Last night, Love Island viewers reached the end of their tether with Chloe Burrows and Hugo Hammond. Not just because they were saved in a public vote that many – including they themselves – were shocked by, but because seeing the pair coupled up together brought home a lot of issues people have with both Islanders. Namely: their problematic code-switching.
If you’ve not heard the term, code-switching is a linguistic phenomenon where someone alternates between different language varieties – i.e. mixing dialects or accents – depending on certain contexts. With friends, we might speak one way – in slang or with a thicker natural accent – whereas at work, we might diminish our vernacular in order to appear more ‘professional’.
For some people, say people of colour or working-class people, code-switching is often subconscious – or learned – behaviour used in order to assimilate with surroundings where they are a minority or have not previously been widely-accepted.
I, for example, didn’t even realise how much I was diminishing my own Liverpool accent when I was in the presence of middle- and upper-class people until it was pointed out to me by scouse friends. All of my experiences of being told I was aggressive, or assumed uneducated, when I spoke in my natural accent had ultimately taken its toll without me ever noting the subtle changes I was making.
Code-switching is problematic when used by posh people in order to gain social favour.
Code-switching in itself is not inherently bad then, it’s often the only way people who are kept out of spaces for opportunity and financial growth feel they can ‘fit in’. It’s problematic, sure – because it can perpetuates prejudice towards your social class or ethnicity - but it’s a problem that was created by a system that oppresses those people in the first place, so you can hardly blame the person partaking in it for being a victim of other people's prejudices.
Where it does become problematic though, is when posh people code-switch by appropriating language and vernacular that does not come naturally to them, in order to gain social favour. That’s where Chloe and Hugo come in.
For weeks, viewers have been questioning Chloe’s accent. At first, the drawl with which she spoke indicated a level of poshness akin to her hometown of Bicester. Based in Oxfordshire, Bicester is a small town best known for its luxury shopping centre, Bicester Village. Even just listening to her speak in her introductory interview, you can hardly recognise the voice we’ve come to know in recent days.
What’s changed then? Well, it all started when she began dating Toby Aromolaran, a mixed-race, 22-year-old footballer from Essex. Viewers noted her drawl disappeared straight away, tweeting their confusion as to why she was suddenly using a different accent and appropriating Black British slang.
It only became more confusing when she began switching between her Oxfordshire accent – while talking to islanders like Chuggs Wallis from Surrey, aka generational wealth McGee – and what viewers have dubbed her ‘Blaccent’ when talking to Toby.
But she’s not the only one, Hugo too continues to appropriate Black British slang – notably only when talking to Black men in the villa. Last night, viewers particularly commented on his use of the word ‘Boy’ when talking to Toby – an incredibly loaded term when used to describe adult Black men (Stemming from its roots in slavery, when white people used it to suggest Black men were not equal to white men.)
Hugo has consistently used slang that does not appear to come naturally to him throughout his time in the villa (from ‘man said’ to ‘beef’ to calling every Black man ‘brother’). The private school teacher from Hampshire – parts of which are considered the most affluent areas in the UK – Hugo’s appropriation of Black British slang is not only jarring to hear, it’s also not even slang other men in the villa appear to be using.
While Aaron Francis and Teddy Soares are incredibly eloquent speakers, Hugo continues to speak in slang to them – and speech patterns that seem unnatural - as if he assumes they ought to use it themselves. As many have said online, it gives ‘teacher-trying-to-fit-in-with-his-students’ vibes.
But it’s also beyond a joke for Twitter. In fact, for both Chloe and Hugo, it’s entirely problematic. Because while code-switching can feel like a necessity to minorities and working-class people – to them it’s all about looking ‘cool’ and gaining cultural currency. It’s the hypocrisy then that’s uncomfortable.
While those of us who are gatekept from opportunity have to contort ourselves into someone else’s idea of ‘professional’ just to be let in the door - abandoning our natural ways of speaking so we don’t appear ignorant, aggressive or embarrassing – posh people can appropriate certain dialects and slang they barely understand in order to gain social favour, with no detriment to their reputation at all.
People will still consider Hugo smart and eloquent despite his constant use of slang that if said by a Black, working-class man, would be considered uneducated. Chloe will still experience all the privilege that comes with her background - plus the cultural currency that comes with seeming ‘relatable’ to less privileged people - despite the fact those same people would be mocked and misjudged for talking just like she does.
Ultimately, what Chloe and Hugo need to learn is that they don’t need to appropriate someone else’s dialect to fit in with people less posh than them – just being a nice person will usually do the trick. If anything, doing so is a disservice to the very friends they want to make.
Read More:
Love Island: We Could All Learn A Lot From The Way Toby Treated Kaz Compared To Chloe
Love Island: Hugo Was Right About Toby, But Kaz Deserved That Speech Too
‘He Wanted To Be Her Knight In Shining Armour’: Georgia Brands Hugo’s Toby Speech ‘Performative’