Code mixing is when someone uses one word or phrase from one language to another language. In another words when a person use words of another language while speaking a particular language. For instance if a person is speaking his mother tongue and use vocabulary of languages other than his mother tongue, similarly if a person is speaking a language other than his mother tongue and use vocabulary of his native language or some other language, the person is actually doing code mixing.
Actually in Pakistan almost every person can speak more than one language, that includes his mother tongue, national language “Urdu” and sometimes English. So whenever a person speaks a particular language he automatically uses the vocabulary that comes first to his mind no matter if that vocabulary belongs to the language other than he is speaking at that moment and hence he mix different languages.
This code mixing might seems you something normal but looking to it deeply, it is no less than a matter of serious concern. In my opinion code mixing is wrong and those who code-mix make a mess out of the conversation. They cannot speak the language properly.
Code mixing sometimes lead to embarrassment when one code-mix a language in-front of a person who is not in the favour of using impure language. Another disadvantage of code-mixing is that it keeps us deprived from learning the basic and pure vocabulary of our native language and also makes us to do injustice with a language.
If I give you my example, I grew up speaking Pashto and have a fair command of Urdu and English. Being native speaker of Pashto I sometime wonder that why I use the English word ‘university’ instead of Pashto word ‘pokhuntoon’? Similarly I don’t know why I use the Urdu word ‘haspataal’ instead of the Pashto word ‘rughuntoon’ ?
The answer is that code-mixing did not let me learn these words in my childhood. My parents taught me these words in the same way as their parents taught them. This process will continue until the language gets modified into a new language, which is injustice with a language and its speakers.
Code-mixing is also the result of incompetence of the linguists and unfair behaviour of speakers of local languages. In this modern day era one can witness new inventions each and every day but linguists are unable to give it a name in their own language. If in some cases the linguists get success in giving name to a newly invented material, the speakers feel shy to use that name. There are many words having an alternative words in other languages but the speakers of that language feel embarrassment by using that words and as a result code-mixing happens.
Being student of language, I am in favour of pure language. A language should not be mixed with other languages. If you are speaking English, use words of English. If you are speaking Urdu, then do not use words of other languages at that moment. Similarly if you are speaking your native language, don’t mix it with your second language. We are saviours of our own languages. It’s our duty to save our language from getting drowned.
The destruction of a language is not extended to that language only, rather it also destroy the culture of the speakers of that language. Language and culture are closely linked to one another and therefore the culture get affected in the same way as language gets affected.
There are languages that are endangered and the speaker of those languages are now trying their best to speak their languages purely so that their languages survive. We Pakistanis are not yet at that stage. Our languages are still progressive but a lot depends on our behaviours toward our languages. I think it is high time to get rid of the evil of code mixing by just speaking our language purely. If we don’t do this then there would be no option with us except mourning. I am pretty sure that mourning can’t be better than paying attention and adopting positive behaviour toward code mixing.