Code Switching Research Paper

Meeting His Mom for The First Time
Mothers can sometimes be the most intimidating and the hardest to please. Then imagine how you would feel trying to please someone else’s mother. You will have to meet someone else’s mother more than once in your life, whether it is a friend or partner. The key is to make a good first impression. This experience can be one of the most nerve-racking. This is the story of when I meet my boyfriend’s mother for the first time.
Meanwhile, “What should I say?” and “What should I wear?” were all thoughts running through my head the night before. I may have not realized it at the time but I was practicing how to code-switch. Most believe code-switching is alternating from one language to another but that it not always the case. Code-switching can be the difference in tone, body language, and word choice also. How do you change the way you communicate change with different people or a different environment? For instance, I would not talk to my boyfriend’s mother using the …show more content…
You would not talk to your mother the same you would talk to your friends. If I got smart with my mom she would always say “I’m not one of your little friends”. Meaning you should not talk to your mother with the same tone or language you do with your friends. In other words, code-switching saves me from a “butt-whooping” at that age. I code switch towards my boyfriend’s mother to make a good impression. I had a higher, innocent tone in my voice. I used my formal language to show my respect. Earl’s mother code switch in return. She did it to make me more comfortable. She used a softer tone then she used with her family. Code-switching does not make you “fake” or “two-faced”. Code-switching is necessary in life. Think about how many jobs would hire you if you talked the same way you do at home or with your friends. Would you rather be “fake” and get the job or fill out another twenty minute