Although I was born in Singapore and have lived here since, my parents are originally English with my Dad being half Norwegian too. As a result, my mother tongue is English which is what I use in almost all social interactions. I am able to comprehend some Norwegian however I am not fully conversant in it (in the same way I’m learning Spanish in school) therefore I consider myself to be predominantly monolingual. This being said, the way I express myself to others using language varies to different degrees situationally.
In terms of my idiolect, I feel as though it remains relatively constant as it’s a more core part of my linguistic identity. For example, my voice is slightly louder and faster than average, and the fillers and connectors I use almost feel inevitable. In this sense, I believe my idiolect is a quite concrete expression of myself with only minor adjustments that are contingent on the person I’m talking to.
On the other hand, the sociolect that I use feels a lot more subject to the people I’m talking with. Even beyond the unique phrases and terms my friends and I use, I share a similar sociolect to the vast majority of Generation Z. A lot of the shared slang (for instance using ‘beef’ as a verb to be in an argument with someone) owes itself to text culture and social media. Even just through scrolling on TikTok, I catch myself picking up on ways of speaking and transferring this to conversations with friends. However, there is still a distinct line between the sociolects I use in different groups, for example using gymnastics jargon with my fellow teammates.
Finally, my tone and sentence structures often change based on my audience and purpose. When talking with a teacher or someone in authority my register is more formal than it would be with my sister or close friends. Therefore, this more subtle form of code switching demonstrates how my use of language reflects not only myself, but each unique relationship I have with different individuals, how I perceive them, and how I want them to perceive me.