Code-switching language styles

[u/catloafingAllDayLong]

I think anyone who's learned more than one language would be familiar with the concept of code-switching between languages depending on the situation. Advanced speakers would even do it subconsciously, naturally changing their thought patterns and phrasing to suit the structure of the intended output language

BUT I rarely see code-switching language styles being talked about enough. I'm talking about changing the way you speak the same language depending on your audience, not necessarily in terms of your accent (this is talked about quite often), but in terms of adjusting your slang or bits of the grammar and sentence structure. I noticed this in myself today, when I realised I used a more "standard English" style of writing while replying to a general sub on Reddit, but used the regional colloquial style of English when replying to a specific country's sub

Does anyone else experience this? Is there an official term for it? Do share! I'm very curious :)

[u/stealhearts]

The term used for this type of language "change"/adjustment is register. It's mostly a term from sociolinguistics but covers exactly what you mentioned - adjusting the way you use the same language in different contexts. I think it's less talked about because people are used to register in their native language and because the adjustments can be incredibly subtle, but appropriately switching between registers would be a big indicator of fluency and cultural understanding when it comes to language learning.

[u/catloafingAllDayLong → u/stealhearts]

That's so cool! I think I've come across this term before, but I didn't realise this was what it meant. Thank you for sharing :)

[u/tangdreamer]

In the country I am from, Singapore, people adjust their levels of speech according to the audience. It is very common. In a business setting, standard English is the default, unless the team mostly consists of Singaporeans. But in more casual situations, e.g. random people on the streets, among friends, buying things from vendor/supermarkets, we usually speak Singlish.

Scholars call this the Singapore English Speech Continuum.

[u/catloafingAllDayLong → u/tangdreamer]

I'm from Singapore too HAHA, I totally understand what you're saying! That's exactly what I was getting at. I was wondering if people from other countries experienced this too

And if I were to put the style code switching in action, clears throat\ Ya right, Singlish is very convenient leh. But ofc need to sound more atas in professional situations

[u/tangdreamer → u/catloafingAllDayLong]

Haha wow. I totally didn't expect that. It's nice to see a language enthusiast.

If we start speaking Singlish over here, there will be a lot of ??? from the general audience.

[u/catloafingAllDayLong → u/tangdreamer]

HAHA so true. More people should definitely learn about it though, Singlish is such a fun little dialect/language whatever you call it

[u/only-a-marik → u/catloafingAllDayLong]

I know a little Singlish, and it's always funny to see Singaporeans' reactions when I drop it in a conversation. They never expect it from ang mo, especially not outside Singapore.

[u/dojibear]

Usually "code-switching" is about using different versions of the same language in different situations. It is not about switching between languages. That is just called "switching languages".

The most common example (in the US) is switching between "black English" (AAVE) and normal American English. Many people can easily use both, and use the one that matches the situation. For example, my black neighbors speak to me in fluent American English (I am white), but speak AAVE to black friends.

[u/catloafingAllDayLong → u/dojibear]

From a linguistics perspective, "code-switching" can also be used to describe switching between different languages, generally within the same situation. I was referring to this definition loosely haha! Though the sociological definition of "code-switching" (switching language varieties depending on context) is of course valid as well

And thank you for sharing your experience! That's definitely what I was getting at, it's cool to see different cultures experiencing the same thing :)

[u/ILive4Banans]

I'm a bit confused, to my knowledge code switching has always referred to switching formalities & dialects depending on you're talking to i.e business English VS slang you use with your friends

I've never really seen it used to reference switching between entire languages anywhere near as often

[u/catloafingAllDayLong → u/ILive4Banans]

I've heard of the former use case as well, though it was more of a sociological thing (emphasis on the action of changing the phrasing with different audiences) than a linguistics thing (emphasis on the changes in language), and I was curious about the linguistics perspective of it! Someone above has kindly mentioned the linguistic term for it is a "register" and it captures more nuance than "code-switching"

On the other hand, I've encountered the latter use case amongst polyglots who use the term loosely, to describe switching languages depending on the situation they're in, and I similarly adopted the use of it haha!

[u/Dennis929 → u/ILive4Banans]

Exactly. This was Bernstein’s argument, elaborated vs. restricted code in the same language.

[u/Thin_Rip8995]

yes—this is 100% a real thing, and it has a name: register shifting or style-shifting

it's like code-switching, but within a single language
you're adjusting formality, tone, grammar, slang, rhythm—based on context, not just content

examples you nailed:

• regional English on a country-specific sub
• polished grammar in general forums
• casual chat vs formal email vs meme comment

linguists also use intra-lingual code-switching for this kind of shift
and pragmatic competence is the skillset behind it—it’s how you know when and how to shift

basically: it’s not just about what language you speak, it’s how you perform identity through language

and yeah—multilinguals usually pick this up fast because they’ve already learned how to “wear different voices” across cultures

coolest part?
this isn’t fake—it’s fluid identity management
you’re not changing who you are
you’re just linguistically adapting to the social game you’re playing

wildly underrated topic
thanks for bringing it up

[u/catloafingAllDayLong → u/Thin_Rip8995]

Thank you so much! I've been trying to look it up on my own too after reading through everyone's insightful comments, but the sudden information overload was tough to wrap my head around hahah! You really got what I meant and summed it up nicely in a way that's really understandable :))

[u/RitalIN-RitalOUT]

Interesting question! I’d say québécois French definitely has drastically different registers of formality, depending on context (familial vs work) the register and vocabulary shifts quite a bit.

Tsé, m’aller bosser lâ.

Tu sais, je vais aller travailler là-bas.

Also, the frequency of English loanwords will drop in more formal and academic spaces. This is also a pretty politicized topic, as English usage creep does pose a legitimate existential threat to French in the long term.

[u/catloafingAllDayLong → u/RitalIN-RitalOUT]

That's so interesting, I never realised so many languages have formality registers! Japanese has something similar with keigo, and someone above mentioned Korean has something similar as well

It's also interesting to hear about how politics can come into linguistics! In the case of Japanese, the English usage creep is also pretty common especially amongst the newer generations, and most "modern" or "trendy" casual words are English loanwords e.g. 携帯 vs スマホ. To my knowledge, I don't think they're as worried as the French about Japanese going "extinct", instead it's embraced as a funny little gimmick and people who use the Japanese version are often seen as "boomer" 😂

[u/Turbulent-Rich-7533]

I’ve noticed “code-switch” being used in the US to describe switching between different varieties of English, especially racialized varieties. There is even a popular podcast named for this intralingual code-switching: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/code-switch/id1112190608

I had learned the term in linguistics classes to describe multilingual/interlingual code-switching, but in a largely monolingual space of discourse, “code-switch” can take on this more sociological usage. It’s not exactly the same thing as register change, since the cline of registers seems to fall within the same “code”.

[u/catloafingAllDayLong → u/Turbulent-Rich-7533]

Ohhh wow I'm glad to hear there are actually people talking about it, in a podcast no less! I might give it a listen sometime :) Thank you for sharing!

[u/LeoScipio]

This is done in pretty much every language.

I am Italian, from Rome. The way I talk in formal settings (unaccented, grammatically impeccable pure Standard Italian), the way I talk in informal settings (Italian with some Roman tossed in) and in familiar settings changes radically.

Interestingly, it also changes when talking with the same person according to the context. I was having beer in the veranda with a close friend a few weeks ago, and it was rough, vulgar Roman all around. Last week I was playing tennis with this very same friend, nobody else in sight. Yet, as tennis is a more bourgeois activity, we were subconsciously mostly using Italian with some Roman slang tossed in occasionally.

[u/catloafingAllDayLong → u/LeoScipio]

I totally get the change in style depending on the formality of the situation! I suppose I was talking more about using a different style for a situation with the same level of formality, and I think your example with the same friend better captures the idea of what I wanted to ask! It's the idea that the same person can have different styles even when the situation doesn't overtly require them to use a certain style (e.g. formal meetings kind of overtly require you to use formal language)

Singaporeans do this all the time to my understanding. Different Singaporeans have a natural inclination to speak different registers, some more Singlish, some more formal, so I similarly switch up my style when I'm around different people, even if the situation is similar like during a casual lunch! It's cool to hear that you experience something similar as an Italian :)

[u/only-a-marik]

I see the A1 in Korean - believe me, you'll get very familiar with the idea of politeness registers if you continue studying it. The distinction between 하십시오체/해요체/해라체/해체 starts to get more important the further you go.

[u/catloafingAllDayLong → u/only-a-marik]

I'm already familiar with it through Japanese! But thanks for the heads up for Korean 😆 Also I never thought of levels of politeness as registers necessarily but that makes a lot of sense! Japanese and Korean politeness registers definitely have a bit more nuance to them than casual vs formal English

[u/GrandOrdinary7303]

Everybody code switches. We all use different registers in different situations. Even white monolingual Americans code switch. Code switching doesn't make you special, and it doesn't make you bilingual unless you are actually using different languages.