I Speak Italish
Monday, December 26th, 2005 -- J. DoeToday I looked in my notes and found my recipe for Merluzzo (a type of white fish) Mediterraneo.
Ingredienti:
- 400 gram pomodori in scatola o fresh tomatoes
- aglio-cut up
- sugo pomodoro
- black olives
- capperi
- salt
Put pomodori in scatola, l’aglio, one Tbsp of sugo pomodoro, capperi, olivi black, and sale in a pot. Cook and stir ogni tanto.
Put fish in a big padella. Cover con 150 ml white wine, put on some spices, abbassare la fiamma and cook (boil) per 10 minuti.
Poi, put pomodori mixture on fish. Cook 1 -2 minuti in piu’.
Does anybody notice a problem with this recipe ? I didn’t when I first wrote it, but now I do. It is written half in English, half in Italian.
I read once in a review for a book about bilingual children that is is normal if the child speaks in both languages at the same time for a period of time, but what about when the child is a middle aged woman ? What then ?
Am I normal ? Wierd ? Destined to never speak Italian fluently ? Destined to speak and think only in English for my entire life ?
Feeling troubled I ran over to my PC and did a quick Internet search. As it turns out, I am completely normal (at least speech-wise.)
I am just using code-switching. According to Wikipedia, code-switching is a term in linguistics referring to alternation between two or more languages, dialects, or language registers in the course of discourse between people who have more than one language in common. Sometimes the switch lasts only for a few sentences, or even for a single phrase. The switch is commonly made according to the subject of discourse, but may be for a variety of other reasons such as the mood of the speaker (for example, a person might swear only in French).
Code-switching often occurs in bilingual communities or families.
You can read the rest of the article here.
What a relief !
So, ciao and have a nice giornata.
Switching among languages is common in places where more than 1 language is common. In Montreal, I’m always amazed by how locals zip back and forth at lightniong speed between English and French. Whenever I’m in Taiwan, I hear a big mix of Taiwanese and Mandarin Chinese; at home with the family, there’s a big mash of Taiwanese, Mandarin Chinese, English, and even Spanish (between my brother and me since we’re the only 2 who speak Spanish)…and my parents tend to swear in Japanese!
Aren’t languages fun???
Here are a couple cool language blogs, just FYI:
http://blog.metrolingua.com/
http://www.languagehat.com/
I think it’s cute. For me it’s mainly a problem when i can’t find a word in my language to match the idea I want to communicate. A great example is ‘proprio’… i wish we had something similar in English…what a great multi-purpose word!
It’s not a problem when I do it at home with Buzzurro because he understands both languages, but last week I caught myself using an Italian word with my English speaking parents who don’t know Italian. Yesterday I used a few English words with my Italian In-laws.
OOPS!
J.Doe,
I’m sure they all thought it was quite charming.
Great post! I’m so there….do it all the time, and it IS wierd. The wikipedia link (and subsequent links) is fascinating!
This post made me giggle. I do that all the time.
I have the same problems, especially when making grocery lists. Certain words I always write in Italian (prezzemolo, insalata russa, polpa di pomodoro) while other words I always write in English ( milk, cheese ). Sometimes I mess it all up and write something like pomodoro pulp.
I also have the same problem about trying to express myself in English in ways that would be easily expressed in Italian. I feel like I’m in limbo between two languages, and have no language of my own!