Home
Listening
Listen to an Academic Talk Test #010
Listen to an Academic Talk
1. What is the main topic of the talk?
A) The difficulty of learning a second language
B) The history of bilingual education
C) The practice of mixing languages in conversation
D) How to translate ideas between cultures
2. What was a past misconception about code-switching?
A) That only highly educated people did it
B) That it was a sign of insufficient language skill
C) That it could help people learn languages faster
D) That it only occurred in formal situations
3. What does the speaker imply about a person who code-switches?
A) They are likely trying to hide their meaning from others.
B) They are probably a proficient and skilled language user.
C) They may struggle to communicate complex ideas.
D) They probably learned both languages as an adult.
4. Why does the speaker include the sentence "pero primero, I want a coffee"?
A) To correct a common grammatical error
B) To show how languages borrow words from each other
C) To demonstrate a concept being discussed
D) To translate a difficult English phrase
Professor: I want to talk about a linguistic phenomenon many of you probably do without thinking about it: code-switching.
This is the practice of alternating between two or more languages, or even dialects, within a single conversation.
For example, a bilingual speaker talking to a friend might say, 'I need to finish my homework, pero primero, I want a coffee.'
For a long time, people mistakenly thought code-switching was a sign of confusion or that the speaker didn't know either language well.
However, linguistic research has shown this is false.
Code-switching is actually a systematic, rule-governed behavior.
It requires a high degree of linguistic competence.
People code-switch for many reasons: to express an idea that has a better word in another language, to show solidarity with a particular group, or simply to fit the social context of the conversation.
It's a tool for skillful communication.
This is the practice of alternating between two or more languages, or even dialects, within a single conversation.
For example, a bilingual speaker talking to a friend might say, 'I need to finish my homework, pero primero, I want a coffee.'
For a long time, people mistakenly thought code-switching was a sign of confusion or that the speaker didn't know either language well.
However, linguistic research has shown this is false.
Code-switching is actually a systematic, rule-governed behavior.
It requires a high degree of linguistic competence.
People code-switch for many reasons: to express an idea that has a better word in another language, to show solidarity with a particular group, or simply to fit the social context of the conversation.
It's a tool for skillful communication.
Highlights
| ID: | #io6352925212 |
Tags
New TOEFL