Is This Code-Switching?

The man and woman who sit outside the grocery store have a sort of sing-song patter for panhandling. “Can you spare anything god bless you sir can you spare anything god bless you ma’am can you spare anything ….” etc. in dulled voices almost robotic.

When I realized halfway through cooking dinner that I’d forgotten something, I went back to the store, and the couple were still there, this time though there were two women chatting with them, and I listened in, while pretending not to, as I walked into the store.

“Yeah, you know, I haven’t watched just ‘cause I don’t have a TV right now, but I’ve heard it’s really good,” the woman who’s usually panhandling says in a not at all robotic voice, and it’s nice to hear her normal speaking voice.