Code Mixing

         

Code mixing is the use of two languages or more, language varieties in relax situation between the speaker and other people who has a close relationship to each other (Nababan: 1999). Code mixing is the use of a language or language variety in relaxing situation between the speaker and listener who have an intimate relationship. For example; Between friends or colleagues in informal situation (Saragih, 2002). Code mixing occurs in the level of Linguistics, Phonology, Morphology, Lexicon and Syntax.

            Borrowing can be defined as the introduction of single words or short frozen, idiomatic phrases from one variety into the other. The items in question are incorporated into the grammatical system of the borrowing language. They are treated as part of its lexicon, take on its morphological characteristics and enter into its syntactic structures (Siregar:1996). Example: “Kita membuka sejumlah special session untuk murid “(We open special sessions for the students)

            As in phenomena of borrowing words, the English constituents special sessions have been adapted into BI morphosyntactic structure. What happen here is that these 'borrowing' words. Code mixing should be differentiated from loan words, Hornberger (1996:558) distinguish the two on the following grounds:

1. Borrowing may occasionally involves a few set phrases but it usually restricted to single lexical items. However, involves every levels of lexical and syntactic structure, including word, phrase, clause and sentences.
2. Borrowing words can occur event in the speech of monolingual whereas code mixing presupposes a certain degree of bilingual competence.
3. The set of borrowed expression in a language typically represents semantic fields outside the experience of the borrowing language. Whereas the expression that occur in code mixing may duplicate existing expressions. In the other words, code mixing is not always used to fill lexical gaps
4. Borrowings represent a restricted set of expression with some creatively upon practically the whole of the vocabulary and grammar of other language.
5. Borrowings represent mostly nouns are marginally, a few adjectives and another categories, whereas every categories and constituent type in grammar.

            Code mixing involves the mixing of two language without an associated topic change. This means that the conversation goes on normally without any change of topic or joining another participant. He continuous that code mixing is not just a haphazard mixing of two language by laziness or ignorance or some combination. But requires conversant to have a sophisticated knowledge of both language and to be acutely aware of community norm (Wardhaug:1986).

            One criterion that is sometimes offered to distinguish mixing from switching is the grammar of clause determine of language. The norms of code selection tend to be relatively stable. Unlike a less stable bilingualism, language choice behavior is relatively more predictable, i.e. language choice normally occurs between languages rather than within a single matrix language. Therefore questions of who speaks what to whom and when are more appropriate in language choice investigation than question of syntactic or grammatical constrain. But if one clause has the grammatical structure of one language and constructed according to grammar of another a switching has occurred.

            Siregar (1995-6) says "there are the similarities between code mixing and code switching, the use of two or more language or two variation of language "is used for specific purpose". The differences between code mixing and code switching are code switching from one clause in a language to another. But if the speakers use a mix clause or a mix (hybrid clause), hybrid phrases has no certain function so it called code mixing not code switching.

            One of the characteristics of code mixing that occur in an informal situation, is caused by the speakers habit only, in relax situation, some usually mix his or her language. In Indonesia code mixing often occurs when the people mix BI (Bahasa Indonesia) with their native language according to their tribe such as: Batak Language, Javanese, etc

Factors of Code Mixing

            According to Nababan (1993:32), there are four main reasons why people do code  mixing, which are :

1. Bilingualism

            People mix their language can be caused by bilingual society

2. Habit

            Code mixing occurs because of informal situation, that carefree situation that is     why the speakers use just their habits only.

3. Prestige

            Code mixing can also occur because the speakers want to show their proficiency    in using many language or they do code mixing as prestige language

4. Vocabulary

            When there is a lack of vocabulary in one language sometimes people change the   word to another language.

            Code mixing has two features, namely dependency feature and the language or variant elements that insert in other language have no more function. Dependency feature marked by the relationship between the language rule and function. The role means who use the language and function means what will be reached by the speaker with his or her utterance. If the speaker mixes his or her code or language, then it must be asked the factors such as: who the speaker is: social background, the level of education, religion, etc. A speaker who masters many languages will have chance to mix code more than the other speakers who only master one language. But it does not mean that the speaker who masters many languages will always mix codes.

The first feature that the language or variant elements inserted in other language have no more function. It can be classified into two kinds. The first is inner code mixing that is originated from the native language with its all variations,  for instance Jawa Ngoko mixed with Jawa Krama- Inggil, wah baksone pun telas mas, pados liyane mawon. In this sentence, the speaker mixes jawa ngoko, liyane, with jawa krama inggil, pun, telas, mawon.

The second is outer code mixing that mix a foreign language with native language such as English language mixed with Indonesian language. Saya sedang tidak bisa berpikir, otakku blank. In this sentence, the speaker mixes English language, blank, with Indonesian language saya, sedang, tidak, bisa, berpikir, otakku.