RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LANGUAGE AND COMMUNICATION

ewatths@yahoo.com
Manuscript (unedited) for the chapter RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LANGUAGE AND
COMMUNICATION from Business Communication for Academic and professional Purposes by
Thompson Olusegun Ewata © 2010, Jimsalaam Publishing Lagos Nigeria
Humans communicate with language. Though, language is not the only means of
communication. Whenever communication is thought of we always associate it with language.
Language is a vehicle that we use in presenting our ideas, thoughts, feelings, opinions to the
world. It is what we exhibit our cultural norms and orientations in and the whole essence of our
being is captured in our language. That is why whenever a country, people or race conquers
another, the first thing that will be affected will be the conquered people’s language. If the
colonialists had come to Africa without imposing their languages on the continent, the issue of
political domination would not have been possible. With the conquest comes prestige that the
ability to use the conquering people’s language confers on the conquered people. In Nigeria,
during colonial era, immediately before the left, the moment after independence to the present
day, the ability to use – speak and write English – confers a status symbol on those that can use
the language – English. This is still evident in the way parents in most home in the country
would go to any length to ensure that their children/wards speak English.
The role of language in communication
If we believe that our language is what drives our value systems, then we say that language
drives our cultural orientation. Sapir (1921) holds it that: language is a purely human and non-
instinctive method of communicating ideas, emotions and desire by means of voluntarily
produced symbols. This means that it is only human beings of all the creatures on the earth
surface that uses language. The language that man uses is not something his biological make
bequeath on him he learns this language in a human community. We are not saying here that
other beings do not communicate but it is man alone that communicates with language. The
nonverbal communication we talked about is predicated on language. Language is the vehicle
that our thoughts are conveyed in. if our thoughts are conveyed in language then our culture in
conveyed too through it.
Krech（1962）explained the major functions of language from the following three aspects:
1. 1）Language is the primary vehicle of communication;
2. 2）Language reflects both the personality of the individual and the culture of his history.
In turn, it helps shape both personality and culture;
3. 3 ） Language makes possible the growth and transmission of culture, the continuity of
societies, and the effective functioning and control of social group
(http://www1.gdufs.edu.cn/jwc/bestcourse/kecheng/38/whjiaoan/files/intro.html).
Code switching and code mixing
The Dictionary of Language Teaching and Applied Linguistics (2002) gives the definition for a
code, as:
a term which is used instead of LANGUAGE, SPEECH VARIETY, or DIALECT. It is
sometimes considered to be a more neutral term than the others. People also use “code”
when they want to stress the uses of a language or language variety in a particular
 community. For example, a Puerto Rican in New York City may have two codes: English
and Spanish. He or she may use one code (English) at work and the other code (Spanish)
at home or when talking to neighbours.
We can see case of the Puerto Rican mentioned in the dictionary’s example as a man living two
lives: the live of English and that of Spanish. You learn a culture when you learn the language.
That is why the Puerto Rican lives two lives as he uses two languages which amount. to two
cultures.
Having established the meaning of code we can now look at mixing or switching it.
CODE-SWITCHING
In language study, a language is taken as a code. Sociolinguists use the term code to denote any
identifiable speech variety, including both a particular language and a particular variety of a
language. Code a cover term, which may denote a dialect or a language generally refers to
language [http://www.yourdictionary.com/code.html].
In this context therefore, a code is particular language. For example: English is a code, Yoruba,
Hausa, Igbo and the other indigenous languages are all codes. In the course of using more than
one code (we need to mention here that a variety of a language is also a code), the user(s) would
have to switch from one language or code to another from time to time to be able to blend in the
context of situation. For example, a young man that works with a judge of the Supreme Court
would from time switch his code/language whenever he is in the office and amongst his friends.
Code-switching is therefore the hallmark of ability to use more than one language.
In linguistics code-switching refers to the alternation between two or more languages or
language registers in a single conversation, stretch of discourse, or utterances between people
who have more than one language in common. For speakers to switch codes means they know
more than one language/code and that they can understand the codes of more than one language.
Users of more than one code are known bilinguals or multilingual if they know more than two.
Code switching occurs when items from another language are introduced into the base
language. The other language is called the donor or embedded language. Code switching
can occur in large blocks of speech, between or within sentences, even involving single
words or phrases. It may occur between a base language and more than one donor
language in multi-lingual (Myers-Scotton1992, 1998).

Ki lon happen? (What’s happening or What’s up?)

Mo broke!
Mi get idea yen jo
• … so many things ti sele lati gba yen
• I am at the maternity, ko si nkankan to se mi
• Se everything wa alright?( Afolayan and Izuchukwu, 2007)

It can be seen in Nigerian society, particularly among young professionals (yuppies) most times
the switch between their indigenous languages and English or pidgin. The Yoruba and Igbo
educated elite are noted for this. Even among youths in Nigeria, they switch from English to
Pidgin English when they are with friends and slip back to English when they are with people
they do not share such relationship with. The idea that bilinguals or multilingual switch codes
because they lack mastery of one of the languages is not one that can hold water as experience
from the Nigerian perspective has shown that they have mastery of all their codes.

WHY CODE SWITCH?

The Linguistic Encyclopedia (2002) mentions that Code switches have a variety of purposes
and aims and change according to who is talking, the topic, and the context of the conversation.
The book moves on to list the uses of code switching as:
• Code switches may be used to emphasize a particular word or phrase or its central
function in a sentence.
• When a speaker does not know a word or phrase in one language another language may
be substituted. This often happens because bilinguals use different languages in different
domains of their lives. An adult may code switch to discuss work because the technical
terms associated with work are only known in that language. At the same time, an adult
may switch code to discuss intimate where young impressionable minds are.
• Bilinguals may switch languages to express a concept without an equivalent in the culture
of the other language. A Yoruba-English bilingual may use words like “Iyale”, “orogun”
in English because these words have no English equivalents. Such words are called
borrowings or loans when they become established and in frequent use in the other
language. E.g. Oba of Lagos, Obi of Onitsha, Emir of Kano. However, there is no clear
distinction between a code switch and borrowing.
• Code switching may reinforce a request. In a majority/minority language situation, the
majority language may emphasize authority. In Nigeria, for example, most parents use
English language to emphasise their authorities. When they want something done, they
emphasise their wish with a command in English. For example they start in an indigenous
language then reiterate this in English. Kuro n’be yen. Get out of there!
• Repetition of a phrase or passage in another language may also clarify a point. Some
teachers may explain a concept in one language and explain it again in another believing
that repetition adds reinforcement of learning and aids understanding.
• Code switching may communicate friendship or family bonding. Moving from the
common majority language to a home or minority both the speaker and listener may
communicate common identity and friendship. Also the use of the listener’s stronger
language may indicate deference.
• In relating an earlier conversation, the speaker may report it in the language(s) used. Two
people may be speaking in Yoruba, for example. When one reports a previous
conversation with an English speaker, the conversation is reported authentically in
English as it occurred.
• Code switching is a way of interjecting into a conversation. A person attempting to break
into a conversation may introduce a different language. Changing languages may signal
interruption, with the message ‘I would like to join the conversation’
• Code switching may ease tension and inject humour into a conversation. If conversation
becomes tense, the use of a second language can signal a change in the tune being
played..
 • Code switching often reflects a change of attitude or relationship. When two people meet,
they may use the common majority language. Codes switch signals lessening of social
distance with growing solidarity and rapport.
• Conversely, a change from minority language or dialect to majority may indicate the
speakers wish to elevate status, create a distance from the listener, or establish a more
formal business relationship.
• Code switching can also exclude people from a conversation. Just as the adult that
switched code to talk about intimacy before a young audience.
• Code switching occurs when certain topics are introduced. For example, Spanish-English
bilinguals in the south-western United States regularly switch to English to discuss
money; this reflects the fact that English is the language of commerce and often the
dominant language of the mathematics curriculum.
• Familiarity, projected status, the ethos of the context and the perceived linguistic skills of
the listeners affect the nature and process of code switching. Code switching is not just
linguistic it indicates important social and power relationships.

CODE MIXING
We called a code a language. Therefore code mixing presupposes using two codes at the same
time rather than moving back and forth (switching ) in them as in code switching.
a mixing of two codes or languages, usually without a change of topic.
This is quite common in bilingual or multilingual communities and is
often a mark of solidarity, e.g. between bilingual friends or colleagues
in an informal situation … Bilingual or multilingual speakers, for
example, may think that one of their languages, e.g. English, has more
appropriate lexical items for something they want to express in a
particular situation and they incorporate these into the grammatical
structure of the other language …
The Encyclopedia of Linguistics (2005) states that code mixing and code switching are natural
phenomena in the life of a bilingual. This is so because within the bilingual resides a dual
personality and life. They are one person with one code and another with the other code.