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“Mom, there’s a white lady on the phone.” 

A young black child yells to his mother as Dr. A’ndrea Wilson, a black family counselor, waits on the other end. 

Because of her use of standard American English in professional settings, Wilson is often mistaken to be someone other than herself. 

 This is a classic example of code switching. 

 According to Britannica, code switching is the process of shifting from one linguist code — a language or dialect — to another depending on the social context or conversational setting.

 A common misconception of code switching is that it’s only language based. However, code switching can be a shift in language, expressions or behaviors.

 An article written by Secken Esin, on Owlocation — a website created by educators and experts on topics related to education — states that since it’s inception, the term “code switching” has expanded to encapsulate any situation in which speakers find themselves switching from one accepted vocabulary, cadence, style or set of rules to another. 

 From street talk to the classroom setting and from a job interview to home life, one may speak differently in each environment. These are all examples of code switching. 

Anyone can code switch. 

But why do people code switch? 

The answer is a dives deep into human behavior and the acceptance of societal norms. For each person, why they code switch may differ, but we all learn to code switch at different points in our lives. 

For Wilson, she learned code switching at a young age. She grew up with the understanding that many of her interactions would be with people of a different race or culture. 

 From job interviews to the beginning of her teaching career, Wilson used code switching to be socially and professionally accepted while securing a job in her field. Because Wilson knew that her usual African-American vernacular would not cut it in the professional world, she often referred to standard American English instead. 

“I didn’t really think about it (code switching), outside of knowing that that’s what I had to do in that moment,” Wilson said.

 Over time, code switching has become more of a skill than a choice for Wilson. In her position as a professor at Grand View, Wilson occasionally uses code switching in her classroom to make sure her students are comfortable. But she is more confident being her true self and uses more slang in her everyday speech to better connect with her students and she aspires to teach her students the same. 

 “If I am talking to a young black person or a person of color and they are talking about the use of language, on one side I want to encourage them to be themselves, but I know society won’t always appreciate that,” Wilson said. 

 According to Josh Call, professor of English at GV, our society’s long, rich history has resulted in Americans thinking that they all share the same, universal experiences. Call said that idea has led to the misrepresentation of what is “right, proper and good” in society’s eyes. Anything that doesn’t meet those guidelines is frowned upon. This leads to code switching.

 “No one actually follows complete idiosyncratically specific language patterns,” Call said. “We are all diverse.”

 We as humans do not communicate in the same manner for everything.

 Our misconception of code switching, according to Call, stems from laziness. 

 “If I can believe that my (language patterns) are the right way, well then I don’t have to do the hard work of trying to understand or work with somebody else. I just have to expect them to come to me … yup, that’s lazy,” Call said. 

Call chooses to do just the opposite of that. He wants to recognize his students for who they are and where they come from. Call explained that he cares more about creating an inclusive classroom rather than following the status quo like most English teachers. 

It’s teachers like these who help make code switching more acceptable at GV.

 Spanish-speaking, Puerto Rico native and GV alum, Carlos Rodriguez Rosa came to the U.S. to further his education. Although Rodriguez Rosa may have unknowingly code switched in his home country, he didn’t realize its importance in order for him to fit into academic spaces until coming to the U.S. During his time at GV, code switching became less of a choice and more of a necessity for Rodriguez Rosa to succeed. 

 Rodriguez Rosa, an English major, often found himself struggling with the shift in language early in his college career. 

Through his classes at GV, Rodriguez Rosa quickly learned the clear-cut guidelines and rules that he needed to follow in his field of study. Struggling between his primary language and the educational principles, Rodriguez Rosa said he often found himself writing his papers in ‘spanglish.’ Although he understood the importance of these guidelines for understanding and readability, he often found the rules limiting in expressing his true self. 

 “Sadly, code switching is something that we have to do to function and to gain access to academic spaces,” Rodriguez Rosa said. 

 Despite the oppression he felt, Rodriguez Rosa knew he had to play life’s game in order to compete at the same level as his peers. 

 Over the course of his college career, Rodriguez Rosa realized that he wasn’t alone in this struggle. 

 Denyse Agahozo, a Rwandan GV student, has also seen and dealt with code switching since coming to the U.S. and during her time at GV. 

 One instance Agahozo gave was with writing. She said that she has noticed that people often tend to write differently than they speak.

 Agahozo code switches with her speech and mannerisms when she feels like being her true self would be a disadvantage. 

 Often, Agahozo code switches with teachers, classmates, employers and in situations where she doesn’t know the people well. For example, Agahozo feels that she must switch her language and actions in airports in order to blend in. 

 In many situations, Agahozo finds herself adjusting the tone and pitch of her voice —-— thus producing a more American accent. In doing this, questions like “where is your information coming from” and “are you valid” seem to disappear. 

 While Agahozo, understands and has seen the benefits of code switching in her own life, it has also made her feel like an outsider.

 “It makes it seem like you’re the ‘other.’ Like there is a default and you’re not it,” Agahozo said. 

 But Agahozo wants people to know that code switching is what you do but not who you are. 

 “It’s not realistic to say ‘stop code switching’ because sometimes you need that to succeed,” Agahozo said. “Don’t feel like that persona is who you are, the only good part of you. You can (choose) not (to) code switch and still know what you know.”

Rodriguez Rosa, Agahozo, Wilson and Call have all come to terms with the necessity of code switching and now use it interchangeably to help them navigate life. 

When used the right way, code switching can help with relatability, distinctivity and professionality. 

 Towards the end of his college career, Rodriguez Rosa was hired as a student tutor in the writing center. He feels that code switching specifically helped him in this position where he predominantly worked with students.

 “I think it (code switching) can be a superpower. Suddenly their eyes lit up and I could understand them and help them in a deeper way. It made all the difference,“ Rosa said.

 Call explained how we can shift our vernacular, dialect, speech patterns and words. Call said that conscious code switchers can make their language “colorful and varied” or “precise and meaningful” based off the situation. 

 “It’s what’s fun about language play,” Call said.  

 Although Call is a Midwesterner — born and raised -— he has included y’all, a southern colloquial term his vocabulary. Call explains that each and every one of us has the choice of what words we use to express ourselves.

 For an example, at the 2019 graduation ceremony, Rodriguez Rosa did just that by helping mend the gap between people’s cultures, languages and speech in order to celebrate one another. Rodriguez Rosa gave his speech in English and then translated it to Spanish sentence by sentence. 

 Rodriguez Rosa was able to embrace both sides of himself through shifting his mannerisms and tone while switching between the two languages. 

 So, you reading this.Yes, you: Embrace code switching, try it out, and learn from other’s language. 

 “Let’s keep talking about this and making space for people to embrace languages that are their own and embrace language in its complexity, diversity and beauty,” Call said.