ENGLISH CODE MIXING ON THE LANGUAGE OF SMS

MUKHLASH ABRAR*
Abstract: Tulisan ini bertujuan untuk menjawab dua permasalahan, yaitu (1) fitur linguistik
pada bahasa SMS, dan (2) alasan menggunakan campur kode dalam SMS. Penelitian ini
menggunakan metode dokumentasi untuk pengambilan data. Data penelitian ini adalah campur
kode bahasa Inggris pada SMS dalam bentuk kata, frasa dan klausa. Data dikumpulkan selama
empat bulan dari telpon selular penulis. Untuk menganalisis fitur linguistik campur kode,
penulis menggunakan teori Pfaff (1979), sedangkan teori Bhatia dan Richie (2004) digunakan
untuk menganalisis alasan penggunaan campur kode. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan ada 14 data
kata pada SMS yang menggunakan campur kode bahasa Inggris yang diklasifikasikan menjadi 8
data kata benda, 3 data kata kerja, 3 data kata sifat dan 5 data frasa yang terdiri dari 4 data
frasa kata benda dan 1 data frasa preposisi. Alasan penggunaan campur kode adalah; 2 teks
SMS untuk participant roles and relationship, 7 teks SMS untuk situational factor, dan 6 teks
SMS untuk language attitude, dominance, and security.
Key word: code mixing, linguistic features, reason of code mixing
INTRODUCTION
In everyday life people always need language to communicate to each other. Language is
commonly defined as a system of communication by sound, i.e., through the organs of speech
and hearing, among human beings of certain group or community, using vocal symbols
possessing arbitrary conventional meaning. It means people use language to communicate and
socialize among them. In other words, language is considered as a means of communication.
In a communication, people tend to use more than one language by switching or mixing the
languages. The phenomena that people use more than one language can be seen in their
daily life such as the way of they send SMS text. Sometimes, the senders use more than one
language when they type the SMS text.
Mukhlash Abrar adalah dosen Jurusan Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris Universitas Jambi
Realizing that the receivers of the SMS is not only from one environment or background,
the senders mix one code with the others. This may result the SMS text is more interesting and
communicative.
In multilingual community, speaker tends to mix from one code to the others, in which
this is commonly called as code mixing. Hamers and Blanc (2000: 260) define code mixing
is a type of insertional code switching, where a constituent from language A is embedded into an
utterance in language B, and where language B is clearly the dominant language. Such code
mixing may involve a single word, phrase and clause. While Trudgill (1992:16) defines
Code Mixing as the process whereby speakers indulge in code switching between
languages of such rapidity and density, even within sentences and phrases that are not possible
to say at any given time which language they are speaking. From the two definitions, it is
obvious that code mixing refers to the mixing of two or more languages or language varieties in

speech. Code mixing can be seen in spoken and written language. In this paper, written code
mixing especially SMS text code mixing is taken for data.
In general, this writing focuses on English code mixing used in SMS texts, hoping to identify
features of English words that have been code-mixed in SMS text and the reason of using code
mixing. The research questions of this study hope to answer are (1). What are the linguistics
features of English lexical items that have been code-mixed in the SMS text? (2) What are the
reasons of using code mixing?
Data used for this research are the SMS which contain English code mixing. They were collected
naturally during the last four months from the writers friends who sent SMS to his mobile
phone.
LITERATURE REVIEW
Linguistic feature
Theoretical inquiries since the late 1970s into the very nature of both linguistic as well as
functional phenomena such as code-mixing and code-switching have thrown much light to our
current understanding of the dynamic interplay between existing language varieties. Such lights
are expected to assist our understanding of the dynamic nature of the SMS language in this
paper.
Communication by means of the SMS code between friends may reflect the working of speech
repertoire, i.e. the totality of the (major) language(s) and language varieties at their disposal. This
may reflect the whole range of linguistic behavior among members of bilingual or multilingual
speech communities that indicates that speakers may have options for the use of the linguistic
resources in the forms of (a) an adherence to the exclusive use of a single (usually major) variety
or code, (b) code switching and/ or (c) code mixing (Grosjean, 1982) depending on the demand
of the social situation and context.
Pfaff (1979) uses the conceptual term of code mixing as a cover term to include mixing
phenomena from single lexical items, morphological adaptations as well as (intrasentential) code
switching. This use of the term is taken to include the linguistic phenomena when a speaker
speaks in one language, he or she incorporates the use of any linguistic item(s) coming out of
single lexical items such as noun, verb, adjective, phrases such as NP, PP and VP up to clauses
(coordinate, subordinate, relative) from another language. That means the linguistic features that
might be inserted in code mixing are in the form of single lexical items such as noun, verb and
also adjective, in the form phrases such as NP, PP and VP and also in the form of clauses.
Reasons of Code Mixing
When bilingual people mix two languages in their speech or writing, there might be reasons for
code mixing. Bhatia and Ritchie (2004) suggest some reasons for code mixing such as (1)
Participant roles and relationship, (2) Situational factors, (3) Message-intrinsic factors, and (4)
Language attitude, dominance and security.
1.

Participant roles and relationship.

Bhatia and Ritchie (2004) mention that participant roles and relationship play a very critical in
bilinguals unconscious agreement and disagreement on language choice. It is clear that bilingual

people will see whom they talk to before mixing the languages. When people speak to their boss,
they tend to speak more formal and seldom mix the languages and on the contrary, when they
speak to their friends, they tend to speak more informal and often mix the languages.
1.

Situational factors.
Situational factors relate to social groups, settings or topics. Bhatia and Ritchie (2004) state that
some languages are viewed as more suited to particular participants/ social groups, settings or
topics than others. They also postulate that social variables such as class, religion, gender and
age can influence the pattern of language mixing and switching both qualitatively and
quantitatively. That means that social groups and topics may influence the use of code mixing in
someones speech or writing.

1.

Message-intrinsic factors.
Several reasons are also highly related to message. Bhatia and Ritchie (2004) express that some
factors which generate code mixing such as quotations, reiteration, topic comment/ relative
clauses, hedging, interjections and idioms, deep-rooted cultural wisdom. It is clear that
quotations, reiteration, topic comment/ relative clauses, hedging, interjections and idioms, deeprooted cultural wisdom influence people to mix the languages.

1.

Language attitude, dominance and security.

Bhatia and Ritchie (2004) state that language attitude, dominance and security determine the
qualitative and quantitative properties of code mixing. As for the attitude, the frequency of code
mixing from bilinguals depends on whether a society considers code mixing positively or
negatively. As for dominance, a general tendency for bilinguals to mix elements from their
dominant language when using their non-dominant language, rather than vice versa, because
many of the linguistics structures for communication are lacking in the non dominant language.
And as for safety, when bilinguals do not feel secure, they tend to mix languages. From the
theory above, it is clear that attitude, dominance, and security can trigger the use of code mixing.
DATA
The data for analysis were collected naturally from the writers mobile phone within four months
period since June September 2012. All the data contain English code mixing needed by the
writer for the analysis.
ANALYSIS
After analyzing the data, the researcher finds the result of research as the following:

1.

1.

A. Linguistics Features of SMS Code Mixing

According to Pfaff (1979), linguistics feature includes mixing phenomena from single lexical
items, morphological adaptations as well as (intrasentential) code switching such as noun, verb,
adjective, phrases such as NP, PP and VP up to clauses (coordinate, subordinate, relative) from
another language. From the analyzed data, the researcher finds 8 nouns, 3 verbs, 3 adjectives, 4
noun phrases, 1 prepositional phrase, and 1 clause that have been code-mixed in SMS texts.
1. Noun

Noun is a part of speech that is used to name or identify a person, place, thing, quality or action.
That means a noun refers to a person, place, thing, quality or action. The example can be seen in
the following:
1)

O ya? Masa sih pak? File makalah itu judulnya apa?

2)
Pak Aab, ini kan nanti presentasinya harus diprin trus dikopi untuk audiencenah, jadinya
nanti kelompok qta presentasi pake ppt yang mana ya, pak? Hand out maw disiapin jg
soalnyaa
3)
Guys, ne Ratna, no aq yg ne ga aktf lg ya. Jd smpan aja no as aq y dan no xl qu yg
0819334xxxxx.
The examples above are English noun code-mixed with Indonesian language. This linguistics
feature (N) is the most dominant compared to the other linguistics features. In example (1), (2)
and (3), the senders of SMS texts inserted the nouns into Indonesian language without changing
sentence structure of the sentences.
1.

2. Verb
Verb is a part of speech that describes an action or occurrence or indicates a state of beings. That
means a verb refers to an activity or a condition. The examples are as follows:
1)

O,..ndak la..dy mau resign tp blom dstujuin ma bapak.

2)

Mas, makalahny udah aku save tp hlang file makalahnya. Gimana?

3)

Mas Aab dah dpt email dr mas Imam? Q blm dpt. Kalo mas udh dapat tlg mas send y.

The three examples above show that English verbs (V) are mixed-code with Indonesian.
Although V is not the most dominant linguistics feature found in code mixing, but it is also often
used. In example (1), the sender of SMS mixed an English verb resign in the SMS text. In
example no (2), the sender of SMS mixed an English verb save in the text and in example (3),
the sender inserted an English verb send in the SMS. The inserted words resign, save and
send in the three examples above does not deviate the language rules.
1.

3. Adjective
Adjective is a part of speech that modifies a noun or other substantive by limiting, qualifying, or
specifying and distinguished in English morphologically by one of several suffixes, such as able, -ous, -er, and -est, or syntactically by position directly preceding a noun or nominal phrase.
That means adjective is a word that explains a noun. The examples of adjective mixed with
Indonesian on SMS text are as follows:
1)

Mas.,.,busy gak? Soalnya aq mau nelpon bentar.

2) Ass aab Ini Lia, mo ngabarin kalo Im not well, dr mlm Lia masuk angin dan tensi jg
rendah. Sorry ya, kita ga jd ketemuan hr ini on my bday. Seharusnya ini jd hariku but knapa
pake sakit.,.,huhu,ttap brsyukur.
3)

Bang, bsok free g kuliahnya? Ad yg mau rizqi tnya.

The three examples above show that adjective is also often found in code mixing. Based on the
theory, an adjective is located before noun or nominal phrase. When the adjective is mixed with
Indonesian, there is a quite different structure with the English sentences. In English, the position
of adjective is before noun such as white house and beautiful lady. The words white and

beautiful are adjectives and they modify the words house and lady. In the examples (1)
and (2) above, the nouns are hidden and example (3) there is a noun kuliah after an adjective
but the sender inserted another word gak between a noun and an adjective.
1.

4. Noun Phrase
A noun phrase is a group of words containing a noun or a pronoun that function together as a
noun or pronoun, as the subject or object of a verb. That means a noun phrase can be in the form
combination of words containing a noun or pronoun and functioning together as a noun. The
examples of noun phrase which are mixed with Indonesia on SMS texts can be seen in the
following:
1)

Ab, tempat debate competition di kampus Tembalang, dekat gak dari rumah kamu?

2)
Pak Aab, ni aq baru dpt kabar dr mb fika, katanya yang digandain itu makalahnya, nah
yang punyafix paper pak Aab kan?jd gimana pak?
3)

Note book lum jd d ambil ya pakHaio.

In the three examples above, the senders of SMS mixed noun phrases in the texts. There is a
different structure of noun phrase among three examples. In example (1) debate competition
and (3) note book, the senders inserted noun phrases which contain noun + noun structures.
Then, in example (2) fix paper, the sender inserted a noun phrase which contain adjective +
noun. The word fix is an adjective and the word paper is a noun.
1.

5. Prepositional Phrase
Prepositional phrase is a group of words made up of a preposition, its object, and any of the
object'smodifiers. That means a prepositional phrase is a combination of some words containing
a preposition and its object. The example of prepositional phrase which is mixed with Indonesian
on SMS text is as follow:
1) Ass aab Ini Lia, mo ngabarin kalo Im not well, dr mlm Lia masuk angin dan tensi jg
rendah. Sorry ya, kita ga jd ketemuan hr ini on my bday. Seharusnya ini jd hariku but knapa
pake sakit.,.,huhu,ttap brsyukur.
On SMS text, prepositional phrase is seldom mixed by the sender. From 15 SMS texts, the
researcher only finds 1 SMS text containing prepositional phrase. The example above contains a
prepositional phrase on my birthday. The word on is a preposition and followed by its
object my birthday.

1.

6. Clause
Clause is a group of words that contains a subject and a predicate. A clause may be either
a sentence (anindependent clause) or a sentence-like construction within another sentence
(a dependent clause). That means a clause a combination of words containing a subject and a
predicate. It has 2 kinds such as Independent and Dependent clauses. Independent clause is a
clause than can stand alone as a sentence and dependent clause is a clause that cannot stand alone
as a sentence because it needs another clause to be complete. The example of clause code mixing
on SMS text is as follow:
1) Ass aab Ini Lia, mo ngabarin kalo Im not well, dr mlm Lia masuk angin dan tensi jg
rendah. Sorry ya, kita ga jd ketemuan hr ini on my bday. Seharusnya ini jd hariku but knapa
pake sakit.,.,huhu,ttap brsyukur.

From 15 collected data, the researcher only finds 1 data containing a clause in EnglishIndonesian code mixing. This type of linguistics features is also seldom used by the sender of
SMS. In the example above, the sender mixed an independent clause with Indonesian.
Reason of Code Mixing
Bhatia and Ritchie (2004) suggest some reasons for code mixing such as (1) Participant roles and
relationship, (2) Situational factors, (3) Message-intrinsic factors, and (4) Language attitude,
dominance and security. From the analyzed data, the researcher finds 2 data belong to participant
roles and relationship, 7 data belong to situational factors and 6 data belongs to language
attitude, dominance and security.
1.

1. Participant roles and relationship

Bhatia and Ritchie (2004) mention that participant roles and relationship play a very critical in
bilinguals unconscious agreement and disagreement on language choice. It is clear that bilingual
people will see whom they talk to before mixing the languages. The data belong to this category
can be seen in the following:
1)

Bro, udah nyampe gak? Aq lagi di campus Mendalo.

2)

Bang, bsok free g kuliahnya? Ad yg mau rizqi tnya.

The reason of code mixing in two SMS texts above is Participant roles and relationship. The
relationship between the receiver and senders are close. The first sender is the receivers close
friend and the second sender is the receivers brother. The receiver and senders often mix the
languages in communication.
1.

2. Situational factors
Situational factors relate to social groups, settings or topics. Bhatia and Ritchie (2004) state that
some languages are viewed as more suited to particular participants/ social groups, settings or
topics than others. It is obvious that social groups and topics may influence the use of code
mixing in someones speech or writing. The data of this category are as follows:
1)

O ya? Masa sih pak? File makalah judulnya apa?

2)
Pak Aab, besok kan kita presentasitrus apakah slide sudah jadi? Atau ada yang perlu
dibantu?
3)
Pak Aab, ni aq baru dpt kabar dr mb fika, katanya yang digandain itu makalahnya, nah
yang punyafix paper pak Aab kan?jd gimana pak?
4)
Pak Aab, ini kan nanti presentasinya harus diprin trus dikopi untuk audiencenah, jadinya
nanti kelompok qta presentasi pake ppt yang mana ya, pak? Hand out maw disiapin jg
soalnyaa
5)

Temans, ujian tengah semester translation take home. Soalnya ntar mlm dikrm.

6)

Mas, makalahnys udah aku save tp hlang file makalahnya. Gimana?

7)

Mas Aab dah dpt email dr mas Imam? Q blm dpt. Kalo mas udh dapat tlg mas send y.

Based on the analysis, the reason of code mixing in seven SMS texts above is situational factors
especially topic. All the senders of the SMS are the receivers classmates. The receiver and the
senders seldom mix the languages when they communicate each other. Code mixing might

happen on SMS texts when the topic is about presentation because there are some words which
are difficult find the equivalent words in Indonesian such as file, slide, email and hand out.
Language attitude, dominance and security
Bhatia and Ritchie (2004) state that language attitude, dominance and security determine the
qualitative and quantitative properties of code mixing. That means language attitude, dominance,
and security can trigger the use of code mixing. The data of this category are as follows:
1)

Ab, tempat debate competition di kampus Tembalang, dekat gak dari rumah kamu?

2)

O,..ndak la..dy mau resign tp blom dstujuin ma bapak.

3)

Mas.,.,busy gak? Soalnya aq mau nelpon bentar.

4)
Guys, ne Ratna, no aq yg ne ga aktf lg ya. Jd smpan aja no as aq y dan no xl qu yg
0819334xxxxx.
5) Ass aab Ini Lia, mo ngabarin kalo Im not well, dr mlm Lia masuk angin dan tensi jg
rendah. Sorry ya, kita ga jd ketemuan hr ini on my bday. Seharusnya ini jd hariku but knapa
pake sakit.,.,huhu,ttap brsyukur.
6)

Note book lum jd d ambil pakHaio.

The reason of code mixing in six SMS text above is Language attitude. The sender of data (1) is
the receivers friend. His job is an English lecturer and he is very proud of speaking English or
mixing the language with English. The sender of data (2), (3) and (4) is the same person. She is
receivers friend and works as a course consultant of one of English courses in Jambi. She loves
mixing Indonesian and English words in when she speaks and sends SMS to her friends. The
sender of data (5) is receivers friend. She just comes back from Japan for student exchange
program. She always mixes the languages when she communicates after the program. The sender
of data (6) is also receivers friend. He was the receivers classmate and he is an English teacher
now. He likes communicating by mixing Indonesian language and English words. Because of
their positive language attitude towards English, they tend to use code mixing when they
communicate to the others.
CONCLUSION
After analyzing all data, the researcher finds the conclusion of analysis in the following points:
1.

There are 20 data related to code mixing which are found in 15 SMS texts. Of the 20
data, code mixing on the language of SMS contains 14 data of words which can be classified into
8 data of nouns, 3 data of verbs, 3 data of adjectives; 5 data of phrases, classified into 4 data of
noun phrase and 1 datum of prepositional phrase; and 1 datum of clause. So, from the linguistic
feature analysis, noun code mixing is the most dominant code mixing used by the senders on the
language of SMS.
2.
There are 3 reasons of using code mixing from 15 SMS texts sent to the researcher such
as participant roles and relationship, situational factors (topic) and language attitude. From 15
SMS texts, it is found that 2 SMS texts are for participant roles and relationship, 7 SMS texts are
situational factors (topic) and 6 SMS texts are for language attitude.

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