Functions of Arabic-English Code-Switching in Advertising Posters in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

This study investigates the functions of Arabic-English code-switching in advertising posters in Saudi Arabia, a predominantly Arabic-speaking society in which English nevertheless occupies an increasingly visible place in commercial discourse. Grounded in a qualitative case-study design, the study draws on semi-structured interviews with thirty Saudi participants, ten poster designers, ten sellers, and ten consumers, to explore why advertisers alternate between Arabic and English in poster advertisements and what communicative purposes this alternation serves. Interview data were analyzed through qualitative content analysis, involving verbatim transcription, in vivo coding, and iterative thematic categorization. The findings show that Arabic-English code-switching in Saudi advertising posters serves four interrelated functions: cognitive (familiarity, ease of processing, and clarification), marketing or business-related (modernity, marketing appeal, and trendiness), social (audience reach and cultural relevance), and psycho-affective (prestige and impression management). These functions rarely operate in isolation; rather, they overlap and reinforce one another, reflecting the layered interplay of language, commerce, and identity in the Saudi advertising landscape.