Verbal Communication

code-switching
37
refers to changes in accent, dialect, or language.Judith
N. Martin and Thomas K. Nakayama,
Intercultural Communication in Contexts
, 5th ed.
(Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill, 2010), 249. There are many reasons that people might
code-switch. Regarding accents, some people hire vocal coaches or speech-language
pathologists to help them alter their accent. If a Southern person thinks their
accent is leading others to form unfavorable impressions, they can consciously
change their accent with much practice and effort. Once their ability to speak
without their Southern accent is honed, they may be able to switch very quickly
between their native accent when speaking with friends and family and their
modified accent when speaking in professional settings.
Additionally, people who work or live in multilingual
settings may code-switch many times throughout the
day, or even within a single conversation. Increasing
outsourcing and globalization have produced
heightened pressures for code-switching. Call center
workers in India have faced strong negative reactions
from British and American customers who insist on
“speaking to someone who speaks English.” Although
many Indians learn English in schools as a result of
British colonization, their accents prove to be off-
putting to people who want to get their cable package
changed or book an airline ticket. Now some Indian call
center workers are going through intense training to be
able to code-switch and accommodate the speaking
style of their customers. What is being called the
“Anglo-Americanization of India” entails “accent-
neutralization,” lessons on American culture (using
things like
Sex and the City
DVDs), and the use of Anglo-
American-sounding names like Sean and Peggy.Amitabh
Pal, “Indian by Day, American by Night,”
The Progressive
,
August 2004, accessed June 7, 2012,
http://www.progressive.org/mag_pal0804
. As our
interactions continue to occur in more multinational contexts, the expectations for
code-switching and accommodation are sure to increase. It is important for us to
consider the intersection of culture and power and think critically about the ways
in which expectations for code-switching may be based on cultural biases.
37. Changing accents, dialects, or
languages.
Chapter 3 Verbal Communication
3.4 Language, Society, and Culture
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