Creative Use of Urban Youth Language in Advertisements: A Case of Mixing Codes

Abstract

There is no doubt that youth in a number of urban centres in the African continent are continuously creating their own language in order to set themselves apart from the older generation. In Kenya, for instance, the youth use slang which may take the form of mixed codes to create social networks. Whereas the Kenyan curriculum has no room for the mixed codes, it is interesting to note how they have permeated Kenyan institutions and media; one such area is advertising. The advertising phenomenon is a household thing; it has become part and parcel of our present-day life. Every day we are bombarded with advertisements of different types, which intrude on our privacy through print, television and radio. Numerous campaigns are developed with the purpose of positioning products with an edge over others. The attractive power of advertisements is able to manipulate the consumer by advocating, encouraging, asking, announcing, persuading and finally becoming embedded in people’s minds. Of concern to a linguist is the linguistic input that goes into these advertisements. The fact that language has a powerful influence over people and their behaviour should not be underestimated. This is particularly true since the choice of language in advertising is made with the aim of influencing people. Traditionally, the English language has dominated advertising in Kenya because of its rich, extensive vocabulary. Where many other languages have only one or two words which carry a particular meaning, English may have five or six. This notwithstanding, the advertising scene has seen changes. In Kenya, for instance, with the emergence of Sheng the advertising industry has embraced it in a bid to target a particular audience. That is why this chapter examines the use of mixed codes in print, radio and television advertisements, focusing specifically on how they are used and bringing to the fore the different linguistic strategies employed in the advertisements.