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Code Switching Essay

1239 Words5 Pages

In today’s society, it is evident that situations for Black individuals, being social would be intolerable and extremely difficult. Code-switching, by definition, “involves adjusting one’s style of speech, appearance, behaviour, and expression in ways that will optimize the comfort of others.” (McCluney et al.). Anyone can perform code-switching, but Black individuals use it more frequently than any other group. As portrayed in the novel The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas, Starr Carter uses code-switching to fit in a social group of people, to mitigate stereotypical thoughts and assumptions of others, and to avoid mistreatment from white cops. Clearly, code-switching is a vital skill that is essential for Black individuals to master in order to …show more content…

As noted by Chavarria (2020), code-switching can signal shared identities, values, and experiences that can lead to feelings of belonging within a particular social group. For instance, in The Hate U Give, Starr code-switches to fit in with her African American friends and family in Garden Heights by using African Vernacular English (AVE). Starr presents herself as a different person when at Garden Heights and Williamson: “Williamson Starr doesn't use slang—if a rapper would say it, she doesn't say it, even if her white friends do. Slang makes them cool. Slang makes her “hood.” Williamson Starr holds her tongue when people piss her off so nobody will think she's the “angry black girl.” [...] Basically, Williamson Starr doesn't give anyone a reason to call her ghetto. (Thomas, …show more content…

Maverick is speaking from first-hand experience and only wants his children to be safe. He advises Starr to use “big words” and “proper English” when talking to white cops, even though they use a different dialect at home. Effectively, Maverick uses code-switching as a way to suppress systemic bias within the mind of white cops to ensure safety. By code-switching their language and behaviour, Black individuals can significantly reduce the risk of being victims of police mistreatment stemming from stereotypical thoughts and biases within white

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