Code switching and code mixing in Arabic written advertisements: Patterns, aspects, and the question of prestige and standardisation

This study investigates code mixing (and code switching) that are becoming a norm rather than an exception in Arabic written commercials in Jordan and Palestine. The analytical framework of the study draws on the notions of the communicative competence approach and hybridity theory. The study reveals that there are identifiable patterns, though inconclusive, of code mixing and code switching, and that written advertisements (ads) are impacting the evolution of written Arabic as a diglossic language. The study results highlight salient lexical and morpho-syntactical aspects of vernacular use in the area of verbs, prepositions, question words and idiomatic expressions. The study concludes that equating standard with prestige is increasingly becoming a questionable assumption, and that the use of the vernacular in the written mode is not arbitrary, and serves linguistic and sociocultural objectives. In other words, vernaculars are penetrating ads as a literary genre where they function as forceful communicative and persuasive devices. The study also concludes that the use of the vernacular in writing aligns with certain age groups, certain businesses, and socio-economic statuses of the targeted audiences. The role of language academies is being undermined. The ads can be a very rich resource for instructional materials for teaching the vernacular which will also fit the learning styles of visually oriented learners. Other pedagogical and socio-cultural implications of the use of this widely spread genre are drawn.