Yes, I grew up in Tennessee, a situation which I always despised. I felt that I had to fit a certain stereotype just based on where I was from. In school, I made a point not to say things like "y'all" or "fur" instead of "for", basically, I tried to be as anti-southern as I could. This was also intensified by the fact that we had a summer house in Boca Raton, FL, where most of the people are from New York or New Jersey. My accent, compared with theirs, stood out a great deal. At a young age, I began to mimic certain words that they said in an effort to yet again distance myself from my southern heritage.
Fast forward a few years to the present: During my first few days at American, people began pointing out certain words that I said or pronounced differently, including: "y'all", "crayon", and "tour" just to name a few. So I began code switching again, attempting to hide where I was from.
Now, I have accepted the fact that I am in the definite minority here by being from the south. While I do not say words such as "ain't", I have acknowledged the fact that I have a southern accent which I cannot hide. I will most likely attempt to code switch for the rest of my life, but for the time being, I allow a few "y'alls" to slip here and there and know that language distinguishes where we are from, something which none of us can hide, no matter how hard we try.
Kelsey, your situation is a very obvious case of "code switching", one that I find fascinating since I have never been in such a situation. My experiences with "code switching" are much more subtle, and can be found in the different ways I speak and interact with different groups/types of people.
ReplyDeleteI find it intriguing that when we do code switch, we do so to please or fit in with a person/group, even though we live in a society that prides individualism and unconformity. Kelsey, it appears that you used code switching to distance yourself from your southern roots, which often bring negative stereotypes to people in the northern states. I believe I use code switching when talking to different demographics of people. As bad as this may sound, I definitely talk to black people differently than I do with white and Asian people. I talk to men and women differently. I do not think this reflects badly on my character, but I believe this code switching is something we all do to mantain our image/reputation, which is one of everyone's top goals, whether we admit it or not.
Kelsey, you and I have similar states of mind on the code switching front. I, however, do not have as distinguished an accent as yours. I instead code switch to hide the fact that I am from Staten Island, NY. There is a certain reputation that Staten Islander kids have and I try my hardest not be associated with those stereotypes, which is true for the majority of Staten Island. When my friends at school hear my accent they love it because it is funny to them, so that makes my slip ups even less frequent. Yet the funny thing that I find when I am code switching is that I take on other accents. So Thomas to your point, I defintely code switch depending on the group of people I am with. At school I have more of a southern accent and say ya'll and then I also catch myself using different vocabulary.
ReplyDeleteBut I would have to agree and say that code switching isn't a negative thing, it is instead almost flattering because people just want to assimilate and be the same as everyone else. Or at times it is respectful because you would not talk to your parents or boss the way you do your friends. And code switching can also be a signal of a new relationship, for instance when you stop calling you friends parents, Mr and Mrs. Gorman and just call them Dan and Theresa. code switching in my view creates a universalism so that everyone can create relationships with each other and look at each other as equals.