Code-Switching: How We Perform Everyday Without Realizing It
Code-Switching: How We Perform Everyday Without Realizing It
Ever feel like you’re trying on a million different versions of yourself?
Figuring out who you are and where you fit in the world can be an overwhelming and frustrating process. Culture, race and language all help shape our identity and how we view the world. Our individual identity and how we understand language and culture guides the subtle ways we communicate and interact with each other. Code switching is what happens when we switch between languages or speech styles depending on our audience and context of the situation. We might “code switch” by adapting our communication style to better fit in a social environment.
Although the act of changing how we speak or act may seem simple, code-switching is deeply rooted in cultural and racial belonging. For many biracial and multicultural individuals, code-switching can feel like putting on a mask everyday. The constant shifting can start to feel less like a choice of identity expression and more like an ongoing test of acceptance. Over time, we may start to feel like the true version of ourselves does not belong anywhere, and the pressure can overtake the joy of sharing language and culture as part of our identity.
Why Do We Do This?
Code-switching is a completely human response that usually develops as a practical solution to social problems. For some of us, code-switching may function as a form of people-pleasing or even social survival. We may learn to adjust our language with certain social groups, and this can become an unconscious act over time. Code-switching can be about avoiding rejection and self protection, but can also be about exploring our identity. The process of forming relationships in social and professional settings is ongoing, and how we communicate may be the key to finding where we belong. Code-switching can play a positive role in developing strong group cohesion and communication styles, but can also highlight our differences. It is important that we do not shy away from being our truest selves to fit in with others’ assumptions or stereotypes.
Everyday Code-Switching We Do Without Noticing:
Using professional language at work.
We sign our emails with “regards”, but we wave “see ya” to our friends.
Cultural differences with family.
You might talk louder when in a larger group, or are more conscious of how you dress around older relatives.
Regional slang and pop culture.
Emojis and text abbreviations, like LOL or TTYL, are used almost everyday.
Avoiding stereotypes and social rejection.
You might feel pressure to speak a language other than your primary language because it is more socially accepted.
So, Can Code-Switching Be A Good Thing?
Code-switching isn’t always a negative thing. In many ways, it can be a valuable and adaptive skill! Learning how to communicate and increase awareness in diverse spaces is a talent you can take to work, family reunions and all types of social gatherings. While it can come at a cost, code-switching is a skill that can be immensely useful when we know how to use it, and can foster connection in so many situations. We must make sure that the choice to code-switch is yours. This is what protects our mental health and self-esteem from the outside pressure to perform, and allows us just to be.
We always want to live our lives as our most authentic selves.
Constantly performing for others can feel exhausting, like we’re burning our candle at both ends just to make social interactions smoother. Social pressures can make it more difficult for individuals that feel constantly “in the middle”, and this makes versatility feel less like a skill and more like a survival tactic. It is important that we use tools like code-switching to find the place where the language we use, how we act and present ourselves coexist and truly reflect our identity. Exploring what feels true and authentic is an ongoing process, and language can always be used as a guide to creating a more grounded sense of self.