Advances in technology have changed the way teams function. Virtual teams must approach the issues of goal alignment, motivation, and conflict management differently than other types of groups. (Photo by Anna Shvets via Pexels)
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Identify dangers involved in moving from one communication environment to another
Identify major features of digital groups and what they imply regarding their members’ behavior
“Unlike you, Phil, I hate computers. So I am writing this in full view of my computer in order to torture it.”
– A friend of one of the authors, in a handwritten letter of 2004
“You think because you understand “one” you must understand “two,” because one and one make two. But you must also understand “and.”
– Sufi Tradition
Different Strokes for Different Folks
A person must identify that a change in a social situation has occurred in order to switch codes. Codes refer to different contexts of speech, such as formal vs. informal language or Spanish vs. English. (Photo by August de Richelieu via Pexels)
The term “code-switching” is used by linguists to describe how bilingual speakers sometimes sprinkle expressions from one language into another. The title of a classic article about code-switching provides an example of the phenomenon: “Sometimes I start a sentence in English y termino en español” (Poplack, 1980). Poplack, S. (1980). Toward a typology of code-switching. In J. Amastea & L. Elías-Olivares (Eds.), Spanish in the United States: Sociolinguistic aspects, pp. 230–263. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press.
Anyone who has come to command more than one language can attest that each of them transmits thoughts and emotions in unique and distinct ways. Code-switching can sometimes lead to serendipitous insights, but it can also bring about awkward moments. Combining two languages, as the Sufi adage above suggests, is not just a matter of adding one and one.
The word “yas” actually originated with the queer POC (people of color) community circa the late 1980s, specifically those involved in ball culture.1 (Photo by Cup of Couple via Pexels)
The slang expression “different strokes for different folks,” which was popular in the 1960s, indicated that it’s fine to have diverse opinions and styles in society. Today, just as half a century ago, different folks use different methods of communicating depending on the groups they’re members of. In the same way that mixing parts of whole languages may yield unexpected results, switching between sub-vocabularies within one language may produce happy surprises or difficulties. A story will illustrate how.
The father of one of the authors was raised in a traditional family in the American Midwest. Just after high school, as World War II was coming to a close, he was drafted into the army and sent to the Philippines. Almost all the people with whom he spent the next three years were other young American men like himself.
Part of army culture in those days was that soldiers of equal ranks routinely peppered their talk with profanity. Perhaps this shocked some new recruits, but most quickly overcame their initial reaction and got used to using blue language with everyone else. A “code” of foul language became habitual for virtually all the enlisted personnel.
When the author’s father completed his tour of duty and returned to the U.S. in 1948, he spent some time at home before going off to college under the GI Bill. Just a few days after his joyous return to his hometown, he and his parents and younger sister were eating lunch in their dining room. The conversation was lively but routine. At some point, in a polite tone, he said, “Mom, please pass the f-ing butter.”
definition
The practice among bilingual speakers of mixing expressions from one language into their communication in another.
The use of existing or newly invented words to take the place of standard or traditional words with the intent of adding an unconventional, non-standard, humorous or rebellious effect.
