English in non‐English‐language films

Abstract

Since introducing a second language into a film is costly and inconvenient, the filmmaker's motivation for such 'code-switching' must be compelling and presupposes that, within particular cultures, certain foreign languages have a significance in and of themselves that will be understood whether or not the particular words are understood. The English-language motif in five non-English-language films is examined in the context of the cultural background of each film and its overall thematic concerns. In each case, the use of English is shown to be integral to the film's meaning. Frequently the films use English to establish the same 'we-they' dichotomy that has been shown to be operative in much spontaneous code-switching discourse.