10.10.20// Code Switching & The Destruction of Ebonics.

Editor’s Note:

We have chosen this week’s spotlight because it touches on the important, yet little understood, topic of code switching and ebonics. Brianna, from her position of experience, explains the dangers of stripping individuals of their identity by forcing them to code-switch and conform to an ‘acceptable’ form of expression. Through Brianna’s exploration of the pros and cons of code-switching, she imparts a greater understanding of AAVE, a significant feature of African-American culture.

By Brianna Désir
10 October 2020

Anyone of colour remember being called an ‘Oreo’ growing up (which basically meant you acted or spoke white)? But what does it mean to speak ‘white’?

I guess it meant that I was pretty good at code-switching. Code-switching is a very important topic in the black community because it’s something we do regularly. We have our own way of speaking, which causes arguments on the legitimacy of the language and questions on where it can be used. Full disclosure, AAVE (African American Vernacular English) is a language and, despite the plentiful arguments that it is not, pretending that something doesn’t exist will not take away from the legitimacy of it. AAVE is often stigmatised because it is not seen as an official language and to many, since it’s such a broken-down version of English, it sounds ‘uneducated’. Words like ‘finna’, ‘gon’, ‘yo’, etc. are commonly used across the US by people of every race, creed, and kind. While it has been in the black community forever, it has grown increasingly popular in today’s culture.

Here is where code-switching comes in. To many people, AAVE is a quirky dialect to use, but not really a part of their day-to-day. However, to kids in many black communities across the US, this is our way of speaking. Since it isn’t defined as a language, we’re taught to not use it. While there are teachers who allow students to speak in AAVE and accept work with the dialect in it, many will immediately shut down young scholars and insist that they speak English. In other words, people are ‘strongly encouraged’ to switch the linguistic code to fit specific social settings.

While code-switching is common, let’s speak about the adverse effects of doing this. Teaching code-switching subconsciously demonstrates that you need to switch who you are to accommodate others. The whole point of code switching is to accommodate the group that you are with, which to individuals of ethnic backgrounds can feel suppressive . Earlier I mentioned how kids are taught to not use AAVE in school. While it makes sense to not use it grammatically, why is a student not allowed to speak in AAVE in the classroom if everyone understands what they mean? By constantly pushing someone to not use their language or dialect of origin, it’s stripping them of their identities because they are being forced to conform.

On the contrary, code-switching isn’t necessarily a bad thing because it helps us to acclimatise to our environments. In a sense, it is like the verbal version of writing a paper; your teacher wouldn’t want you to speak colloquially or in the first person for a thesis, so why should you in structured environments, like schools? An odd benefit I get from code-switching is that it gives me the ability to step out of the ‘ghetto black girl’ stereotype. Seeing that my hair is typically in an Afro, and I embrace my heritage and roots, people will often put me in whatever stereotypical box they can. However, once I speak, these hidden concerns are normally put to rest. While I am not a fan of code-switching, it is something that can be quite beneficial in environments of structure, especially for people of colour.

Code-Switching is extremely common in the workplace. When I used to work at a museum, I would never use AAVE or AAVE conjunctions in my speech. As a black woman, I wanted to avoid giving them a reason to label me. Therefore, I wouldn’t use ANY word that was related to AAVE. However, as soon as I clocked out and met up with friends, all ‘English’ went out the window. I never saw an issue with this until I code switched back in front of my friends. You see, proper speech and grammar is something they laugh at in our communities because we all grew up speaking AAVE. It’s called the ‘business voice’, ‘white voice’, or ‘*insert un-ethnic name here* voice’. Yet, if I accidentally let a word slip while I was at work, I would probably have someone come up to me looking for the meaning of ‘ratchet’ or to explain ‘it’s the ___ for me’.

There are many pros but almost an equal number of cons to code-switching. This is probably why it is seen to be so problematic. While code-switching is beneficial because it helps you acclimatise to your environment, it also teaches people to stray away from AAVE. While AAVE may not be considered a language, it is a large part of the African American culture, and it shouldn’t be something you’re taught to forget. While I can only speak for AAVE, I can only imagine the effects of code-switching for people with English as a second or third language, like wearing an unbearable mask. Therefore, I leave you guys with this question to ask yourselves:

Is code-switching worth it if it will lead to the destruction of a culture?

Brianna Dèsir is a 23-year-old lifestyle blogger living in NYC. Prior to lockdown, she was an associate in a Museum. However, due to the pandemic, she has dedicated my time to my blog CupofBri.com. Normally she can be found drinking tea, watching K-Dramas, or at the closest bottomless brunch.