Читать книгу Bilingual Couples in Conversation - Silja Ang-Tschachtli - Страница 37

A bilingual couple’s language choice is essential to the manner in which the partners communicate with each other, since there are a multitude of conversational elements that are language-specific (for an overview, see section 3.3.3.2, “Linguistic differences and misunderstanding”). If the couples in this study spoke mainly German — rather than English — to each other, numerous aspects of their couple language might be different: their conversational style, their use of formulaic expressions, their level of directness, their manner of expressing emotions, their use of verbal humour, their prosody, and so on. Despite the strong influence of their chosen medium of communication, however, the relationship language of a bilingual couple will not be the same as that of a monolingual couple speaking only one of the languages, since, regardless of which language the bilingual partners use as their primary means of communication, features of the other language will inevitably seep into their couple language to a certain degree. The influence of the second language may be particularly evident if both partners are bilingual, but even if the partners are not fluent in each other’s mother tongues, they may adopt features from their partner’s language after these have been transferred, often unwittingly, into the couple language.

Consequently, a bilingual couple’s language is often a complex blend of elements from both partners’ languages. Each partner contributes specific features to the couple language, and as their relationship evolves, so does their couple language. While this occurs unintentionally to some extent, there are also ways in which the partners may actively shape their joint language. Thus, their bilingualism might cause the partners to consciously modify their manner of speaking, for instance by selecting a simpler register or by expressing themselves more clearly or more explicitly. The partners can also make use of their two languages or their bilingualism to create humour, to coin their own expressions, and, ultimately, to generate a distinctive manner of communicating with each other. As a result, partners in a bilingual relationship often perceive their couple language to be unique (Piller 2002a: 224). Thus, in spite of the challenges that are sometimes associated with being a bilingual couple, bilingual partners may also derive benefit from their linguistic situation, as their communicative efforts and their shared code can create a rapport between them or strengthen their sense of togetherness.

There are a number of factors that influence which language or languages partners speak to each other, such as their country of residence, both partners’ language proficiency, their habits, their attitudes, or concerns relating to their personal and couple identityidentitycouple (see section 5.2, “Factors influencing the language choice of bilingual couples”). Due to the multitude of factors affecting the partners’ language choice, a bilingual couple’s linguistic situation is often far from simple or static. Over the course of their lives, various events can occur which may change their mode of communication, and the extent to which they speak both of their languages. They might relocate to a different country, for instance, have children, or become more fluent speakers of their L2.

In the following, I first give an overview of previous work in the areas of bilingual couples’ language use and discuss a number of factors that may influence a couple’s language choice (5.2). I then address the interviewees’ reports of which language(s) they speak to each other, potential situational factors, as well as reasons for their language choice (5.3). Because the partners’ language use outside the home is likely to influence their proficiency, and hence possibly their linguistic behaviour at home, I also comment on their reported language use with other people, and explore the interrelation between the interviewees’ language use outside of and within the relationship (5.4). Furthermore, I discuss two aspects that are reported by several couples to be characteristic about the manner in which they communicate, namely the modification of their speech to suit their bilingual situation, and the achievement of a high level of communication due to their different cultural and linguistic backgrounds (5.5). In the last section of the chapter (5.6), the results are summarized and compared to previous work. On the one hand, this chapter aims to provide insights with regard to the factors influencing the language choices of fluent bilinguals in this specific setting; on the other hand, it gives an overview of the couples’ past and present language use and serves as a basis for the analysis of more specific areas of the couples’ language use in the subsequent chapters.