You may have been code-switching without knowing it

Code-switching is common

At some point in our lives, we all may have engaged in code-switching, which is the practice of alternating between two or more languages or varieties of language in conversation.

This article is not referring to changing from one language to another as in from English to Spanish. This is about people shifting the manner in which they speak depending on where they are or who they are talking to.

While taking a morning walk, I encountered a woman who was talking with a male neighbor. Her conversation was filled with expletives and what some may call urban dialect. When she saw me approaching, and I spoke, her tone softened, and there was no cursing until I walked away.

The woman obviously felt the need to watch her wording with me, as I never heard her utter an expletive during the past year. She felt free to be herself with her neighbor, and that is her right.

Turning it on and off

I recall a man who always appeared mild-mannered. One day, he was playing cards with some old friends, and it was as if a light switch had been turned on. He became loud and obnoxious in a manner I had not previously seen.

He got up from his chair and was in his friends' faces. He was cursing and sounded like he had spent his life in the streets. The next day, he was back to normal, and it was as if he were two different people.

Perhaps you know someone who talks a specific way at church or on the job, but back in their neighborhood, their language shifts. Maybe you speak differently around your parents than you do when you are with your peers.

It was common in bygone eras for church folk to clean up their speech when talking to the deacon or the pastor. They use church phrases and quote scripture.

Perhaps you don't realize you are code-switching

My oldest son once told me that my mother and I used code-switching and sounded "proper" on telephone conversations. He actually said that when we were on the phone, we sounded "White."

We both worked with the public in our jobs. It was a habit to change to our professional mode when on the telephone, even though we did not realize we were doing so. I do not consider using proper English as speaking "White" because this implies a negative connotation about what some call Black dialect.

I've also had people talking to me to become animated and louder when certain other individuals came by, as if they needed to impress them. Once in Junior High school, three girls told me they liked me and not my cousin, who they said thought she was Mrs Big Stuff.

A few moments later, this cousin walked into the home economics room, and the three girls did a code switch. Their eyes lit up, and one said, "Hey girl, come and sit with us."

Sometimes people are just fake

My cousin had a cassette player, and another of the girls asked her to turn on the music. The third one said, "Cheryl you go stand at the door and watch for the teacher".

How quickly their attitudes and voices changed. They went from saying they preferred me to gushing over her and sending me to be a lookout for the teacher. In this situation, I considered these girls to be fake, but code-switching can still apply.

Someone reading may recall that a family member or friend may have spoken harshly to them, but when another person came along they were all sugar and spice. Now you have a name for it. Code-Switching.