My Three Englishes
As nearly all people do, I change the way I communicate with others based on who I am speaking to. When speaking with teachers, or addressing an academic audience in a speech or a writing, I speak very formally, removing slang or jargon from my words. When talk to friends, I use imperfect English, not always using complete grammatically correct sentences and employing slang. When I am speaking with my parents or other family, I use a mix of formal and informal language. I do not use complete sentences and perfect grammar, but at the same time I don't use the slang I do when speaking with my friends. The lower picture is a good example of code switching. The photo is from a Model United Nations conference, an academic event. When I was in committee, I would use academic and formal language in order to establish my credibility. However, when I was not in committee, and talking to the people in the picture, I would relax my language, and it would become very informal. Using formal ...