Typically defined in linguistics as a mixing of languages and speech patterns in conversation, code-switching has been a feature in many multicultural families

[…] Code-switching is typically defined in linguistics as a mixing of languages and speech patterns in conversation. At any given time my family speaks in at least three different languages – Marathi, English, and Hindi – simultaneously. It’s so normal to engage in code switching that I didn’t realize it happened so often until a friend pointed it out after having dinner with my extended family.

I understand and can speak four different languages to varying degrees. Even before I knew what code-switching was, I don’t remember a time when I didn’t naturally just navigate my life using different languages.

My parents both grew up in Madhya Pradesh, a state in the central part of India, where Hindi is the most common language. However, my family is originally from the west Indian state of Maharashtra, where most people speak Marathi. My parents grew up speaking both languages and English. I was born in India, but grew up in the United States. I learned Marathi and English almost simultaneously, while learning Spanish at school and picking up Hindi from Bollywood movies.

Languages, and location, affect what we say, and how. When my parents speak Hindi in the US, the words come out tentatively, as if they have forgotten how to string them together. When they speak Hindi in India, however, it is like hearing sounds of relief from someone who’s just come home from a long day. The words come out slower, relaxed, and filled with long pauses as if there is all the time in the world to talk. More.

See: The Guardian

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