Advantages Of Code Switching

Language is a beautiful tool that can be used to unify or divide. Language brings people together but it can also tear them apart. In “Mute in an English Only World”, Chang-Rae Lee writes about how his mother was impaired from doing simple tasks such as going to the store alone because she could not speak English. Second, in “Lingua Franchise”, by Charles Foran, he shows how English is unifying people across the globe.

The need to learn code-switching can arise from a variety of situations where people are required to become bilingual. There are several reasons to become bilingual. One of those is living in a bilingual community. In her article “From outside in”, Barbara Mellix

In the examining and writing my analysis of the article Mother Tongue by Amy Tan, I hope to appeal to an audience that wishes to expand their knowledge of the cultural use of various languages and their social impacts. In this case, the language would be English and the culture would be that of Asian-Americans. I would think that this work, and the analysis of, would primarily be of interest to those in academic or research fields of sociology and language. I would hope the reader of my analysis would be interested in gaining insight into how using a “broken” English system heavily influences one’s communication and feeling towards those outside of your culture. The analysis would benefit the reader by

Every morning, a 71 year-old male stranger accompanies me on my way to school. I only know of his name, but I enjoy his company and chuckle as he comments on my generation’s use of language. Yet once NPR’s linguistic segment of Fresh Air ends, Geoff Nunberg’s witty remarks fade into the abyss. In the quietness of the car, I am left to revel in my own passion for languages: a transformative journey through Spanish and Chinese.

Code Meshing is the process of speaking both formal and informal at the same time; where as code switching is the process of switching from speaking formal to informal, or informal to formal in order to fit in. I choose not to use either of those methods. I used to use code switching most of my life up until I went to high school. My parents taught me to code switch to show respect to my elders. You should not speak to elders the same way you would speak to your friends. I went to a Afrocentric school Sankofa Freedom Academy Charter School There we was taught to embrace our history and use Ebonics in our everyday language.

The southern united states also known as the American south, Dixie, or simply the south a place know for its culture, history and developing its own customs, musical styles and food. Home to two amazing writers, scholars, feminist, activist bell hooks and Gloria Anzaldua. Everyone has something that defines who he or she is by the exclusive things they do. Fashion, culture, life experiences, as well as language all contribute in creating one’s identity. Without the freedom to express your self there is no soul. The inability to speak freely is a form of suppression and without that freedom there cannot be a true reflection of a persons identity and self-concept. “How To Tame a Wild Tongue,” and “keeping close to home: class and education,” give us a glimpse of what its like to not conform and stay true to ones belief’s.

In more modern times the interaction of English speakers with other languages, through first colonialism, and later the emergence of English as a global language has enriched the vocabulary (‘pyjama’) and led to the evolution of different versions of English around the world, for example the hybrid ‘Singlish’ that has emerged in Singapore.

However, it may come as a surprise that English would be the one to dominate, given that Mandarin Chinese is spoken by the largest population in the world. It is very unlikely for Mandarin to replace English because English is the already the official language in commerce around the world and it is also the language in which organizations such as Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) communicate (Martinez, 2014). A reason that McWhorter provided to why Mandarin Chinese will not be used as a global language, is because it is very difficult to master the language if not introduced to it at a young age. Furthermore, English is much more user friendly and functional

Devereaux explained in his article that code-switching offers a perfect way to discuss language ideologies. By exploring languages shift, we can see that the place differs, the people differ , and the purpose changes either in the community or at a job. The author argued that these aspects such as place, people, and purpose, all affect the speaker or author choices. The author showed a great example about code switching and how your language differs from one person to the other. For example, you may decide that you want to tell your best friend and your teacher about your weekend.

When reading the article I came to realize that code switching is an essential part in the way I socialize with everyone. For instance, I might use a different type of dialect with my 18 year old friends who has a heavy influenced urban dialect than I would with my 46 year old AT&T supervisor from Bridgewater NJ. I also use a different dialect when talking with my brother vs. when I talk to my sister, and when it comes to my fellow peer vs. my teacher. Code switching is important when it comes to communication whether it’s through an email, text, phone call or in person. By being able to embrace code switching, success/acceptance at a job, in a posse or with your family is easily achievable. I again found this article to be relatable because

Working hard amounts to nothing when students cannot understand the subject due to language barriers. Therefore, teachers need to be flexible in their teaching methods to help students understand Standard English. Educators can be flexible by accepting the use of social language by the students in order to help them transition to Standard English. As Hill indicates it is vital “to recognize that everyone speaks a deviation from Standard English” and thus teachers need to “acknowledge [students] voices in their writings” (121). By accepting the student’s use of social language students will better understand context and be encouraged to express their ideas and feelings without limitations. Students will also be able to learn the basic skills of code-switching because they are using their social language to start with. White and Ali-Khan indicate that accepting the students social language “[encourages] students to see the adoption of academic discourses as a component of code-switching rather than as a rejection of other forms of communication” (35). Students will hesitate to learn if they perceive

This proposal abides by, Rusty Barrett’s notion “be yourself somewhere else”, whereby linguistic prejudices and various contexts do not deprive people of their words and languages. Code-meshing is an inclusive means of communication as it does not force minorities to conform to the understood standard English norm. Conversely, it encourages minorities to utilize their undervalued dialects to communicate, whether it be alternation or combination of other languages. We believe that depriving people of their dialects is an intellectual feat, a tragedy proposed by Toni Morrison. There was a time when the voices of African Americans were altogether absent or discredited in American literature. We are one of the most culturally diverse societies in the world and intend to incorporate the voices of all to ensure that this form is injustice is prevented. The National Code-Meshing Policy intends to broaden communication among Canadians. It will, in time, create a more forward-thinking society with members of varying field of experiences that will benefit from a free flow of diverse

Code meshing is using colloquial terms, or if you want to call it slang in your grammar. We use it a lot in current times, while we text or talk to our friends and relatives. Code meshing can also be combining, proper words and slang terms and having conversations with other’s. Code switching is a change of mind with your words, you aren’t going to say the things you said to your friends to your mother. Code switching played a huge part in my life at an early age.

Code Switching: Student’s use two languages, their native language and English, in the same utterance or in the same stretch of conversation. The most common way young children use code switching is by beginning a sentence in one language and then switching to end the sentence in another language.

Code switching is the practice of adjusting a language in varying circumstances and atmospheres. The ability to embrace code switching, success and acceptance at a job site, with your family, friends and strangers is achievable. The ability to successfully code switch also helps form a bond between a speaker and listener. My corporate experience, education and family/friends have influenced the way I speak and write. Gene Demby, the writer of “How Code-Switching Explains The World” addresses how codes switching can be utilized in different situations.