LANGUAGE IN INDIA

Strength for Today and Bright Hope for Tomorrow

Volume 14:8 August 2014
ISSN 1930-2940

Managing Editor: M. S. Thirumalai, Ph.D.
Editors: B. Mallikarjun, Ph.D.
         Sam Mohanlal, Ph.D.
         B. A. Sharada, Ph.D.
         A. R. Fatihi, Ph.D.
         Lakhan Gusain, Ph.D.
         Jennifer Marie Bayer, Ph.D.
         S. M. Ravichandran, Ph.D.
         G. Baskaran, Ph.D.
         L. Ramamoorthy, Ph.D.
         C. Subburaman, Ph.D. (Economics)
Assistant Managing Editor: Swarna Thirumalai, M.A.

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Language Choice, Code Switching and Identity Construction in
Malaysian English Newspaper Advertisements

Deborah Ashabai Fredericks John, MESL.
Francisco Perlas Dumanig, Ph.D.

Abstract

While identity construction and code switching in print advertising has become an area of growing interest, studies on this topic in the Malaysian context are limited. Furthermore, in the global context, most scholars investigate the occurrence of English lexical items in local language advertising. Thus, an examination of code switching in English newspaper advertisements in the Malaysian context would be significant. This study aims to explore the reasons for the construction of identity through the use of code switching in English newspaper advertisements in Malaysia.

To achieve the aim of this study, 121 food, finance, motoring, energy and telecommunication English advertisements with Malay, Tamil and Chinese code switching occurrences were selected. The advertisements were taken from the three local English newspapers with the highest circulation, namely, The Star, The New Straits Times, and The Sun, over a period of six months from 1st August, 2011 to 31st January, 2012. The data was analyzed against previous studies related to motivations behind the use of code switching as well as identity construction.

The findings reveal that advertisers construct identity through code switching mainly during festivals. The findings further reveal that the main reason for advertisers to construct these identities through code switching is to persuade multilingual consumers as a form of marketing strategy. The advertisers aim to persuade consumers through the construction of these identities to accommodate the bilingual consumers, attract consumers through affective means, and build credibility and solidarity with the consumers. The findings are consistent with previous studies on language choice, identity construction and advertising.

Keywords: identity, code switching, advertising, bilingualism

1. Introduction

Various studies over the years have linked code switching to identity construction (Hajar Abdul Rahim, 2006; Leung, 2010, p. 418), but few have explored identity construction through code switching in print advertisements, particularly in Malaysian context. Studies show that in multilingual Malaysia, code switching is a common feature in many communicative events (Dumanig & David, 2011, p. 215) and has been the subject of many studies. One of the critical questions in bilingualism research from a Sociolinguistic perspective is, ‘Why do bilingual speakers switch from one language to another in conversational interaction?’ (Wei, 1998, p. 156). Contemporary sociolinguistic studies on code switching have moved from the notion of deficiency driven code switching to the notion of proficiency driven code switching. Dumanig & David (2011, p.216), argue that majority of people in multilingual societies like Malaysia code switch not because they have to, but because they want to, ‘with clearly intended purposes’. This means that people code switch and they are fully aware why they switch from one language to another.

This is only the beginning part of the article. PLEASE CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE IN PRINTER-FRIENDLY VERSION.

Deborah Ashabai Fredericks John, MESL.
Senior Lecturer
Taylor’s University
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
deborahashabai@gmail.com

Francisco Perlas Dumanig, Ph.D.
Senior Lecturer
University of Malaya
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
fdumanig@yahoo.com

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