Contextualization Cues
As previously mentioned, contextualization cues are a crucial in that they are the clues that allow observers to better understand the interaction being presented. Some contextualization cues include: intonation, accents, body language, type of language, and facial expressions (Anderson and Risør 2014). Intonation refers to the rise and fall of speech. By observing this, excitement, anger, interest, or other emotions can be determined. Accents indicate a person's place of origin, so in a conversation this can give clues to not only where a person is from but also the values or cultural beliefs. Furthermore, when body language and facial expressions are combined, more clues about the relationship of the speaker, their feelings towards the topic or other participant, or emotions become evident (Ducharme and Bernard 2001). Finally, whether a person uses formal or informal language, allows the relationship between the two speakers to be clear. Most likely, when an interaction between two people who are peers and/or familiar with one another will utilize the informal form of language. The reverse is true for people unfamiliar with each other or those in an unequal power dynamic (Masuda 2016).Impact of Contextualization
Contextualization has the overarching benefit of granting people the ability to understand. Zana Mahmood Hassan details the usefulness of contextualization in his paper, "Language Contextualization and Culture." Contextualization in sociolinguistics can allow those learning a language to begin to understand the culture by the cues found in the nuances of the language (Hassan 2014). Generalized, Hassan's findings reveal that language andExamples of Contextualization in Use
Example One: John Gumperz
Example Two: Kyoko Masuda
Kyoko Masuda provides another example from a study of conversations between female professors and students in Japan. She found that while students consistently used formal forms of Japanese when talking to professors, professors would often switch between the formal and informal forms depending on the topic of conversation (Masuda 2016). In this example, a student and professor are discussing the cultural difference in education between America and Japan: :Student A: Because in Japan, they absolutely can't do that, we (teachers) must teach them, don't we? :Professor A: I (definitely) think so, you know. :Student A: What else? (American students) do things like eating food and putting their feet on the desk. I don't understand well whether that sort of thing is part of their culture. :Professor A: After all, do you mind (their behavior)? :Student A: I do mind. (Masuda 2016) In this interaction, the cues received by the student's style of speaking suggests that they are speaking to an authority figure, because they are deferring through the use of questions. Furthermore, you can see the formality in their language throughout the brief interaction. The student speaks in elongated sentences, saying things such as "I don't understand well" rather than just the informal "I don't get it." In examining the professor's use of language, they switch between the informal form ("I (definitely) think so, you know.") and the formal form ("After all, do you mind (their behavior)?"). This suggests that the professor used cues to learn that the student would prefer to remain in the formal form, and molded their language style to fit that. The reverse is seen within the next example: :Student B: When students (in Section A) know the answer, they immediately respond. :Professor B: Yeah, because they have confidence after all, don't they? :Student B: Yeah. Students in Section B are really slow, you know. (Masuda 2016) After listening to the professor speak and seeing the professor utilize the informal form, the student shifted their style of speaking. Student B began by using the formal form, but ended with the informal form after examining the cues presented.References
* * Bernstein, B. (1990). ''Class, codes and control.'' Vol. IV. ''The structuring of pedagogic discourse.'' London: Routledge. * Eerdmans, S., Prevignano, C., & Thibault, P. (2002). ''Language and interaction. Discussions with J. J. Gumperz.'' Amsterdam: Benjamins. * Gumperz, J. J. (1982a). ''Discourse strategies''. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. * Gumperz, J. J. (Ed.). (1982b). ''Language and social identity.'' Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. * Ishida, H. (2006). Learners' perception and interpretation of contextualization cues in spontaneous Japanese conversation: Back-channel cue ''Uun.'' ''Journal of Pragmatics,'' 38(11), 1943-1981. * Masuda, K. (2016). Style-shifting in student-professor interactions. ''Journal of Pragmatics,'' 101, 101-117. {{doi, 10.1016/j.pragma.2016.05.012 *Ducharme, D. and Bernard, R. (2001). Communication breakdowns: an exploration of contextualization in native and non-native speakers of French. ''Journal of Pragmatics,'' 33(6) - 825-847. *Hassan, Z. M. (2014). Language Contextualization and Culture. ''Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences,'' 136, 31-35. Sociolinguistics Discourse analysis