Have you ever found yourself stepping out of character a bit, adding a bit more razz to your accent because you’re in a group of white executives or have you witnessed how politicians who speak like you and I, all of a sudden take on the political accent when addressing the crowd to make them seem more relatable. Well, this is what we call code-switching; it describes the negotiation of communication across various settings including in social settings across languages, even in boardrooms and executive meetings, in the workplace versus the family/social setting. The truth is, we do speak and act differently, in different spaces. And we do this in order not to be othered, but to either propel ourselves into better spaces or to be perceived with respect. Dr Alex Asakitikpi, head of the School of Social Sciences at the Independent Institute of Education, joins Lerato Mbele for today’s masterclass.