Argumentative Essay On Code Switching

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Conversational Use of Code-Switching
Introduction
Most of us adjust the way we speak for the person or people we’re speaking to. This can be as subtle as speaking slowly for a child, or as obvious as switching to another language entirely. Depending on our situation or surroundings, we may change the way we express ourselves. The term for this is code-switching. Code switching is the practice of shifting between different languages or different ways of speaking or expressing yourself in a conversation with someone. Code-switching occurs when we begin “hop-scotching” between different cultural and linguistic spaces, moving between different parts of our own identities. It usually occurs within a single interaction. Once you become aware of …show more content…

One example of this is detailed in Lonnae O’Neal’s Washington Post Article, “Why I Sometimes Sound Blacker than at Other Times.” O’Neal, a black woman, describes code-switching as “showing up linguistically different in different places with different people.” Many African Americans, like O’Neal, struggle with trying to fit in in both black and white communities. In her case, she responded to her social situations depending on the racial ethnicities of those around her, and she learned to “do as the Romans do,” (O’Neal). These social factors that influenced O’Neal to code-switch demonstrate preconceived notions and stereotypes may play a role in a speaker’s choice to switch languages, or …show more content…

Studying code-switching can give us insights on how mixing languages are interrelated and under what conditions they converge or diverge. Although there may be some implications to code-switching or drawbacks because of the stereotypes it may perpetuate, code-switching does allow us to communicate our thoughts, emotions, and opinions to others. It doesn’t always need to occur between two people who speak different languages, as described in the case of O’Neal and Androutsopoulos, it can be used as an attempt to bridge cultural gaps, or express one’s feelings in a way you think others might best

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