by Jamie Wirth
Early on in my academic education I was taught the proper language to write and talk to others. I had to make sure I always wrote in MLA format, I had to capitalize proper nouns, and I learned how to correctly use punctuation in my writing in order for my work to be deemed acceptable by others. Throughout this learning process, I was never asked how I wanted to convey my own opinions. When writing to adults or people in positions of authority it was considered improper to use abbreviations or slang, as it could be interpreted as uneducated. But often in positions like these I was left with a feeling of discomfort as I would be in a constant battle of making sure I was showing them my true personality, but only enough so that my writing would not be interpreted as informal. While there may be some instances where writing should remain formal, people should be both taught and allowed to write more similar to the way they speak.
Code meshing allows for writers to clearly get their point across in language their readers will understand, as they create a sense of comfortable conversation and familiarity with readers. Code meshing, explained by Vershan Ashwanti Young in his piece Should Writers Use They Own English? discusses how “Code meshing blend dialects, international languages, local idioms, chat-room lingo, and the rhetorical styles of various ethnic and cultural groups in both formal and informal speech acts”. Personally, using informal language in this explanation makes it very easy for a student reader like myself to understand this uncommon use of rhetoric. Young explains how he believes that one’s writing style should reflect who they are as a person, therefore sound like how they would actually speak. Currently typing this paper, Google Docs is continually underlying aspects of Young’s writing, signifying that the grammar is wrong. But what if society could accept that maybe the grammar isn’t wrong, but rather one’s perception of informality is? The informal tone of Young’s piece helps me to better understand his point of view and makes me realize how much of society and education is conditioned to write in a “proper” format because it will be interpreted better by others. Yet, Young’s informal diction did just that for me, and made it easier for me to relate. In addition to the informal writing style Young displays throughout his piece, Young also touches upon the concept of Black English, which is more specific and comes with higher stakes than more general informality. This is partially a result of, along with other accents and language, that “proper” English is unfortunately seen as the most educated and common language that should be spoken nationwide, or even globally. Nonetheless, writing allows others to creatively express their opinions and share what they believe others would experience.
Being taught to write as we speak could help expand one’s diction to use in one’s everyday vocabulary, so people would not feel the need to have a distinction between their learned writing skills and conversational skills. While it is important to learn the basics of language and writing and sentence structure “quotation marks can indicate reported speech, and capitals can indicate proper nouns, but we gain a sense of the writer’s personality when they’re also available for use as “scare quotes” and Ironic Capitals” (McCulloch)”. Scarce quotes are imperative to informal writing as they convey an ironic or skeptical stance toward the word or phrase they’re around. This “improper” diction requires the reader to read between the lines and get a better understanding of the author’s personality and writing style. One’s ability to write comprehensively does not mean that when they write what they speak their writing abilities will diminish. Allowing one to write how they talk may even help one explore their sense of self which they can include to make their writing better.
An alternative form of changing language, code switching, can often have a toxic impact mentally, as it sparks a feeling of peer pressure. Code switching is the process of shifting from one form of language to another, and it will often change depending on one’s social setting. People often worry about fitting in with others and “very often, people code-switch — both consciously and unconsciously — to act or talk more like those around them”(Thompson). If students are taught at an early age to write differently than they speak to conform with social norms, they may begin to lose their sense of identity. This is extremely applicable in everyday life as “A speaker’s code-switching corresponds to his/her previous exposure through social networks, and personal attitudes” (Liu). This exemplifies how one’s surroundings can easily pressure them into code switching in order for them to feel accepted in an environment that may make them feel self conscious, and is arguably the most influential impact of code switching. This is evident in the Huffpost article that states “An immigrant 4-year-old boy from Poland (or China) who just moved to St. Louis is more likely to speak perfect English and love baseball within a year because he wants to fit in with the other kids” (Hoffman). This models the psychological ideal of conformity which is when people change their speech, attitudes, actions etc in order to match others around them in order for them to feel included. This yearning of a desire for inclusivity will encourage not only young children but people of all ages to possibly use more informal language in their daily vocabulary if other people they look up to or hangout with use slang frequently. Fearing that they won’t fit in and be accepted, that person will adopt commonly used slang words, with hopes that they will not be seen as different or as an outcast by others.
I have personally seen first hand how easy it is to utilize code switching in my daily vocabulary. After coming to College of Charleston, many of the friends I have made here are from the South, so naturally I began to incorporate their vocabulary into my own. When hanging out with my friends at school, I began to notice when I was with them, I began using “y’all” more when talking to them as a group. Yet, when I came home for fall break and spent more time with my family and friends, I quickly switched my vocabulary back to “you guys” in order to fit in with the vocabulary used around me. While code-switching I personally did not feel pressured by others to change my vocabulary with fears that I would not be accepted, however, changing my word choice allowed me to feel more comfortable in my surroundings.
However, code switching is still necessary in many aspects of life in order to prove professionalism, education and economic status to others. The way one articulates is very important in a professional setting. Stanley Fish mentions this topic in regards to code switching as he adds “You’re not going to be able to change the world if you are not equipped with the tools that speak to its present condition” (Fish). If someone is running for a government office or promotion, they will not be taken seriously if they write speeches or submit applications using slang or wording others may not understand. For voters in rural areas a politician may gear his speech towards farmers using words like “folks” and in urban areas like Spanish Harlem, New York City, you may interject Spanglish (a hybrid of Spanish and English) to appeal to and connect with your audience. While being allowed to write informally, similar to how you speak, is applicable for many situations, there are still distinctions in both the business and professional sense that involve the need for code switching. Similarly, writing is often perfected in higher education in order for the students to be successful in life. This has been proven as a necessity as “Freshmen estimate that they write about 25 hours each week, and most believe that they arrived on their campus with college-level writing skills fully formed… students’ notions about writing may not match professors’ expectations…” (The Chronicle of Higher Education). Students may need this push to ensure that their writing is mature enough to pursue their future careers.
Although formal writing is applicable in some circumstances, people should not be looked down upon when writing similar to how they speak. Writing that reflects one’s speech allows for readers to see the author’s true tone and personality, and can often help them better express themselves and their viewpoint. Readers or an audience may feel more connected and feel they share similar experiences with an author or orator if they feel similar to them. Code-switching can also be persuasive and induce those with low self esteem or feelings of inadequacy to conform to those around them in order to feel that they fit in. This may be detrimental to those in the audience if they feel they must conform to others because of a low sense of self . In both writing and speaking, there is a place for code-switching and code meshing, but it is the author’s choice to identify which method is to their advantage, whether it be to gain employment, recruit votes, persuade others or to just fit in.
Works Cited:
The Chronicle of Higher Education. 21 Mar. 2014, www.chronicle.com/article/students-come-to-college-thinking-theyve-mastered-writing/?cid2=gen_login_refresh. Accessed 31 Oct. 2021.
Fish, Stanley. “What Should Colleges Teach?” New York Times, Sept. 2009, lms.cofc.edu/d2l/le/content/267890/viewContent/3607465/View. Accessed 31 Oct. 2021.
Hoffman, Auren. “You Think for Yourself but You Act like Your Friends (on
Homophily).” Huffpost, Nov. 2011, www.huffpost.com/entry/
you-think-for-yourself-bu_b_182605. Accessed 4 Nov. 2021.
Liu, Hong. “A Socio-Cognitive Approach to Code-Switching: From the Perspective of a Dynamic Usage-based Account of Language.” EBSCOhost, Nov. 2020, web-p-ebscohost-com.nuncio.cofc.edu/ehost/detail/detail?vid=5&sid=1467d77e-2543-46f4-9043-f1b0aa4a5b65%40redis&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZSZzY29wZT1zaXRl#AN=146730653&db=a2h. Accessed 31 Oct. 2021.
McCulloch, Gretchen. “We Learned to Write the Way We Talk.” New York Times, Dec. 2019, www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/12/27/opinion/sunday/internet-writing-text-emotion.html. Accessed 31 Oct. 2021.
Thompson, Matt. “Five Reasons Why People Code-Switch.” NPR, Apr. 2013, www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2013/04/13/177126294/five-reasons-why-people-code-switch. Accessed 31 Oct. 2021.
Young, Vershawn Ashanti. “Should Writers Use They Own English?” Iowa Journal of Cultural Studies, vol. 12, no. 1, 2010, lms.cofc.edu/d2l/le/content/267890/viewContent/3488970/View. Accessed 31 Oct. 2021.