"They stop speaking English..."

[Níall Beag]

(Triggered by reading something Alasdair linked to on DigitalSpy)

It's more commonly said about Welsh, but it's also said about Gaelic from time to time:

"The locals are so rude. They're speaking in English, but they immediately start speaking Welsh/Gaelic/whatever as soon as I walk into the pub. I know it's true, because I hear them speaking English but when I get closer they start speaking Welsh."

If anyone ever says this to you, don't slap them, just tell them that it's something called "code-switching" and that it's a statistical near-definite that if you spend even a little amount of time in a bilingual area you will hear someone at some point stop speaking English as you approach.

People who speak two languages or dialects (codes) will switch between them in conversations. A sentence of English in a Gaelic conversation. A direct quote in English with "he said" tagged on in Welsh.

It is extremely rare to hear a conversation carried out in 100% Gaelic or Welsh with no English.

So you will hear them switch.

But you don't need to assume it's because of you.

[akerbeltz]

Cha bu còir do dhaoin seo a thuigsinn dheth ach tachraidh seo tric gu leòr. B' àbhaist duinne an dearbh rud a dhèanamh 'nar taigh 's sinne a' tionndadh dhan Chantonais nuair a bha sinn airson ar n-athair (no daoine eile air taobh Gearmailteach ar teaghlaich) a dhùnadh a-mach. Uel, chan e dùnadh a-mach a bh' ann ach sinne ag iarraidh prìobhaideachd gun an seòmar fhàgail.

Ma nì cuideigin gearan d' a leithid dhomhsa, seo na dh'fhreagras mise: if you hate it that much, learn Gaelic/Welsh? you don't ask people with a driving license to stop driving either just because you can't...

[GunChleoc]

Thachair mi ri grunn Phortuguese a thoghadh anns a' Ghearmailt nuair a chaidh mi dhan oilthigh. Rinn iad code-switching eadas Gearmailtis agus Portuguese fad an t-siubhail. Chan eil a leithid ach nàdarrach.

[Tearlach61]

Ciontach! Ach coma leat e co-dhiu. Mur h-ann riuthsa a tha mi a' bruidhinn de an diofar. Sin am beachd a bh'againne ann an Quebec co-dhiu.

Bithinn fhin a' deanamh an dearbh rud ann an Quebec airson uibhir de phriobhaiteachd fhaighinn. Bha seo gu math bitheanta. Chan e code switching a bh' ann. Bha code switching ann ceart gu leor, daoine a bha eucomasach an cumail san dearbh canan fad an t-siubhal.

Dhomh-sa, bha e mi-mhodhail smaoineach gu robh coir agad eisteachd ri comhradh sam bith.

[akerbeltz]

Deagh phuing

[Thrissel]

Mur h-ann riuthsa a tha mi a' bruidhinn de an diofar. [...] Dhomh-sa, bha e mi-mhodhail smaoineach gu robh coir agad eisteachd ri comhradh sam bith.

Gu dearbh. Bha grunnan Ungarach còmhla ruinn san Sheirbheis Nàiseanta agus nuair a thòisich iad ri bruidhinn san Ungairis, bha sinn dìreach a' smaoineachadh "tha iad a' dèanamh còmhraidh mu dheidhinn rudeigin nach biodh inntinneach dhuinne co-dhiù" agus a' dèanamh còmhraidh eile eadarainne. (Nuair a bha mise uaireannan an aon duine gun Ungairis aig a' bhòrd taigh-seinnse, chòrd e rium a bhi ag èisteachd gun thuigsinn - 's ann fuaim bòidheach a tha aig an Ungairis... )

[Gordon Wells]

... it's something called "code-switching" and .. it's a statistical near-definite that if you spend even a little amount of time in a bilingual area you will hear someone at some point stop speaking English as you approach.

People who speak two languages or dialects (codes) will switch between them in conversations...

Code-switching agus code-mixing gu leòr a' dol an seo: http://guthan.wordpress.com/2010/04/19/ ... m-paipear/

Ach cò chanas nach eil Gàidhlig fìor mhath aig Tormod? Cho siùbhlach 's a ghabhas. Mar a thuirt GunChleoc, ma tha dà chànan agad 's e rud gu math nàdarrach a th' ann a bhith gan cleachdadh còmhladh.