English – trigedasleng code- switching in the CW series "The 100” Cambio de código lingüístico inglés – trigedasleng en la serie de televisión CW "The 100” Rodrigo Erazo J.1 Recepción: 07 de agosto de 2020 Aceptación: 19 de octubre de 2020 1 Universidad Central del Ecuador. Quito, Ecuador. [email protected] REVISTA PUCE. ISSN: 2528-8156. NÚM. 111 3 NOVIEMBRE DE 2020 - 3 MAYO DE 2021, RODRIGO ERAZO J., PP. 39-54 English – trigedasleng code- switching in the CW series "The 100” Cambio de código lingüístico inglés – trigedasleng en la serie de televisión CW "The 100” Rodrigo Erazo J. Keywords: code-switching, motivations, constructed language, Trigedasleng Palabras clave: cambio de código lingüístico, motivaciones, lengua construida, trigedasleng Abstract The present article deals with the considered the different situations, con- issue of establishing the characters’ rea- texts, and functions where each linguis- sons or motivations for code-switching tic code is used. The results revealed that between English and the constructed the major causes for such alternation in- language, Trigedasleng, in the American clude affective and strategic functions in TV series "The 100”. To accomplish this situational and conversational environ- objective, a sample of six episodes issued ments, where English and Trigedasleng from seasons 2 and 3 of the series, have are assigned a specific place. It has been analyzed using an observational also been observed, however, that the approach. The qualitative analysis has screenplay allowed the characters, bilin- 41 ENGLISH – TRIGEDASLENG CODE-SWITCHING IN THE CW SERIES “THE 100” gual or not, to use both languages indis- different reactions in the TV audience as tinctly to evidence the speakers’ linguis- has been determined by the developer tic resourcefulness as well as to provoke and screenwriters of the series. Resumen En el presente artículo se intenta revelan que las principales causas para establecer las razones o motivaciones esta alternancia incluyen funciones de los personajes para el cambio de có- afectivas y estratégicas en entornos si- digo lingüístico entre el inglés y el idio- tuacionales y conversacionales en los ma construido trigedasleng en la serie que el inglés y el trigedasleng toman estadounidense de televisión "The 100”. un lugar determinado. Se ha observado Para tal objetivo, una muestra de seis además, que en la interacción se permi- episodios extraídos de la segunda y ter- te a los personajes, bilingües o no, usar cera temporadas de la serie fue analiza- los dos idiomas de manera indistinta da usando la técnica de la observación. para evidenciar su recursividad lingüís- Para el análisis cualitativo, se ha tomado tica y también para provocar diferentes en cuenta las diversas situaciones, con- reacciones en la teleaudiencia que vie- textos y funciones por las cuales se usa ne determinada por el desarrollador y cada código lingüístico. Los resultados los guionistas de la serie. Introduction Code-switching bilinguals (Rivera & Mather, 2015). Never- Li (2000) defines code-switching theless, Grande (1988) had argued that as "changes from one language to an- a good command of either language is other in the course of conversation”. This not always required for it to happen. alternation may involve phrases, clauses, Once code-switching is pro- constituents, or merely words of one lan- duced, it becomes a linguistic phe- guage or another. It implies that the par- nomenon with the main characteristic ticipants need a certain degree of profi- of the participants’ ‘unawareness’ when ciency in the languages and are possibly it happens, because of a smooth tran- 42 REVISTA PUCE. ISSN: 2528-8156. NÚM. 111 3 NOVIEMBRE DE 2020 - 3 MAYO DE 2021, RODRIGO ERAZO J., PP. 39-54 sitioning without long pauses, hesita- Appel and Muysken (2006) argue that tions, or comments about it (Grande, code-switching serves the same six func- 1988). It has its origins in social factors, tions of language in general: referential, though. Kaan et al. (2020) mention a directive, expressive, phatic, metalinguis- "dynamically changing social situation” tic, and poetic. However, Choy (2011) es- for which speakers choose a different tablishes that only three of them are the code for a reason or motivation. They functions of code-switching: referential, "use their languages for different pur- expressive, and metalinguistic. poses, in different domains of life, and Despite these affirmations, the with different people. Different aspects most widespread distinction has been of life often require different languages” formulated by Gumperz’s (1982) semantic (Grosjean, 2010). model, proposing the existence of situa- Toribio (2002) asserts that the tional and conversational code-switching. study of code-switching can take two In a similar fashion, more recently, Holmes approaches: the syntactic and the soci- (2013) distinguishes two main reasons for olinguistic. The sociolinguistic perspec- code-switching: a change in a feature of tive revolves around the motivations, the domain or social situation and the as- and above all, around the functions of pect of the function or purpose of interac- the alternation of codes. On this note, tion as showed in Table 1. Table 1 Reasons for code-switching Change in a feature of the domain or social situation Aspect of the function or purpose of interaction Setting Add emphasis Participant features Add authority Addressee specification Express feelings (vs describing facts) Ethnic identity marker Express solidarity Express social distance Assert social status Topic Quoting someone Proverb Adapted from Holmes (2013) 43 ENGLISH – TRIGEDASLENG CODE-SWITCHING IN THE CW SERIES “THE 100” Although some of these reasons Na’vi from Avatar). This list is, however, are much easier to observe during an not extensive as smaller productions are interaction, it is worth noting that some- not included. A great amount of the data times code-switching may have more presented revolves around the linguistic than one motivation. A bilingual person features of these languages, especially at is, therefore, able to exploit all "the rhe- the phonological and morphosyntactic torical possibilities of their linguistic rep- levels, leaving the pragmatic dimension ertoires” (Holmes, 2013). This means that aside. Therefore, the sociolinguistic im- the ability to switch between languages plications of code-switching between during a conversation is a unique re- these constructed languages, and "natu- source evidencing a high linguistic com- ral” languages have not yet been studied. petence (Muysken et al., 1996). Trigedasleng in the CW series: The Constructed languages in 100 audiovisual productions English and Trigedasleng (a con- Adams (2011) highlights the na- structed language) are the languages ture of our everyday languages, in the used for code-switching in the American world, as a result of evolution from the TV series The 100. This show premiered in proto language. However, constructed 2014 and was on air on The CW network languages are the outcome of a per- until September 2020. son’s invention, for whom the languag- The 100 (The Hundred) is a sci- es available are not what they want for ence-fiction teen drama taking place in their need or purpose. Thus, in audio- a post-apocalyptic world after a nuclear visual products, the language creator’s disaster that had apparently made the purpose is to manipulate the form of Earth uninhabitable. The survivors of this language which "can be used for pro- apocalypse, having fled away from Earth moting or changing the social, cultural, ;and now, living in a space station for and political orders” (Romaine, 2011) de- nearly 100 years, send a group of a 100 veloped in fictional worlds or realities. teenagers back to Earth to explore and The Language Creation Society verify Earth’s suitability for life. Once on provides information on constructed the surface, this group finds that people languages included in the scripts of more (Grounders) had survived the end of the than 27 notable audiovisual productions world, and developed a new creole lan- since 1970 (e.g. Dothraki from Game of guage based on English: Trigedasleng Thrones; Klingon, Vulcan from Star Trek; (Rothenberg, 2014). 44 REVISTA PUCE. ISSN: 2528-8156. NÚM. 111 3 NOVIEMBRE DE 2020 - 3 MAYO DE 2021, RODRIGO ERAZO J., PP. 39-54 Trigedasleng is a constructed English is only spoken by warriors, in or- language, developed especially for the der to communicate with monolingual series by David J. Peterson. He was also enemies (Rothenberg & White, 2014). responsible for creating other fiction- With the arrival of people from space, al languages for TV shows (Peterson, the need of communication between 2020). During the show, the origin of the Grounders and Sky People arises, giving language is not declared until Season also place to code-switching situations. 7 - Episode 8 (Rothenberg & Fraiman, The interactions between the 2020); nevertheless, Peterson (2016) characters established in the screenplay, had previously stated that Trigedasleng containing utterances in alternatively would have started as a code or a secret English and Trigedasleng, are the object language, used by Grounders, to identi- of analysis in this work. The aim is to de- fy the in-group; and eventually, evolved termine the underlying reasons or mo- into a creole language when transmitted tivations behind such language use, as to new generations. cross-sectional element of the narrative Most starring Grounder char- of the audiovisual product. The diverse acters are fully bilingual in English and situations, contexts, and functions for Trigedasleng, as observed throughout which each linguistic code is used have the series; even though, in Season 2 - been taken into consideration to attain Episode 1, one of the characters claims this goal. Materials and Methods Data Season 2 A total of six episodes, from both ◊ Episode 03 – Reapercussions seasons 2 and 3 of the TV series on Net- ◊ Episode 09 – Remember Me flix, have been analyzed to obtain data ◊ Episode 10 – Survival of the Fit- to fulfill the goal of the present research.