Blended Scripts, Blended Voices: A Qualitative Analysis of Urdu–English Code-Mixing in Pakistani Billboards

Abstract

The present research explores the code-mixing of Urdu and English in Pakistani billboard advertisements, and how bilingual linguistic choices construct meaning, identity and persuasive power within public advertising discourse. The study is inspired by the fact that very little qualitative research has been devoted to exploring billboard-specific code-mixing strategies, although much descriptive research on print, broadcast and digital media has been carried out. The study sought to understand the structural forms, communicative roles and ideological significance as they are captured in code mixing on billboards. Twenty-five bilingual billboard advertisements were sampled from Google Images and used as the data. The study used qualitative discourse analysis to investigate the process of inserting English words into Urdu structures. Myers-Scotton (1993) Markedness Model and Matrix Language Frame (MLF) Model were used to analyze the data to interpret linguistic patterns and sociolinguistic motivations. Findings reveal that the most common type of mixing is lexical insertion where English nouns, adjectives and short phrases are inserted into Urdu grammatical structures. Lexical elements of English that are associated with technology, beauty, lifestyle, and digital culture are always indicative of modernity, prestige, youth orientation, and technical power. The results show that the use of code-mixing on billboards is systematic and ideological rather than merely stylistic. The study concludes that bilingual billboard discourse creates hybrid consumer identity and strengthens English as a symbol of aspiration and social capital within the advertisement industry in Pakistan.