This paper argues that 'code specificity' and 'code-specific genre' are usable notions for discussing the link between code and communicative practice in bilingual and multilingual settings, in particular those where language shift and other contact-induced processes involving linguistic and cultural change lean to emphasize that relationship. This argument is illustrated via an analysis of the socialization of young children in St. Lucia to “curse” and otherwise express themselves through a creole language which normally they are discouraged from employing.