Open Society

Code-meshing considers all dialectal choices as inherently equal and doesn’t assume one is more “standard.” It attempts to cultivate spaces where there is no right or wrong use of language. Instead, it promotes the idea that language is complex and that its variations can coexist, in all forms, in any context. And in practice, code-meshing can result in extremely powerful and engaging speech and writing. We see it from creative and academic writers like James Kelman, Vershawn Ashanti Young, and Gloria Anzaldùa, but also in less formal writing and speaking.