Why Might Someone Code-Switch Between Their Own Language and the Language

question 9

Multiple Choice

Why might someone code-switch between their own language and the language of a politically more powerful society?

• A) The dominant culture's language is seen as a symbol of high status and upward mobility.
• B) It is inevitable that the dominant culture's language will soon be taught in schools, so it is easier to adopt it right away.
• C) They do not fully understand the dominant language, and revert back to their native language as needed.
• D) Only certain members of society are permitted to speak the dominant culture's language.

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Definitions:

Script

A sequence of expected behaviors, roles, and norms associated with particular social situations or cultural expectations.

Long-term Potentiation

A long-lasting enhancement in signal transmission between two neurons that results from stimulating them synchronously; widely considered one of the major cellular mechanisms that underlies learning and memory.

Neuron Level

Refers to the analysis or understanding of the nervous system at the scale of individual neurons, their functions, and interactions.

Priming

The exposure to one stimulus influences a response to a subsequent stimulus, without conscious guidance or intention.