Bilingual Play and Social Identity: Code-Mixing among Malaysians on X (Twitter)

This study explores bilingual play and social identity through code-mixing among Malaysians on X (formerly known as Twitter), concentrating on the types and contexts of code-mixing in digital communication. Based on Muysken’s Theory of Code-Mixing (2000), it explores the inadequately studied domain of online code-mixing, particularly on X, which has distinct communicative limitations. A qualitative content analysis was performed on 150 purposively selected posts from active Malaysian X accounts. Posts were coded into insertion, alternation, and congruent lexicalization, followed by thematic classification of contexts. Findings show insertion as the most dominant type, with code-mixing primarily occurring in informal communication and, to a lesser extent, in public discourse. Code-mixing serves multiple communicative functions, such as humour, solidarity, critique, and emphasis. The study concludes that code-mixing is not random but a strategic resource for identity expression and communicative efficiency. These findings contribute to sociolinguistic theory by linking structural patterns to social functions and offer practical implications for language policy, education, and digital literacy. Future research should expand to multimodal data and cross-platform comparisons.