Saturday, May 4, 2019

Anthropological Perspectives of “Code Switching”



In April of this year an article came to my attention through a friend.  The article was addressing recently elected Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s use of language, specifically whether or not her use of Black English/Ebonics was appropriate as she is a Latina woman.  The author of this piece takes the stance that Ocasio-Cortez was simply code-switching, a term that is batted around quite a bit these days but very few people truly understand.  Therefore, this blog post will discuss what code-switching is from an anthropological perspective, and how and why it is a linguistic device used by people throughout the past and even today.

Code switching is defined as the use of various languages or linguistic elements (e.g. dialects, grammatical changes, etc.) within a sentence or conversation based on the specific contexts of that language interaction.  Simply put, speakers select specific words or language elements based on the situation they are speaking in or the people they are speaking with.  You may have witnessed code switching among multilingual speakers who will speak in one language but intersperse another language into the conversation.  Another scenario where code switching happens is when you carry on a specific way of speaking with one person but switch the way you speak when speaking with another.  An example of this was shared with me by a lecturer who spoke about how she speaks in a formal English with her colleagues but switched to Ebonics when one of her students interrupted the conversation she was having with her colleague. 

Code switching has been widely studied within the field of sociolinguistics (the study of language within its social contexts) for many decades.  Despite the wide spread study of code switching there is very little consensus on why individuals code switch, which is not necessarily a problem but demonstrates the wide variety of situations to which languages are spoken and communication is provided among people.  Some scholars note that code switching may be done because a word or phrase cannot be recalled in the primary language being spoken.  This may be the case in some situations as a family friend once shared a story with me about how she could not remember the word for “peanut butter” in German when speaking with her sister in German.  She had to switch the flow of her German speech to interject the English word, “peanut butter,” due to the lack of recall.  But this reason is not sufficient for all situations.

Another reason why people code switch is because of the contexts and roles present in the conversation.  Individuals may have specific expectations of level or type of speech based on who and/or where they are talking.  This is seen in the previous examples involving Ocasio-Cortez when speaking with Al Sharpton and the lecturer who was speaking with first her colleague and then her student.  Further evidence of this happens in business settings and among various other languages where various dialects exist.  For example, John J. Gumperz noted that within the Hindi language there are several dialects, including a standard, village, and regional dialect, and the context of the conversation (e.g. speaking with someone locally versus someone outside of the local context) dictates which Hindi dialect is most appropriate.

A third and final reason for why people code switch is actually far less common, but it is one worth mentioning since it is present in the literature.  According to Jeff Siegal in his work on the island of Fiji people code switch to add humor to the conversation or statements made.  He noted that Fijians will switch between languages spoken specifically to infuse humor into their interactions.

In conclusion, this blog post has covered some of the anthropological perspectives of what code switching is and the reasons for its existence.  This piece is by no means a comprehensive review of the anthropological literature on the topic.  Individuals interested in learning more about the anthropological perspectives of code switching are encouraged to read Chad Nilep’s article, which is referenced in the bibliography below.

Bibliography


Comas, Paola, et al. Code Switching. n.d. https://languageinanthropology.wordpress.com/code-switching/. 22 April 2019.
Ferguson, Jenanne K. Code-switching and Multilingualism. 22 February 2018. http://www.oxfordbibliographies.com/view/document/obo-9780199766567/obo-9780199766567-0182.xml. 22 April 2019.


Nilep, Chad. "“Code switching” in sociocultural linguistics." Colorado Research in Linguistics 19.1 (2006): 1.



9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Code switching could be looked at two different ways. One changing you language or speaking around your professor and friends. I code switch because my daily routine talking is not professional or in an educational way. Some people actually code switch when they are around certain groups because they want to fit in. I believe code switching is good for people who are in a certain setting that may or may not need professional speaking.
- Crystal Riley

Anonymous said...

This is my first time hearing about code switching. However, I myslef code switch. The way i talk around my friends is way different from how i talk around my parents, professors and other staff members around campus. The way i talk isn't really professional. But im good at switching it up depending on my surroundings.
-Kyla Thomas

Unknown said...

I feel myself code switching all the time. there is always a way to speak when you are in a formal or informal settings. i think everyone does it depending on who they are speaking to.
-Lavonza Marshall

Anonymous said...

Hi,
I definitely code switch at times. If anyone says that they have never code switched, I would remind him/her of conversations that might have happened with babies and toddlers. :)
Joell Davis

Jesse L said...

I’m going to have to strongly disagree with some the examples more so and the explanation of what code switching is here. While it is a change of dialect amongst one group or person in a setting to the next I wouldn’t equate it with not being able to recall the word for peanut butter in German when speaking German. Code switching would be more like the teacher and student example. It’s like the way (I.e.) I as a man from the Bronx of New York would speak to a fellow Bronx woman or man in the work place versus how I would speak to someone who is from the suburbs of New York. It is/can be a racial thing as well my non-black counter parts aren’t going to totally understand if I spoke in AAVE/Ebonics the way I speak to my fellow AAs.
The code being switched can also elude to “professionalism” and the tone you use when calling say a doctors office or customer service versus your best friend or mother. You just don’t talk to everyone the same.
It’s really just an understanding of slang in my opinion. And having that i guess that field of anthropology that covers language -type knowledge of peoples dialogue /language. -Jesse Logan

Dr. Christine Elisabeth Boston said...

Jesse, I appreciate you sharing your thoughts on this topic, but keep in mind that what you understand the definition of code switching to be is limited to one aspect of it. It goes beyond switching from professional to informal speech but also includes the other examples I provided herein. I, myself, was surprised by this when I did my research on the topic, but again, I allowed the professionals and colleagues in the field to inform me of the full breadth of what this area of linguistics covers. This is no different than how in psychology there can be specific areas of study, such as counseling, but different means, approaches, and ideas about what counseling can and should look like.

Anonymous said...


If I got this right code switching is when you use one mannerism of speach with say your family and a totally different speech mannerisms when speaking to say your office mates. I think most everyone does this

Elaine christopher

Anonymous said...

I did not know this term but I do understand the idea of it and have had examples in my life, I have family members that will talk this way as a formal vs informal speech and spanish vs english accent and language.
Qwynn Marquez

Amou Riing said...

This post's concise explanation of code-switching makes it easy for readers to comprehend, even if they are not familiar with the topic. This clarity is crucial for drawing in a wide range of listeners and setting the stage for more conversation. It creates a framework for discussion and investigation by defining code-switching as the employment of various languages or linguistic aspects depending on the situation. This allows us to reflect on the subtleties of language use and how it relates to the social environment.