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Arizona's first Chicana representative has been sworn in. She's going to code-switch.
(www.usatoday.com)
this post was submitted on 12 Nov 2025
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Why even specify that it's only familiar to people in the US?
This literally happens to all the bilingual/multilingual people, especially with other similarly bilingual/multilingual (as in, speaking the same languages) people.
For example, I'm Hungarian, I live in the UK, and with other Hungarians, we almost always speak a sort of Hunglish, because some terms simply come to us better in English, or don't have a direct, frequently used translation.
But I've seen the exact same thing happen in border towns all across Europe - most people in those areas will speak the languages of both countries of the border, as thanks to the EU and Schengen, the border is administrative at most, and the people of the town often come and go, requiring both languages, and depending on proficiency, there's lots of switching going on.
Because it’s USA Today
I think it is because code switching goes beyond just the words someone uses, and more into how the words are used, and the cultural expectations that come along with the way those words are said.
A lot of those cultural expectations are very American in flavor.
maybe you also experience the same, I am not sure, but I do think it is deeper than just language.
Because the upthread commenter's definition is bad. It's more of a social class/racial discrimination thing, with the stereotypical example being about how black people speak differently in a social context among themselves than they do in a professional context with their white boss. (Note that I'm not endorsing the racist implications; I'm explaining what the code-switching is in response to.) I'm not talking about other languages, either; I'm talking about differences in things like word choice and level of grammatical formality that could, at most, be seen as a different dialect of English.
Being just straight-up bilingual and using different languages in different contexts could maybe be code-switching if there's an element of social hierarchy involved, but in general is not that.
But that's something everyone does.
The way we talk with our colleagues isn't the same as the way we talk with our parents.
Are you doing it as a defense mechanism against discrimination and prejudice? Because that's what code-switching is about.
I don't know why you're being down voted. That's where the term comes from.
You mostly see it in the US where minorities speak more "white" in order to get/hold jobs and be treated with respect. Body language will change as well. It's so much more than having a professional face at work and relaxed at home.