CODE-SWITCHING AND CODE-MIXING IN NIGERIAN SOCIAL MEDIA INTERACTIONS

This study aims to investigate the patterns, frequency, and communicative functions of code-switching and code-mixing among Nigerian social media users, with a particular focus on undergraduate students at the University of Delta, Agbor. A qualitative descriptive research design was employed, involving a purposive sample of 50 students who actively engage in multilingual communication on platforms such as WhatsApp, Twitter (X), Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. Data were collected through digital text samples—such as chats, posts, and comments—and supplemented by semi-structured interviews with selected participants. The analysis revealed that intra-sentential code-mixing was the most prevalent pattern (45%), followed by inter-sentential switching (35%) and tag switching (20%). The dominant language pairing was English and Nigerian Pidgin, though indigenous languages like Yoruba, Igbo, and Ika were also used to convey cultural identity and audience connection. Findings indicated that participants used code-switching and code-mixing strategically to achieve various communicative purposes, including emphasis, humor, identity expression, group solidarity, and audience adaptation. WhatsApp and Twitter emerged as the most active platforms for code alternation due to their informal, peer-driven nature. The study concludes that these language practices are not random but reflect deliberate, socially meaningful choices shaped by Nigeria’s multilingual environment and the dynamic nature of digital discourse.