Code Switching in Life

I remember a time when I was in the hair salon with my mother, sitting in those grayish tan, cold metal chairs waiting my turn to sit in the bigger, more comfortable chair to get my hair done. A friend of my mothers who I knew through affiliation  was usually there around the same time we were, but always before us, was getting her hair braided with small, gold pieces of hair jewelry at the ends of every braid. “Aw, she's just so proper! Look at how cute she is.” “Thank you!” I said. “Listen, she talks so white!” I hated this. I hated this meaningless banter that had a lot more meaning to me than it did to her. What does speaking white even mean? In the moment i wanted to just walk out of the salon into the warmth of the summer day, since the salon was in a basement and was very cold, especially while sitting on those metal chairs. I felt so different when she said that i “speak white” because it just wasn't me at all. I have never been white, so i didn't know how it felt or how speaking white was any different from speaking black. I always felt that i spoke differently from the other kids in my school and neighborhood and i felt it even more when people pointed it out. Her statement made me feel out of place, like in this room of black females, it was as though I was not one. Even in school, i didn't exactly feel like i belonged there but being in a hair salon with my mother, sitting on those grayish tan, cold metal chairs somehow made me feel at home with my gender and race because everyone here was like me. But in that moment, i wasn't anymore.

In certain situations, people code switch so that they can relate better with the people they are talking to. This also depends on the area they are in. Matt Thompson brings up the important point in,”Five Reasons Why People Code-Switch,” he writes “We want to fit in: Very often, people code-switch — both consciously and unconsciously — to act or talk more like those around them. While this can be effective, it can also be perilous...” . This quote relates to my theme by giving a reason as to why people code switch. In my scene,  I consciously know now that my behavior then was different from how I would act around my friends or in a school setting. The word perilous in this quote helps me see how code switching could be dangerous in real life situations as well as helpful.

In middle school, i felt that i was different from the other kids in my class. This feeling did not start or go away in one grade year, it was continuous through my entire middle school experience and i still feel it today. The kids in my class would talk and laugh and the way they communicated, i just did not understand. I couldn't read them and i felt illiterate in a sense, even though majority of my school was black and we were all the same age. I got the same emotion when i crossed a big word in a new book that i didn't know. When i was with my family, I knew what to say, how to speak, and how to act. It was just natural. This relates to my code switching theme by me changing how i talk and the specific things i said depending on what group i was with.

In this quote, there is a great example of how code switching is used in a way, specifically in a workplace. Most people can relate with this given you don't talk to your friends in the same tone or use the same words as when you speak with your boss. “Your mom or your friend or your partner calls on the phone and you answer. And without thinking, you start talking to them in an entirely different voice — still distinctly your voice, but a certain kind of your voice less suited for the office…” the writer proceeds to give examples of different accents that come forward when talking to family such as Southern drawl, New York accents, etc.  “When you're attuned to the phenomenon of code-switching, you start to see it everywhere, and you begin to see the way race, ethnicity and culture plays out all over the place.” This entirely relates back to code switching by showing how it is used and even talks about how you see the difference between race, ethnicity, and culture.

Thompson, Matt, Mr. "Five Reasons Why People Code-Switch." NPR. NPR, 13 Apr. 2013. Web. 03 Nov. 2016.