Do you ever notice that the way you speak will change depending on who you’re talking to? Whether we’re with co-workers, friends, family or complete strangers, our brains make split-second decisions about how we should express ourselves based on the context we’re in, often with the help of our mental models. This change in language, tone of voice or mannerisms in different social circumstances is called “style-shifting,” “register-shifting,” or “code-switching.”

These terms are often confused and used interchangeably, but in the field of linguistics there is a significant distinction: code-switching is a linguistic term which refers to the action of alternating between different languages or dialects in the same conversation. A common way people refer to code-switching is by fusing the names of the various languages or dialects together into one name, like Spanglish (Spanish and English). On the other hand, style-shifting or register-shifting refers to changes in our tone, vocabulary and other elements of communication based on our surroundings.This is because we are still communicating in the same language but the style (our choice of words, tone of speech and sentence structure) and/or register (the use of formal or informal language) has changed. In this post, I’ll be referring primarily to style-shifting. 

Style-shifting is something everyone does daily, whether we are consciously aware of it or not. The various social contexts that we find ourselves in dictate what “version” of ourselves we show. This explains why we might speak in a casual and informal way on a phone call to our parents, then shift how we speak in a job interview to a more “standard” and formal tone, and then switch back to very informal language use when we hang out with or text our friends. We might be more comfortable using slang in this latter context, too. 

Not only does style-shifting help us navigate social dynamics, it is also a very significant identity marker. The way we speak signals our membership to our social, cultural and interest-based groups. Belonging to different social groups is an important aspect of community building and strengthens our bonds with those around us, especially our friends and family, with whom we may feel the most relaxed and able to communicate informally. Shared speech patterns, inside jokes and slang are all ways in which we express ourselves in an effort to build connections with others, and are all ways we utilize style-shifting daily. Overall, style-shifting is more than a communication tool—it illustrates the human need for connection, acceptance and simply being known.

Because academic fields typically function in isolation from one another, a deeper psychological dimension of style-shifting is less well known, and not taught in linguistics. What we specifically call style-shifting reflects larger mental shifts between the different subpersonalities which we all manifest, and which wheel in and out of our awareness depending on the situation. 

In his seminal work, Multimind, the late brain scientist Robert Ornstein challenged the popular assumption that we each possess one solitary and consistent mind. Instead, we are a collection of slightly different selves: our minds contain multiple subpersonalities. The very piecemeal growth and evolution of our brains into different parts and regions over hundreds of thousands of years has contributed to our becoming fragmented beings. So when we “style-shift,” it isn’t just the way we speak that changes. There is a larger “package” of traits belonging to that subpersonality that shift along with it and that includes different behaviors, talents, perspectives, temperaments, reactions, memories, tendencies, mental resources and experiences. And while these various minds might show different sides of us, they are still a real reflection of who we are.

But at what point are these shifts in our subpersonalities a hinderance, if it all? Much of the time these changes occur below awareness and don’t impact us consciously, yet they can create tension. It can be emotionally draining to suppress what feels like our primary self for the sake of a moment of social integration. There may also be times when one style mode of speaking and thinking that is wrapped into a particular subpersonality doesn’t shift quickly enough in a change of social context, which may cause conflict or awkwardness, or result in a decision informed by that other “misaligned” mindset.

Fortunately, we can train ourselves to become better attuned to these shifts, not just in our language, but also the larger personality changes which style-shifts are part of. And by doing so, we can improve our understanding about ourselves and others—especially in the realization that we are all are more complex and inconsistent than we perceive ourselves to be.

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Hannah Mulcahy is a masters degree student in international development at the University of Sheffield in the UK. She holds an undergraduate degree in linguistics and modern languages, specializing in sociolinguistics, including language policy and language attitudes and perceptions, also from the University of Sheffield.