam] in The Happy Famverse, a series of comic shorts about the domestic lives of [extended] Team TARDIS.

#48: His codeswitching! See #42 for an analysis of his changing body language. 

As a quick reminder, you can see the code switch in the difference between his suppressed body language with near-standard eye contact as O...

...to his non-standard eye contact and gestures when he’s by himselves talking to himselves.

You can also see the sheer amount of effort that he requires to codeswitch when he’s changing out of O and becoming himselves. I go into it in #39 when talking about how the moment below catches him in the midst of switching.

First of all the explanation you gave was fantastic and thorough. I never knew it was and it was interesting to read about. So first, thank you!

What I'm thinking is, this character (A) is trilingual and talking to another character (B) who is also trilingual in the same languages. My question is, would code-switching occur in times of stress? So in this scenario A was attacked and is panicked talking about it to B. Would it be natural for A to code-switch every few sentences or so or is it more common for someone to stick with one language during stressful events?

I'm kinda wanting one of the onlookers (who knows 2 of the languages) to tell A to calm down cuz he's mixing his languages but I also want it to be realistic, and I don't want to insult anyone.

I can't say I'm bilingual but I am trying to learn the languages I want to use here. I dont know enough to have ever code-switched myself so I'm a bit unsure about it. I want to get it right and make it seem realistic

I would love to get your input. Hope you have a great day!

Hey, thanks for the kind words!

If both A and B know all 3 languages, there is absolutely a good chance they will codeswitch seamlessly from one to another, yes, including situations of high stress! That's pretty realistic.

I would say, however, that it would not be a case of 'mixing' languages, as in - it would not be a symptom of losing control or anything the like. A lot of the time, switching languages takes MORE brainpower and tends to be intentional. Your character may switch into another language when upset/panicked/frightened if...

one language is better for communicating a specific set of emotions they want to convey

they feel like using one language may be more impactful, to get their point across

they want to use a specific example that is easier to communicate in that language

I have frequently switched languages when arguing/upset - for example, when I argue with my mother. I may explain myself better in English, because the situation I'm describing happened in English, OR I may switch into Russian because I know that is the language she is most comfortable in, and I feel it will make a heavier emotional impact on her.

Things I personally haven't done - flip back and forth from one language to another across several sentences on accident. Doesn't mean it doesn't happen! But I feel it's LESS likely than intentionally codeswitching to give more impact to your arguments.