Читать книгу Bilingual Couples in Conversation - Silja Ang-Tschachtli - Страница 16

Bilingualismbilingualism is often, though by no means always, connected to biculturalismbiculturalism. The couples analysed in this study are bilingual as well as bicultural; however, there are, of course, also bicultural couples who speak the same or a similar language (e.g. Francophone Swiss-Canadian, Anglophone South African-British) or bilingual couples who share a (similar) culture (e.g. French- and German-speaking Swiss). Moreover, culture cannot always be separated from language. In fact, it has been proposed that the manner in which we speak may be influenced by an underlying “cultural scriptcultural script”, which, in turn, is based on cultural norms and practices (Wierzbicka 2004: 98). These scripts help us “capture background norms, templates, guidelines or models for ways of thinking, acting, feeling, and speaking, in a particular cultural context” (Goddard and Wierzbicka 2004: 157). Consequently, it has been suggested that we cannot but “interpret speech through the ‘filter’ of our native language/culture” (Gass and Varonis 1991: 130; cf. Sapir 1958 [1929]: 69).

Yet even though culture and language are interlinked, and biculturalism and bilingualism often overlap, I have decided to discuss previous work on the two areas separately, because most studies seem to focus on one or the other. Thus, I first outline research on cross-cultural couples, and then discuss a number of studies on bilingual couples. The present chapter only includes general aspects with regard to living in a bilingual, bicultural relationship. Previous research in fields which are explored more extensively in my analysis is discussed at the beginning of the corresponding chapters.