A Scottish butler in an English mansion says to the lady of the house,"You may wish to stay inside today,Madam;it's quite cold outside." But when he goes back to his own cottage,he is likely to say to his wife in broad Scots,"Shut the door and get inside,Maggie;you'll freeze your buns off." In linguistics,what is this an example of?
A) code switching
B) class consciousness
C) glottochronology
D) phonological analysis

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The Scottish butler is switching between two different varieties of English, one more formal and standard for his job in the English mansion, and another more casual and regional for his personal life at home in Scotland. This kind of switching between different linguistic codes is referred to as code switching.

A Scottish Butler in an English Mansion Says to the Lady