Acuity : Journal of English Language Pedagogy, Literature and Culture
Vol. 11 No. 1 (2026): Acuity: Journal of English Language Pedagogy, Literature and Culture

Language Using of Code-Mixing in Captions and Comments on Instagram Content Creators'

Sakina, Silfi Aliya (Unknown)
Sigit Haryanto (Unknown)



Article Info

Publish Date
23 Nov 2025

Abstract

Digital communication has increased the use of code-mixing among social media users, such as on Instagram. This research examines Indonesian-English code-mixing found in both captions and comments of three popular Indonesian bilingual content creators. Using a descriptive qualitative approach, 50 instances of code-mixing were identified and analyzed over a 4-month observation period. Each instance was thoroughly examined and categorized according to Muysken’s (2000) typology, which includes insertion, alternation, and congruent lexicalization. In addition, the underlying motivations for code-mixing were analyzed using Holmes’ (1992) motivational framework. Results show that insertion form (40%), followed by alternation (32%) and congruent lexicalization (28%). Motivationally, prestige and affective expression were the most salient factors, indicating that English serves both as a marker of status and as a means to connect emotionally with followers. Unlike previous studies that focused only on captions or product-promotion discourse, this research combines the classification of code-mixing types (Muysken, 2000) and motivational analyses (Holmes, 1992) across both captions and comments, providing a more comprehensive understanding of bilingual interaction in digital communication.

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Journal Info

Abbrev

acuity

Publisher

Subject

Education Languange, Linguistic, Communication & Media

Description

Journal of English Language Pedagogy, Literature and Culture (Jelpedlic) is the research journal for the Teaching of English, Literature & Culture. It publishes research-based articles, reviews and poems, which reflect on every aspect of English teaching. The journal also considers new developments ...