Code-meshing in Foreign Countries

by Julia Rhyne

Over the past ten years, code-switching has evolved in many places into code-meshing. Whether it is switching between two languages while talking to your best friend who shares the language, or changing the way you talk to a professor versus social media, code-meshing is a huge part of many people’s everyday lives and it is important to understand what it is, and how to be open-minded to everyone’s identity. In Vershawn Young’s article titled, “Should Writers Use They Own English?”, he debunks a previous article by Stan Fish about why there is only one correct way to speak and write to get ahead in the world. Young discusses how wrong this is, and how everyone should not be afraid to use their own language, dialect, or personality when speaking and writing. He basically says in general that teachers should not limit people to standard English, and people should not be limited to code-switching, but should be more comfortable utilizing code-meshing, which is becoming more and more true today.
After browsing through many articles from the last couple of months, I saw how prevalent code-meshing is becoming in relation to code-switching, and a lot of that has to do with the fact that Young and others like him put articles out there and took a stand on this issue. In one specific article entitled, “Code-Switching and Assimilation in STEM Culture”, the author talks about using code switching and reverse stereotypes in academia. They mention the fact that code-switching has shifted recently to not only using two or more languages at a time, but now to “the changes in speech, appearance, and behaviors by an individual to adjust to the norms of the dominant culture in a given space” (Morales). The author of this article is definitely referring to many of the same aspects Young talked about in his article, such as the fact that code-meshing is part of self-identity and a better way to speak and write rather than code-switching. This is a huge issue especially today, and having people out there who understand and realize that code-meshing is important to understand and accept, is a big part of how Young’s ideas have developed over the past years. When he wrote this article, it was not as prevalent to talk about such “sensitive topics” in race, ethnicities, and cultures.
After researching more on professors who agree that code-meshing is important to understand and accept, I found an article by Raghad Y. Alkhudair, a professor at Qassim University in the English department in Saudi Arabia called, “Professors’ and Undergraduate Students’ Perceptions and Attitudes Toward the Use of Code-Switching and Its Function in Academic Classrooms”. This article was so interesting because it addressed code-switching in the classroom, but not only being used by the students. He talked about using code-switching and even more importantly code-meshing in the classroom especially in today’s time, and in Saudi Arabia, by both students and lecturers (Alkhudair). Even though in an English class in Saudi Arabia, it makes sense that there would be switching between English and Arabic, however since many people in Saudi Arabia already speak English, it is fascinating to see that Professor Alkhudair is open to letting students mesh languages, dialects, and even do it himself. I could tell from his article that him allowing students to be open about their dialects and language in the classroom helped them feel more comfortable and more validated. This example seems like a huge jump right from Young’s article. In his article, he says, “Everybody mix the dialect they learn at home with whateva other dialect or language they learn afterwards” (Young). After reading this article first and then finding people who utilize the opinions in this text, it is apparent to me that people even all the way across the world have used this text and taken action on the issue in schools of code-switching to meshing.
While the classroom is a prime example of where code-meshing can be used and taught, the idea has even spread to politics. “Political Discourse Analysis: A Case Study of Code Mixing and Code Switching in Political Speeches”, is an article by the authors Dama Sravani, Lalitha Kameswari, and Radhika Mamidi, who are from India and found that code-switching and meshing have become huge topics in political speeches especially in India, since India is such a multilingual country with many different political ideologies. I thought this was so interesting as a turn away from the classroom and teaching, and focusing on how people have taken the ideas of previous teachers such as Young and used them in political speeches in India. While there are similarities here to the classroom setting such as proper language for political speeches and teaching styles and being appropriate, it was fascinating to read about three separate speeches given in India, all that used code-switching and meshing in different ways. For example, in one of the political speeches about creating a new state in India, the speaker said, “mIru ganaka commitment won tIskunte, Yes sir come on let us move annAru” (Sravani, Kameswari, Mamidi). To me, this sentence makes no sense, especially out of context and with words thrown in from a language I don’t speak. This is one of the examples of how this speaker meshed English and Telugu/Hindi in the middle of (their) sentence. The audience of these speeches were usually native speakers of the language being used and switched between. Therefore the use of code-meshing in these speeches is so crucial to help the audience feel like they are valued and they can understand the speaker even better. Important people, especially in politics, like to appeal to their target audience, so this is helpful for them to get votes and/or help them connect to more people in that way. In India, like many other places in the world, this has become normalized especially in the past ten years. I think if Young saw this article and/or heard these speakers, he would be impressed at how times have changed and people have adjusted away from code-switching to code-meshing.
Vershawn Ashanti Young definitely had an impact on writers, teachers, and politicians all over the world, in his article “Should Writers Use They Own English?”. Whether it was Young himself who inspired these people to feel comfortable talking and writing in their own dialect or meshing languages whenever they feel necessary, or other previous articles and/or teachers in the past– there has been change. Ten years ago, if a teacher counted off points for “incorrect” grammar on a personal narrative, regardless of the language or country, there wouldn’t have been much notice or care because code-meshing was not as prevalent– it was there, but not such an issue as in today’s society. Today if the same thing happened, it would most likely, or at least should be brought to their attention that it was a personal choice and is ok to do. Young’s inspiring article about, and using, code-meshing was certainly a green light for many people who didn’t feel comfortable enough to express their own dialect and language without discrimination. This world we live in is not black and white, so language should not be either.

Works Cited
Alkhudair, Raghad. Professors’ and Undergraduate Students’ Perceptions and … 13 Oct. 2019, https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/42eb/de99a3ae5fcc77be6e7c23852bdd1248aa68.pdf.

A. Morales, C. L. Walker. “Code-Switching and Assimilation in Stem Culture.” Eos, 28 Sept. 2021, https://eos.org/opinions/code-switching-and-assimilation-in-stem-culture.

Sravani, Dama, et al. Political Discourse Analysis: A Case … – Aclanthology.org. 11 June 2021, https://aclanthology.org/2021.calcs-1.1.pdf.

Young, Vershawn Ashanti. “Should Writers Use They Own English?” Iowa Journal of Cultural Studies, vol. 12, no. 1, 2010.

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