Influence of Code-mixed Advertising Language on Purchasing Decisions of Youth

This study was aimed at investigating how Sinhala-English language mixing in Sri Lankan advertising on food and beverages impact purchasing decisions of youth. The study was conducted among 50 undergraduates belonging to Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Faculty of Management Studies and Commerce, Faculty of Medical Sciences and Faculty of Applied Sciences of the University of Sri Jayewardenepura in December, 2022. Data were gathered using convenience sampling, and were analyzed using SPSS 25 version. The key results highlighted that while students offering English medium degrees and English as main study stream were positive about these shifts in language, those pursuing Sinhala, Pali and Buddhist subjects had completely negative or mixed feelings towards the notion of code-mixing. Expectation of language purity was identified as the driving force for those students to be discontented with it. Fast foods and snacks were recognized as the products for which code-mixing has been chiefly used. Overall, it was understood that respondents did not perceive code-mixing as derogatory to Sri Lankan culture and language, but view it as a feature of novelty. Moreover, participants considered code-mixed language as contributing to linguistic improvement and bridging inter-cultural harmony. Hence, the study determined that Sinhala-English code-mixing is a strong instrument in ‘persuasive advertising’ that convey a convincing and manipulative tone. It is concluded that English-Sinhala code-mixed advertising does not only reflect language change but also transformation in Sri Lankan gastronomy, culture and way of life as a whole.