Codeswitching

Abstract

The purpose of this chapter is to overview the topic of language codeswitching—which refers essentially to the alternation between two languages in communication by bilinguals. The history of codeswitching, motivations for codeswitching, and the use of codeswitching in the media and in advertising are discussed. Further, the appropriateness of using this language style to reach consumers in advertising is also examined in light of language attitudes and general attitudes toward the practice. Greater understanding of how to employ bilingual advertising (such as codeswitching) among an increasingly interconnected world still remains of interest to international and cross-cultural advertisers.