Can You Hear Me Now? An Autoethnographic Analysis of Code-Switching

Abstract

This autoethnography, based on a cultural epistemology grounded in my lived experiences as Black and middle class, is written as an exploration of the communication practice of code-switching. It is the consideration of Du Bois’ double-consciousness as reflected in my language practices. It is a means to examine the development of my Black identity in an aggressively hegemonic society. Using Cross’ Black identity development model to structure and frame my inquiry, I examine my experiences with code-switching in both Black-dominated and White-dominated spaces to understand how the choice to use “Standard English” or Ebonics, depending on audience, reflects the tension inherent in the Black American identity. This autoethnography attempts to draw connections to how the intersection of oppressed identities results in power inequities that shape communication practices for marginalized populations.

Social-Cognitive and Affective Antecedents of Code Switching and the Consequences of Linguistic Racism for Black People and People of Color

“…For this reason, many Black people and other people of color make strategic decisions about how to linguistically present themselves across different contexts (e.g., work, school, home) that weigh risks and benefits that are less salient or not present for other groups (McCluney et al, 2019). For some Black Americans, as with other groups, making strategic language decisions can be a way to index certain aspects of their cultural identity through the way that they speak (Myers, 2020). For others, however, these decisions, which may or may not feel consistent with a person's authentic sense of self, constitute a form of impression management to navigate racist environments where the threat of linguistic racism is salient (Hall et al, 2012;Jones & Shorter-Gooden, 2009).…”

Unapologetic Blackness in Action: Embodied Resistance and Social Movement Scenes in Black Celebrity Activism

“…Theories of Blackness as culture celebrate processes birthed from Black knowledges and situates them within a racialized context, such as the case with the Black radical imagination (Curruthers 2019). Understandings of Blackness as performance yield ideas of how Black people navigate complex social conditions through notions such as Black authenticity (Nguyen and Anthony 2014) and practices like code-switching (T. K. Myers 2019).…”

#BlackGirlTelling: Affirmation Through Black Feminist Digital Activism

“…Studies in education have taken a deeper dive to understand emotional disturbance specific to the college setting. Myers (2019) provided an example of how anticipated discrimination results in self-altering and how it is associated with a complex set of emotional and psychological distress. Myers (2019) poignantly described the experience of code-switching in the classroom:…”

“…The mental anguish of this experience is complex and reflects the major tenets of intersectional framework, which, as previously discussed, examines the intersection of race, class, and gender. Myers (2019) identified as a Black woman from a middle-class family, which exacerbated her experience of being stereotyped. Her concern of class reflects the respectability politics framework discussed in the theoretical framework section.…”

“…The complex racial and gendered experience of Black women was reflected in Collins's (1998) matrix of domination framework, which acknowledges the oppressive circumstance of being Black in the United States but, as Payne & Suddler (2014) argued, grapples with the ways multiple dimensions of race, class, gender, and sexuality inform knowledge and power. Due to these challenges, Black women experience a unique form of race-related stress, which has harmful psychological affects as substantiated by Myers's (2019) account of fear, anxiety, pain, and shame for being seen without her academic mask. Black women must persistently contend with stereotypes about their societal and academic identities as they seek justice and are judged by stereotypes and not their individual actions (Crenshaw, 1991).…”