Chill, take it easy, would you mind settling down? An empirical study of code switching within the English language when spoken by teenagers in Sweden
Author
Summary, in English
In Sweden there is a first language Swedish and minority languages such as
Finnish, Tornedalen Finnish, Romany, Samian, and Yiddish. Although
English is not a second language in Sweden some people suggest it should
be. From the age of nine children start to learn the English language in
school. English is a core subject in the school system alongside Swedish
and math. In several companies it is the language used. In commercials
from different companies aimed at the Swedish population English is used.
An example of that is Aquafresh that sell their product named “between
teeth”. This toothbrush has some bristles that are longer and go between the
teeth to make it cleaner. They could have used “mellan tänderna” but chose
the English words for it instead. This is just one example of the use of
English in Sweden today. Music, computers, games, movies, TV and
commercials are big contributors. In magazines and newspapers you often
find English words as well. This is something that should be looked into
more, for example how English is used in Swedish newspapers. My
hypothesis is that teenagers who live in Sweden and do not have English as
a native tongue have gained access to the language and some of its codes.
Finnish, Tornedalen Finnish, Romany, Samian, and Yiddish. Although
English is not a second language in Sweden some people suggest it should
be. From the age of nine children start to learn the English language in
school. English is a core subject in the school system alongside Swedish
and math. In several companies it is the language used. In commercials
from different companies aimed at the Swedish population English is used.
An example of that is Aquafresh that sell their product named “between
teeth”. This toothbrush has some bristles that are longer and go between the
teeth to make it cleaner. They could have used “mellan tänderna” but chose
the English words for it instead. This is just one example of the use of
English in Sweden today. Music, computers, games, movies, TV and
commercials are big contributors. In magazines and newspapers you often
find English words as well. This is something that should be looked into
more, for example how English is used in Swedish newspapers. My
hypothesis is that teenagers who live in Sweden and do not have English as
a native tongue have gained access to the language and some of its codes.
Department/s
Publishing year
2010
Language
English
Full text
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Document type
Student publication for Master's degree (one year)
Topic
- Languages and Literatures
Supervisor
- Dylan Glynn