Читать книгу The Concise Encyclopedia of Applied Linguistics - Carol A. Chapelle - Страница 235

Language mode is the state of activation of the bilingual's languages and language‐processing mechanisms at a given point in time. Figure 1 illustrates the concept which is best presented as a continuum in a two‐dimensional representation. The bilingual's two languages (A and B) are depicted on the vertical axis by squares.

Two positions on the continuum are illustrated in the figure. In both positions, language A is the most active (it is the main language being used, or base language, hence the black square) and language B is active to varying degrees. On the left, language B is only very slightly active (lighter square), and the bilingual is said to be at, or close to, a monolingual language mode. On the right, language B is active (darker square), but it is not as active as language A, and the bilingual is said to be in a bilingual mode. (To simplify matters, we will mention only two languages at this point, but language mode applies also to three or more languages, as we will see below.)

Bilinguals will usually be in a monolingual mode (left part of the figure) when they are interacting with monolinguals with whom they simply cannot use their other language (here, language B). They have to deactivate the latter, usually unconsciously, so that it is not produced and hence lead to a breakdown in communication. They can also be in a monolingual mode with other bilinguals if they have only one language in common. Bilinguals will be in a bilingual mode (right part of the figure) when interacting with other bilinguals who share their languages and with whom they feel comfortable bringing in the other language. In this case, both languages are active, but one language (language B here) is slightly less active as it is not the main language of communication. Bilinguals can also be in an intermediate mode (between the two end points), for instance when they know that their interlocutor is bilingual but does not like to mix languages. In this case, the other language (language B in the example) will be only partly activated. What has just been said about speakers applies to listeners; they can find themselves at various points along the continuum depending on what they are hearing as well as on situational factors such as knowing that they share the same two languages with their interlocutor.

Language mode is made up of two components. The first is the base language chosen (language A in the example) and the second is the comparative level of activation of the two languages—from very different in a monolingual mode (left part of figure) to quite similar in a bilingual mode (right part of figure). These two components are usually independent of one another—one can change without affecting the other. Thus, the base language can be changed but not the comparative level of activation of the two languages. This takes place, for example, in a bilingual interaction when a bilingual switches over completely to the other language (which becomes the base language). In the example above, language B would become totally active and language A slightly less active. Similarly, there can be a change in the level of activation of the two languages without a change in base language, as in Figure 1. Thus, when referring to language mode, both aspects need to be mentioned. For example, a Spanish‐English bilingual speaking Spanish to a Spanish monolingual is in a “Spanish monolingual mode”; the same bilingual speaking English to another Spanish–English bilingual is in an “English bilingual mode,” and so on.