Do you feel like you have to present differently to specific people? For instance, you do not cuss around your parents, teachers, or some friends? Are there topics you’re comfortable discussing with some people but not with others? Do you go to the extent of “changing your voice” when talking with people, whether it’s with words or changing the pitch of your own voice?
Congratulations! You’ve discovered the idea of code-switching. Maybe you don’t realize you code-switch daily. According to Webster’s Dictionary, code-switching is the practice of switching from one linguistic code (dialect, language, etc.) to another, depending on the social context or conversational setting. A basic example is the contrast between talking to a stranger and talking to a friend. It’s not a complex idea to code-switch. However, when does it become more than a practice? When does code-switching begin to feel like an identity?
As we can see in current news, race has been a foundation in many societal issues. If we only talk about American society, there are many topics that include the idea of race: police brutality, the Constitution, intersectionality, equal employment opportunities, education…the list goes on. Race also trickles into the concept of code-switching. In Eric Deggans’ article “Learning How to Code-Switch: Humbling, but Necessary,” he explains code-switching is not only changing language and dialect but “shifting between different cultures as you move through life’s conversations.” As people see themselves and others through race, they tend to adapt to converse properly with others, whether it’s by diminishing or amplifying their own culture. The idea of shifting between cultures is found in Angie Thomas’ novel The Hate U Give through the protagonist, Starr.
In the novel, Thomas introduces Starr as an African-American girl who lives in a predominately black community but goes to a predominately white academy. Thomas demonstrates Starr is comfortable with code-switching, having her own set of friends in her neighborhood and in her school (even a boyfriend!). The groups don’t interact with each other, and Starr shifts from one group to another. Based on the timeline of the author, this system has worked for years. All of that changes when Starr’s childhood friend Khalil is shot and killed by a police officer. Thomas uses this experience in this novel to destroy Starr’s two worlds and intertwine them. Starr realizes her identity isn’t found in her ability to shift between two worlds, but rather her identity is shown in both worlds. To see how Starr finds her identity, I recommend that you read the book! Also, watch the movie starring Amandla Stenberg, KJ Apa, Regina Hall, and Common.
Is code-switching good? Should we encourage others to adapt to different situations, even if it means changing the language they’ve known their whole life? This is a complicated question, and it has a complicated answer. Code-switching is a practical practice in our society, and there are benefits to being able to communicate with various people. However, it’s important that the people you converse with see you for who you really are, despite the different ways you present yourself.
“Life is too short to pretend. Choose real.”