Underlying Reasons for Marked and Unmarked Code-Mixed Expressions in Advertisement Jingles

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.54536/jnll.v3i1.5808

Keywords:

Advertisement Jingles, Code-mixing, Marked, Reasons, Unmarked

Abstract

The linguistic practice of code-mixing in advertisements can be unmarked or expected to occur, or sometimes marked or unanticipated by the listeners, which has some underlying reasons for its occurrence. The objective of this study is to examine the marked and unmarked code-mixed expressions used by the advertisers in the selected Southwestern Nigerian Radio and online advertisement jingles and the underlying reasons why the advertisers make these language choices. The primary source of data was drawn from 60 code-switched advertisement jingles collected from 30 radio commercials and 30 online advertisements on YouTube through purposive random sampling technique. The 30 radio jingles were collected from 12 radio stations in the Southwestern states in Nigeria which are Osun, Oyo, Ondo, Ogun, Ekiti and Lagos. In each of the states, a private radio station and a public radio station were selected. The result showed that the advertisers made use of both marked and unmarked code-mixing which have some underlying reasons why the advertisers made use of these language choices. All these marked and unmarked choices ultimately contribute to the successful dissemination of the proposed messages regarding the advertised products and services to people in the multilingual Nigerian society. It is therefore recommended that rather than viewing code-mixing as an indication of linguistic incompetence, the advertisers should harness it as a viable communicative instrument to ensure the listeners are able to grasp important information about the marketed goods and services in a multilingual society.

Author Biographies

  • Mary Temiloluwa Oso, Department of English, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria

    Dr. (Mrs) Mary Temiloluwa Oso obtained her B.A., M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in English Language from the Department of English, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State, Nigeria. She is a promising scholar of English Language who has a penchant for rigorous scholarly research which possesses thematic originality, innovative stance and serve as immense contribution to the field of Applied Linguistics, Sociolinguistics and English Grammar. She works as an astute English tutor and has published some articles both in the field of Applied Linguistics and Sociolinguistics which is her area of interest.

  • Emmanuel Taiwo Babalola, Department of English, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria

    Prof. Emmanuel Taiwo Babalola is a distinguished Professor of English and presently the Head of Department of English, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife. He is an astute educator to the core having supervised many Masters and doctoral students to success. Widely travelled and highly cerebral, his academic publications have appeared in reputable journals in various countries of the world. His area of interest are English Grammar, Sociolinguistics and Contemporary English Usage.

  • Edith Nkechinyere Uwalaka, Department of English, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria

    Mrs. Edith Nkechinyere UWALAKA is a lecturer and a doctoral student in the Department of English , Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife. She teaches Linguistic Stylistics.

  • Yemisi Folasade Irabor, Department of English, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria

    Yemisi Folasade IRABOR is a dedicated researcher with a strong interest in Applied Linguistics with a background in Forensic Linguistics and Critical Discourse Analysis. She focuses on Forensic Discourse and passionate about interdiscplinary collaboration and data-driven insights. She strives to make a meaningful impact through research and innovation. Currently, she is engaged in Critical Discourse Analysis of Divorce Proceedings.

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Published

2025-11-14

Issue

Vol. 3 No. 1 (2025): Journal of Natural Language and Linguistics

Section

Research Articles

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Copyright (c) 2025 Mary Temiloluwa Oso, Emmanuel Taiwo Babalola, Edith Nkechinyere Uwalaka, Yemisi Folasade Irabor

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

How to Cite

Underlying Reasons for Marked and Unmarked Code-Mixed Expressions in Advertisement Jingles. (2025). Journal of Natural Language and Linguistics, 3(1), 247-256. https://doi.org/10.54536/jnll.v3i1.5808