JEELS
(Journal of English Education and Linguistics Studies)
P-ISSN: 2407-2575 E-ISSN: 2503-2194
https://jurnalfaktarbiyah.iainkediri.ac.id/index.php/jeels
INVESTIGATION OF CODE-SWITCHING USED BY YOUNGFAMOUS INDONESIAN YOUTUBERS IN TRAVEL CONTENT
VIDEOS
Yunisrina Qismullah Yusuf1;*; Ika Apriani Fata¹; Deafi Denilda¹;
Saiful Marhaban¹; Abdulhakim Saidu2
¹Department of English Education, Faculty of Teacher Training and
Education, Universitas Syiah Kuala, Banda Aceh, Indonesia
2Department of English and French, Faculty of Humanities, Umaru
Musa Yar’adua, University, Katsina, Nigeria
yunisrina.q.yusuf@usk.ac.id; ika.apriani@usk.ac.id;
deafi.denilda78@gmail.com; saiduabdulhakim@gmail.com
(*) Corresponding Author
Abstract: In travelling videos, people tend to do codeswitching, yet there is limited study to examine codeswitching in YouTube during travelling time. This study
focused on filling in the gap by analysing code-switching
by young and famous Indonesian YouTubers in travel
content videos. Five informants through purposive
sampling were chosen, and we employed a descriptive
qualitative method, drawing on the frameworks of
Gumperz and Hoffmann. The results revealed that
1

Citation in APA style:
Yusuf, Y. Q., Fata, I. A., Denilda, D., Marhaban, S., & Saidu, A. (2025). Investigation of code-switching
used by young-famous Indonesian YouTubers in travel content videos. JEELS (Journal of English
Education and Linguistics Studies), 12(1), 1003–1027.
DOI: 10.30762/jeels.v12i2.4862
Submission: February 2025, Revision: July 2025, Publication: November 2025

Yusuf, Y. Q., Fata, I. A., Denilda, D., Marhaban, S., & Saidu, A. (2025). Investigation of code-switching
used by young-famous Indonesian YouTubers in travel content videos. JEELS (Journal of English
Education and Linguistics Studies), 12(1), 1003–1027.

famous Indonesian YouTubers utilised four codeswitching types: inter-sentential switching, intrasentential switching, tag-switching and determining
consistency with the previous speaker. Intra-sentential
Switching was the most popular code-switching strategy
among YouTubers, and it indicates the utility in ordinary
communication and to interact daily. However,
consistency with the previous speaker was the least to be
determined, signifying that YouTubers like to proceed to
new topics during vlogging rather than repeating the
words of earlier speakers. This study also discovered five
code-switching functions: reiteration, interjection,
addressee specification, message qualification, and
personalization vs objectification. YouTubers mostly
used interjections in English tags to strengthen sentences
so viewers may remember the vlogging content easily.
The quotation function has never been found denoting
Youtubers' limited schemata for relating content to
scientific knowledge. Further studies are encouraged to
explain the phenomenon of CS in other social media and
compare senior YouTubers with young YouTubers in
vlogging or podcasting.
Keywords: Code-Switching,
Sociolinguistics, YouTubers

Gen

Y,

Gen

Z,

INTRODUCTION
YouTube, an online video platform, has become a popular
platform for sharing videos, drawing users from around the world.
Indonesian YouTubers frequently engage in code-switching, a
technique that occurs in both face-to-face interactions and online
communication. Code-switching (henceforth CS) is a sociolinguistic
phenomenon where bilingual or multilingual speakers alternate
between multiple languages during conversation (Foster & Welsh,
2021). It is linked to a particular participant and can indicate a change
in the social context when a new person enters the conversation. This
technique is a continuous phenomenon, as specific components from
one language are interchanged, acquired, or assimilated by the other.

1004

Yusuf, Y. Q., Fata, I. A., Denilda, D., Marhaban, S., & Saidu, A. (2025). Investigation of code-switching
used by young-famous Indonesian YouTubers in travel content videos. JEELS (Journal of English
Education and Linguistics Studies), 12(1), 1003–1027.

It is also used for stylistic purposes when redundant words in English
may seem optional for effective communication (Holmes, 2013).
Because of globalization and social interaction, CS is common
among multi lingual speakers (Zhiganova, 2016). Hoffman (2014) states
that inter-sentential, intra-sentential, tag-switching, and continuity
with the previous speaker are types of CS. Inter-sentential switching
occurs across sentence boundaries, while intra-sentential switching
arises within a single utterance (Gil & Gaspar, 2022). These language
shifts perform multiple communicative and social purposes, including
quotation, addressee specification, interjection, reiteration, message
qualification, and personalization versus objectification (Gumperz,
2009; Holmes, 2013). Overall, code-switching not only reflects
speakers’ linguistic flexibility but also expresses communicative intent
in diverse multilingual settings.
Studies have shown that code-switching can have practical
effects on language loss and growth. Astani et al. (2019) examined the
influence of code-switching in the program of "Nebeng Boy" (also
abbreviated as N.B, explicitly focusing on the use of English as a means
of communication among the participants. The study discovered that
the individuals had a practical effect on both language loss and
language growth. It is echoed by Prabowo (2018), who analysed the
code-switching patterns of YouTubers. Prabowo found that YouTubers
employed code-switching in the video to express their personal
opinions and empathy to the viewers. In addition, this study found CS
functions of personalization, delivering the message clearer to the
viewers by reiterating or repeating their words or sentences,
entertaining people presented as humour, and altering language
during conversations. The factors of these CS functions are likely to
adapt to a multilingual society, to be a part of a minority group, to
migrate, and to have family members across one's ethnic group
Prabowo (2018).
Additionally, inter-sentential switching emerges in the everyday
talk of media show. Nuryandi et al. (2018) found that inter-sentential
switching and quotes were the most dominant types performed by
D.C. on the Hitam Putih program in Trans7. In line with a study by
1005

Yusuf, Y. Q., Fata, I. A., Denilda, D., Marhaban, S., & Saidu, A. (2025). Investigation of code-switching
used by young-famous Indonesian YouTubers in travel content videos. JEELS (Journal of English
Education and Linguistics Studies), 12(1), 1003–1027.

Sriwulandari (2016), the host of the program on NET TV examined the
code-switching used. The findings showed that intra-sentential
switching was the most frequently used method. Meanwhile, the host
performed code-switches most frequently when she talked about a
particular topic.
The previous studies have analysed well-known Gen X, baby
boomer YouTubers and podcasters in Indonesia (Astani et al., 2019);
Prabowo, 2018; Nuryandi et al., 2018; and Sriwulandari, 2016;).
However, young, famous YouTubers with over one million subscribers
who frequently use code-switching in travelling videos are underresearched. Since its release in June 2005, one of the content for users
on YouTube is a Vlog, a video blog post that can refer to a blog made
up entirely of video blog posts (Gunelius, 2016). The way to post a Vlog
is by creating a video of yourself or an event, uploading it to the
Internet, and publishing it within a post on your blog or a channel on
social media (Sari, 2017). For example, a YouTube channel is the home
page for a personal account and requires uploading videos, adding
comments, or making playlists (Karch, 2017). Nowadays, many
Vloggers or Vlog makers (Mahameruaji et al., 2018) make Vlogs to gain
more popularity by using their YouTube channels, especially
celebrities, comedians, writers, musicians, and so forth., and indeed
have influenced society in Indonesia. Afterwards, a study by Danendra
et al. (2022) revealed YouTube content, especially about life in Japan,
like content owned by mixed-blood speakers and mixed Indonesian
and Japanese speakers. In addition, code-switching on YouTube is
typically done by people with international experience and skills or by
people who speak another language as a foreign/second language. It
has communication functions such as humour, bonding, and
dampening directness.
As a result, the current investigation would contribute to
knowledge. The following questions are intended to be addressed: 1)
Which code-switching techniques are employed by young Indonesian
YouTubers in their videos of travelling content? Furthermore, 2) What
are the functions of code-switching Indonesian young YouTubers
employ in their travelling content videos?
1006

Yusuf, Y. Q., Fata, I. A., Denilda, D., Marhaban, S., & Saidu, A. (2025). Investigation of code-switching
used by young-famous Indonesian YouTubers in travel content videos. JEELS (Journal of English
Education and Linguistics Studies), 12(1), 1003–1027.

METHOD
The current research employed a descriptive qualitative study.
According to Creswell and Creswell (2023), qualitative methods are
used to delve deeper into the real process or highlight the natural
surroundings. The data was purposefully picked for five informants.
They used Indonesian-English switching, travelled to domestic and
abroad destinations, were part of the young generation born in the
years 1990-2000, and have at least one million subscribers. The list of
participants is presented in Table 1:
Table 1. List of participants
Name
Atta
Halilintar
Ria Ricis

Subscribers
31.5 million

Link of YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/@AttaHalilintar,

47,7 million

A.D.B.S
and D.P
Arif
Muham
ma
Prilly
Latucons
ina

1 million

https://www.youtube.com/@RicisOfficial179
5/featured
https://www.youtube.com/@temantapimeni
kah
https://www.youtube.com/@Arifmuhamma
dd

18.4 million
3.32 million

https://www.youtube.com/@PrillyLatuconsi
naVideo

The justification is to select travel videos from many videos in
2018, as both channels toured extensively in 2018 and are suitable for
examining the discourse using code-switching. Many YouTubers were
able to travel in 2018, and in 2019, COVID-19 hit the world, causing the
channel’s videos to shift towards home or family content.
The researchers obtained data by first gathering some of the
videos by Indonesian travel YouTubers and creating a transcript of
those films. The researchers then analyse the type of code-switching
and its functions based on their utterances to determine the frequency
of each type and operation of code-switching they employ. The
Gumperz (2009) and Hoffmann (2014) frameworks were used to
determine the type of code-switching and its functionalities. Then, the
percentage formula was employed to count the occurrence of CS.
1007

Yusuf, Y. Q., Fata, I. A., Denilda, D., Marhaban, S., & Saidu, A. (2025). Investigation of code-switching
used by young-famous Indonesian YouTubers in travel content videos. JEELS (Journal of English
Education and Linguistics Studies), 12(1), 1003–1027.

According to Sugiyono (2015), the formula for calculating percentage
is P = (f / N) * 100%, where P is the percentage, f is the frequency (or
number of occurrences), and N is the total number of items of codeswitching. This formula is commonly used to express a portion of a
whole as a percentage.
FINDINGS
The Types of Code Switching
There are four types of CS, such as intra-sentential switching,
inter-sentential switching, tag switching, and establishing continuity
with the previous speaker that are found in this research. The types of
CS are displayed in Figure 1.
Figure 1. The Findings of Code Switching

The types of code switching of youtubers contents are intrasentential switching was 58.76% found in this study, followed by intersentential switching at as much as 10.92%, tag switching was 28.81%,
and establishing continuity with the previous speaker was 1.51%. It
would be explained in subheading.
Intra-sentential switching
The most code-switching occurred of data was Intra-sentential
switching. It is presented in Figure 2.

1008

Yusuf, Y. Q., Fata, I. A., Denilda, D., Marhaban, S., & Saidu, A. (2025). Investigation of code-switching
used by young-famous Indonesian YouTubers in travel content videos. JEELS (Journal of English
Education and Linguistics Studies), 12(1), 1003–1027.

Figure 2. The Use of Intra-Sentential Switching

The most common technique in the participant's movies was
intra-sentential swapping. This kind of code-switching was more
common in video discussions and may have happened accidentally
because it takes place inside a single sentence. According to this study,
P3 used intra-sentential switching up to 90 times, while P2 used it up
to 74 times. The example is shown in E1:
E1
: … gunung yang keliatan cuma itu doang berarti ya (…
the only mountain seen is only that mountain) which is itu
gunungnya (that mountain). Dan disitu juga ada bukit dan ini gue
ngga pake sendal dan ini super dingin (And there is also a hill and
I don't use sandals and it is super cold) dan (and) I’m not wearing
kayak jaket atau (like jacket or) something, gue cuman pake
bener-bener kaos abis itu gue pake legging dan gue suka atraksi
(I just really use the T-shirt and leggings and I like attractions).

In the utterance, the speaker switched the language from
Indonesian to English three times which was the intra-sentential
switching type. This switching occurred within the sentence, which
was "which is", "I am not wearing", and "something" these words are
easy to be pronounced, and probably the speaker was easier to talk
about the topic by switching the language.
Inter-sentential switching
The current study revealed that inter-sentential switching was
the second most occurrence in the data. The participants used the intersentential switching that is presented in Figure 3.
1009

Yusuf, Y. Q., Fata, I. A., Denilda, D., Marhaban, S., & Saidu, A. (2025). Investigation of code-switching
used by young-famous Indonesian YouTubers in travel content videos. JEELS (Journal of English
Education and Linguistics Studies), 12(1), 1003–1027.

Figure 3. The Use of Inter-Sentential Switching

All the participants in this study used Inter-Sentential
Switching. Participants briefed the audience about their international
travel experiences in English and Bahasa Indonesia. Inter-sentential is
defined as a switch that occurs between sentential borders when one
clause or sentence is in one language. For example, the following
paragraph or sentence appears in the other. In this study, P4 mostly
used Inter-Sentential Switching, up to 19 times, followed by P3 with 14
times. In the video, participants spoke bilingually to their family or
friends due to the strange surroundings, as illustrated in Excerpt E2.
E2
: Mau buang-buang disini nih, ini area ini, ini ada mandi,
makan pokoknya semuanya. Nah, ini kita bisa stay dimana aja
katanya dibilang (The dumping area is here; we may also bathe
and eat here. As she mentioned, we can stay anywhere in the
neighbourhood.

In this conversation, the participant explained to her family the
destination where they could spend the night, take a bath and dispose
of the waste by repeating the utterance between her and the
receptionist previously using English to strengthen the intention of the
conversation to her family.
Tag switching
The third type occurrence of this study was tag-switching. The
participants used the tag switching that is presented in Figure 4.

1010

Yusuf, Y. Q., Fata, I. A., Denilda, D., Marhaban, S., & Saidu, A. (2025). Investigation of code-switching
used by young-famous Indonesian YouTubers in travel content videos. JEELS (Journal of English
Education and Linguistics Studies), 12(1), 1003–1027.

Figure 4. The Use of Tag Switching

The next type is tag switching as the mostly used CS uttered by
P4 seventy times, while P5 used this switching twice only. These big
differences may happen because of the communication style of each
participant because tags typically contain minimal syntactic
restrictions. The example for this type is illustrated by P4 utterances.
E3
: Alright guys, kita mau beli gulali tadi kita main ke
Timezone Timezone gitu ya tapi Timezonenya Uzbek (we want to
buy cotton candy, just now we played the Uzbek’s Timezone)
guys, tapi rame banget dan gue takut ngambil kamera. Sekarang
gue mau makan gulali (but it's too crowded and I cannot shoot it
with my camera. Now, I want to eat cotton candy). Everyone
vlogs my gulali, you know? Liat? Semua orang datang dengan
kameranya masing-masing. Lu ikutan juga, Rip? Takut keabisan
ya, Rip? (See? Everyone is coming with the cameras. Are you
joining, Rip? You are afraid you do not get to eat it, aren't you?).

E3’s utterances contain tag switching, such as "Alright, guys",
"guys", and "you know?". E3 often used it to attract the listener's
attention by addressing them as "guys" and the use of "you know" to
imply that what was being discussed to be known by the listeners.
Establishing Continuity with The Previous Speaker
The current study revealed Establishing Continuity with The
Previous Speaker was the least occurrence in the data. The participants

1011

Yusuf, Y. Q., Fata, I. A., Denilda, D., Marhaban, S., & Saidu, A. (2025). Investigation of code-switching
used by young-famous Indonesian YouTubers in travel content videos. JEELS (Journal of English
Education and Linguistics Studies), 12(1), 1003–1027.

used the Establishing Continuity with The Previous Speaker that is
presented in Figure 5.

Figure 5. The Use of Establishing Continuity with The Previous Speaker by
Participants

The last form of code-switching emerges when the trigger effect
causes interlocutors to develop similarities. Instead of the group,
individuals are now the center of attention. From a sociolinguistic point
of view, it's important to think about the pioneers of code-switching
social norm theory. The interactional approach delves into the debates
rather than the criteria. The effects of code-switching on interpersonal
communication may be important for many speakers to be aware of.
Although, as shown in Figure 5, this type of switching was not
commonly used in this study, only two participants switched the
language because of the triggers. The example for this type is shown as
the following:
E4
: Liat, udah mulai ada biru-biru disini. Kenapa? Kamu
ngga suka disini? (Look, the blue is here. Why? You do not like it
here?)
E5: This is going to be so dull and waste my time.
E6: I am not into Chelsea juga (too). Cuma mumpung lagi di
London gaada salahnya mampir (But, we’re already in London,
so there is no harm to come here).

In the conversation, the speakers were chatting about a place
they had visited. In E4, the speaker his partner's opinion about the site,
then in E5, she answered in English that she did not like the place
1012

Yusuf, Y. Q., Fata, I. A., Denilda, D., Marhaban, S., & Saidu, A. (2025). Investigation of code-switching
used by young-famous Indonesian YouTubers in travel content videos. JEELS (Journal of English
Education and Linguistics Studies), 12(1), 1003–1027.

because she was not interested in the football team; afterwards, in E6,
the first speaker supported the second speaker opinion by telling her
"I'm not into Chelsea juga (too)” using English because of the trigger
effect caused by the second speaker’s language used previously.
The Functions of Code Switching
There are six functions of code-switching; the interjection,
message
qualification,
addressee
specification,
reiteration,
personalization vs. objectification, and the quotation. The result is
presented in Figure 6:

Figure 6. The Functions of Code-Switching findings

Figure 6 shows that the interjection function was 75.37% found
in this study, followed by message qualification was 7.39%, and
addressee specification at as much as 7.39%, reiteration at 6.40%, and
personalization vs. objectification at as much as 3.45%. The quotation
function was not found in this study. The further explanation about
results explained in subheadings.
Interjection
The most function of code-switching occurred of data was
interjection switching. The participants used the interjection switching
that is presented in Figure 7.

1013

Yusuf, Y. Q., Fata, I. A., Denilda, D., Marhaban, S., & Saidu, A. (2025). Investigation of code-switching
used by young-famous Indonesian YouTubers in travel content videos. JEELS (Journal of English
Education and Linguistics Studies), 12(1), 1003–1027.

Figure 7. The Use of Interjection by Participants

Based on the Figure 7, P4 is the person who mainly used the
interjection function in this study as many as 73 times. An example of
this function is in excerpt E7:
E7: Whoa! Super dingin, (it is freezing), boy.

In the example E7, the speaker used the "Whoa!" interjection
word as a surprised expression describing the cold weather in London.
Another example of this word is uttered in E8.
E8
: Yeay! Kita nyampe di campervan freedom camping lagi.
Dan ini hari kedua kita akan ada pemandangan kayak gini
didepan mobil! (We arrived at Campervan Freedom Camping
again. And this is our second day there will be views like this in
front of the car!) Oh my God! Man!

There were two words found to be interjection words which
were "Yeay!" and "Oh my God! Man!". The participant said those words
to express his happiness when he arrived at the destination and then
he was amazed by the beautiful views he saw around him.
Message Qualification
The current study revealed that message qualification switching
was the second most occurrence in the data. The data is presented in
Figure 8.
1014

Yusuf, Y. Q., Fata, I. A., Denilda, D., Marhaban, S., & Saidu, A. (2025). Investigation of code-switching
used by young-famous Indonesian YouTubers in travel content videos. JEELS (Journal of English
Education and Linguistics Studies), 12(1), 1003–1027.

Figure 8. The Use of Message Qualification

Based on the figure above, P2 is the person who primarily used
the message qualification function as many as six times, followed by
P3 as many as four times. An example of this function is below:
E9: Pokoknya ini bakal 14 jam dari sini (At any rate, this will take
14 hours from here). It is a long way to go. Anyway, kita pergi ke
sana (we go there) without any itinerary, without any plan.

In the example above, the speaker qualifies his Indonesian main
message using English. Then, the speaker repeats the previous message
to emphasise it to the listener.
Addressee Specification
The third type occurrence of this study was addressee
specification. It was used by participants differently.
Addressee Specification
10
8
6

8

4

5

2

1

0
P1

P2

P3

0

1

P4

P5

Figure 9. The Use of Addressee Specification

1015

Yusuf, Y. Q., Fata, I. A., Denilda, D., Marhaban, S., & Saidu, A. (2025). Investigation of code-switching
used by young-famous Indonesian YouTubers in travel content videos. JEELS (Journal of English
Education and Linguistics Studies), 12(1), 1003–1027.

Based on Figure 9, P1 is mainly used the addressee's
specification as many as eight times compared to others. The example
for this function is in excerpt E10.
E10
: Berhasiiil, yeay! Kita nginap hari ini. (We got it, yay! We
are staying today). Nggak (It is not) freedom camping, jadi kita
bisa (so we can) nge-charge (charge), bisa buang sampah, bisa
refill semuanya dalam mobil (dispose the waste and refill all our
needs in the car).

In the utterance E10, an addressee specification occurred in the
"nge-charge" word. The speaker may also use a combination of
languages to indicate group affiliation and common ethnicity; for
example, the Indonesian phrase "nge-charge" mixed with English.
Reiteration
The current study revealed reiteration was the second least
occurrence in the data. The use of this type of CS is presented in Figure
10:

Reiteration
5
4
3
2
1
0

4
3

P1

2

2

P2

P3

2

P4

P5

Figure 10. The Use of Reiteration

Based on Figure 10, P4 is the person who mostly used the
reiteration function as many as 8 times compared to others. However,
on average, all participants used the reiteration with the same amount.
An example of this function is uttered in E1:

1016

Yusuf, Y. Q., Fata, I. A., Denilda, D., Marhaban, S., & Saidu, A. (2025). Investigation of code-switching
used by young-famous Indonesian YouTubers in travel content videos. JEELS (Journal of English
Education and Linguistics Studies), 12(1), 1003–1027.

E11
: Kita sekarang lagi nunggu buka, ngga tau bisa buka
disini atau bukanya di pesawat. Oke? (Now, we're waiting for the
breakfast time, I don't know if we can breakfasting here or in
airplane. Okay?) It's gonna be fun, trip ini akan sangat seru banget
(this trip’s gonna be fun).

In some cases, such repetitions may function to clarify what is
said. Still, often they amplify or emphasise a message, and it is clear
that in the utterance above, the speaker tended to emphasise his fun
trip by repeating the word in Indonesian.
Personalization vs. Objectification
The current study revealed personalization vs. objectification
was the least occurrence in the data. The participants used the
Personalization vs. Objectification that is presented in Figure 11:

Personalization vs Objectification
5
4
3

4
3

2
1
0
P2

P4

Figure 11. The Use of Personalization vs Objectification

The last function of code-switching is personalization vs
objectification. As seen in Figure 11, participants rarely used this
function in the conversation. Only two participants were found to use
it as many as four times and three times. An example of this function
is uttered in E12, E13, E14, E15, E16, and E17.
E12: Do not come! Ini kamarnya monster! (This is monster's
room!) Do not come! Ough! Get out of my room! I am the monster!
Get out of my room! Do not open it! Please do not open it!
E13: Bang Atta! (Big brother Atta!)
E14: Dia takut bang. (He is afraid, bro.)

1017

Yusuf, Y. Q., Fata, I. A., Denilda, D., Marhaban, S., & Saidu, A. (2025). Investigation of code-switching
used by young-famous Indonesian YouTubers in travel content videos. JEELS (Journal of English
Education and Linguistics Studies), 12(1), 1003–1027.

E15: It is not bang (big brother) Atta.
E16: I see your shirt AHHA.
E17: No! If I use this, I'd be a monster!

It is evidenced that the function of personalization and
objectification occured when the statement reflects personal opinion or
knowledge, whether it referred to specific instances or has the
authority of generally known fact (Gumperz, 2009). This function was
found in the example above. In the conversation, the speakers were
having a small quarrel and debate. The brother (Atta) was claiming that
he was a monster as his objective opinion to his young brother and
sister repeatedly avoiding his brother's opinion.
Quotation
There was no quotation function found in this study because the
object of this research was YouTubers who had conversations using
everyday language. In contrast, the quotation function tends to be used
in academic topics. It is suggested that "people sometimes like to quote
a famous expression or saying of some well-known figures", which is
not found in the objects of the study.
DISCUSSION
CS types of the present study revealed inter-sentential switching,
intra-sentential switching, tag-switching and determining consistency
with the previous speaker. Intra-sentential Switching was the most
popular code-switching strategy among YouTubers, and it indicates
the utility in ordinary communication and to interact daily. However,
consistency with the previous speaker was the least to be determined,
signifying that YouTubers like to proceed to new topics during
vlogging rather than repeating words from previous speakers.
This study also discovered five code-switching functions:
reiteration, interjection, addressee specification, message qualification,
and personalization vs objectification. Most YouTubers switched their
language probably because they needed to show their prestige and that
they were well-educated; it plays a significant role in the professional
and cultural life of the population, especially among the affluent and
1018

Yusuf, Y. Q., Fata, I. A., Denilda, D., Marhaban, S., & Saidu, A. (2025). Investigation of code-switching
used by young-famous Indonesian YouTubers in travel content videos. JEELS (Journal of English
Education and Linguistics Studies), 12(1), 1003–1027.

educated parts of society (Suprihatin et al., 2024). People often speak
more than one language, especially English, in this globalisation
because they hope to be modern and educational people in society. In
other words, it was because of prestige.
Therefore, Intra-Sentential Switching was the most popular in
this study because it was user-friendly and only occurred in a brief
phase within a sentence. Intra-sentential switching emerged as the
predominant phenomenon in this investigation due to its user-friendly
nature and limited occurrence within a phrase. Typological, social,
linguistic, and cognitive factors all play a role in how a speaker chooses
to blend ideas within sentences (Gil & Gaspar, 2022).
Code flipping occurs when a speaker uses a different language or
a different voice pattern inside the same sentence (Ezeh et al., 2022).
Code flipping calls for proficiency in both languages since it involves
the use of a phrase or sentence in one language followed by a clause or
sentence in the other language. The connection between individual
words or phrases within a sentence is called intra-sentential. Social
contacts have an impact, such as the commonplace vacation and
lifestyle videos uploaded on YouTube. Syntactic rules govern tag
switching.
In contrast to intra-sentential code-switching, which takes place
within phrases, complex code-switching happens at the end of
sentences to improve fluency. A key distinction between borrowing
and language shift is the process through which morphological and
phonological elements from one language are integrated into the target
language (Alluhaybi, 2020). Tag switching ranked second in
popularity, with a usage rate of 28.81% in this study. Implementing tag
switching was mainly due to participants' desire to explain themselves
effectively to the audience and captivate the viewers.
Tag Switching became the second most popular, which was
28.81% used in this study, mainly because all of the participants tended
to show their expression clearly to the audiences, and they loved to
attract their listeners. In line with this, Tussa'diah et al.'s (2021) research
studied the pattern of code-switching among participants. The
participants do code-switching in their videos to express their
1019

Yusuf, Y. Q., Fata, I. A., Denilda, D., Marhaban, S., & Saidu, A. (2025). Investigation of code-switching
used by young-famous Indonesian YouTubers in travel content videos. JEELS (Journal of English
Education and Linguistics Studies), 12(1), 1003–1027.

emotional feelings and personal opinions and also to show detailed
information to the viewers. As stated by Myers-Scotton (2020), tag
switching occurs at boundaries to emphasise the utterance, hold the
audience's attention and move the action forward. The third rank was
inter-sentential switching, which was used by 10.92% of all the
participants in this study. The participants did not often do this
switching because they did not have an Indonesian partner to speak
another language in the video. They were more comfortable speaking
some sentences in their mother language rather than using English to
deliver the message. The second reason was due to the difficulty of
talking in another language between sentences. Meanwhile, the intersentential occurs when there is a switch involving movement from one
language to another language between sentences.
Inter-sentential switching ranks as third among many, with
10.92% used by all the participants in this study. The participants only
sometimes did this switching, probably because participants needed an
Indonesian partner to speak another language in the video.
Participants were more comfortable speaking some sentences in their
mother language rather than using English to deliver the message. The
second reason was the difficulty of talking in another language
between sentences. Meanwhile, the inter-sentential occurs when there
is a switch involving movement from one language to another between
sentences. A study by Chandra and Qodriani (2018) presents the result
related to the use of code-switching in Leila S. Chudori's For Nadira,
which has the highest inter-sentential frequency of 67%.
The finding of this study also showed that establishing continuity
with the previous speaker was ranked the least, with 1.51% of
participants in this study using this method. Moreover, only two
participants did this switching, probably because all participants
needed to speak another language to trigger the other speaker to speak
the same language. In addition, participants' partners, when travelling,
were primarily Indonesian families.
Therefore, it took much work to find this switch in this study.
This finding aligns with the research conducted by Yusuf et al. (2020),
which revealed that establishing continuity with the previous speaker
1020

Yusuf, Y. Q., Fata, I. A., Denilda, D., Marhaban, S., & Saidu, A. (2025). Investigation of code-switching
used by young-famous Indonesian YouTubers in travel content videos. JEELS (Journal of English
Education and Linguistics Studies), 12(1), 1003–1027.

type was the least utilised by the study subjects. Establishing continuity
with the previous speaker is necessary because only some discussions
necessitate the characters, prompting other speakers to speak in the
same language.
The study of Kamariah and Ambalegin (2019) provided a
comprehensive analysis of the many forms and determinants of codeswitching observed on Instagram. Kamariah and Ambalegin studied
three distinct forms of code-switching observed in Instagram accounts:
tag-switching, inter-sentential code-switching, and intra-sentential
code-switching. Based on the categorisation and examination,
identified four rationales for employing code-switching: shifting the
subject, insufficient lexicon, limited time, esteemed and fashionable,
and proficiency in multiple languages. Their findings revealed that the
interjection function had the highest level of code-switching, with
individuals using it 75.37% of the time. Yim and Clément (2019) said
that in some cases, the code-switching marks an interjection or sentence
filler, making the participants often use the Interjection function. As
previously indicated, the interjection function enabled the participants
to effectively convey their emotions to the listeners using interjections
in English, such as "guys", "whoa", "you know", and other terms
identified in the present study.
The other functions had the same amount on average, which was
7.39% for the message qualification function, 7.39% for addressee
specification, 6.40% for the reiteration function, and 3.45% for the
personalization vs. objectification function. The quotation function was
not found in this study because all participants did not quote a famous
expression or saying of some well-known figures in the videos
(Hoffmann, 2014).
Afterwards, CS could all denote friendships, interactions, and
cooperative partnerships. However, the effectiveness of CS in assisting
students to learn L2 in an EFL context has been called into question
(Alshugithri, 2019). YouTubers from Generation Y and Z used codeswitching to interact with fans and business contacts. There are
multiple reasons why YouTubers from Generation Y and Z use it, such
as to elaborate on what participants mean, to make things more
1021

Yusuf, Y. Q., Fata, I. A., Denilda, D., Marhaban, S., & Saidu, A. (2025). Investigation of code-switching
used by young-famous Indonesian YouTubers in travel content videos. JEELS (Journal of English
Education and Linguistics Studies), 12(1), 1003–1027.

straightforward, to pull in viewers, to speak English instead of
Indonesian when they used to say something in English, among many
others, to capture the attention of viewers and millions of subscribers.
CONCLUSION
The current study found that intra-sentential switching was the
most favoured code-switching approach among participants,
potentially due to its practicality in everyday conversation—however,
the least amount of consistency with the prior speaker. The YouTubers
mostly used code-switching to express themselves through
interjections in English tags, with exclamation being the most common
function. The findings also concluded that famous young YouTubers
from Generation Y and Z employed code-switching to connect with
fans and commercial partners. YouTubers use it for a variety of
reasons, including elaborating on what participants mean, making
things more transparent, and attracting speaking partners.
Due to time constraints, we analysed five informants of young
YouTuber's videos. Thus, we encourage further studies to add the
informant's sampling size. Moreover, as a further recommendation, we
suggested investigating how CS is employed on other social media
platforms, such as Instagram reels, YouTube podcasts, TikTok, TikTok
affiliates, Facebook short videos, and others. All new social media
platforms are seen due to technology, which has allowed people to
incorporate English into most if not all, aspects of 21st-century society.
DECLARATION OF AI AND AI-ASSISTED TECHNOLOGIES
Generative AI tools (such as CHATGPT) or other AI-assisted
technologies that are used for preparing the manuscript must be
declared by the authors. For example: During the preparation of this
work the authors used DeepL (V.24.4.3) for optimizing language and
readability. The authors have reviewed and edited the content as
needed and take full responsibility for the content of the publication
after the use of this tool/service.

1022

Yusuf, Y. Q., Fata, I. A., Denilda, D., Marhaban, S., & Saidu, A. (2025). Investigation of code-switching
used by young-famous Indonesian YouTubers in travel content videos. JEELS (Journal of English
Education and Linguistics Studies), 12(1), 1003–1027.

REFERENCES
Afriyanti, R. Muthalib, K.A., & Daud, B. (2021). A Study of codeswitching and code-mixing used on YouTube channel: A
comparison of Indonesian YouTubers. English Education Journal.
12(3). 35-46, https://doi.org/10.24815/eej.v12i3.19166
Al-Ahdal, A. A. M. H. (2020). Code Mixing in Arabic conversations of
college students: A Sociolinguistic study of attitudes to
switching to English. The Asian ESP Journal, 16(1), 6-19.
Alaiyed, M. A. (2022). Code-switching between English and Arabic in
Vernacular Poetry. World Journal of English Language, 12(8), 113113. https://doi.org/doi:10.5430/wjel.v12n8p113
Aljourani, D. A. (2018). Code Switching as a Communicative Strategy
for the Bilingual Saudi Speakers at Jouf University. International
Journal of Linguistic, Literature and Translation (IJLLT) , 63 - 72 .
Alluhaybi, M. (2020). Arabic to English code-switching among Saudi
students. Saudi Arabia: King Abdulaziz University.
Alqarni, A. M. (2022). Code-Switching and English Language: A
Linguistic Study in the Saudi Perspective. World Journal of
English
Language,
12(7),
196-196.
https://doi.org/doi:10.5430/wjel.v12n7p196
Alshugithri, A. M. (2019). The use of code-switching by EFL Saudi
university and school teachers. Arab World English Journal, 1-69.
https://doi.org/10.24093/awej/th.223
Ameliza, T. C., & Ambalegin, A. (2020). Code Switching Analysis In
English Literature Whatsapp Group. Jurnal Basis, 7(1), 141-150.
https://doi.org/10.33884/basisupb.v7i1.1837
Astani, W. Rukmini, D. & Sutopo, D. (2020). The Impact of Code
Switching in Conversation of “Nebeng Boy” Youtube Vlogs
Towards Communication in English Among The Participants.
EEJ. 10 (2), 182 – 189.
Candra, L. K., & Qodriani, L. U. (2019). An Analysis of Code
Switching in Leila S. Chudori’s For Nadira. Teknosastik, 16(1), 914. https://doi.org/10.33365/ts.v16i1.128

1023

Yusuf, Y. Q., Fata, I. A., Denilda, D., Marhaban, S., & Saidu, A. (2025). Investigation of code-switching
used by young-famous Indonesian YouTubers in travel content videos. JEELS (Journal of English
Education and Linguistics Studies), 12(1), 1003–1027.

Chambers, J.K. (2015). The Blackwell Encyclopedia of Sociology. Hoboken:
John Wiley & Sons.
Creswell, J. W. & Creswell, J.D (2023). Research design: qualitative,
quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (6th ed). Sage
publisher: Thousand Oaks
Danendra, M., Haristiani, N., & Widianti, S. (2022). Code Switching in
Youtube Content Life About Life in Japan. Metathesis: Journal of
English Language, Literature, and Teaching, 6(2), 225-238.
https://doi.org/10.31002/metathesis.v6i2.163
Darginavičienė, I., & Ignotaitė, I. (2020). Code-switching in the
computer-mediated communication. RUDN Journal of Sociology,
20(2), 405-415. https://doi.org/RUDN.10.22363/2313-22722020
Dlamini, M. B., & Sibiya, N. (2021). Code switching in contemporary
isiZulu performance poetry. Literator, 42(1), a1747.
https://doi.org/10.4102/lit.v42i1.1747
Ezeh, N. G., Umeh, I. A., & Anyanwu, E. C. (2022). Code Switching
and Code Mixing in Teaching and Learning of English as a
Second Language: Building on Knowledge. English Language
Teaching, 15(9), 106. https://doi.org/10.5539/elt.v15n9p106
Foster, S., & Welsh, A. (2021). A ‘new normal’ of code-switching:
covid-19, the Indonesian media and language change.
Indonesian Journal of Applied Linguistics, 11(1), 200-210.
https://doi.org/10.17509/ijal.v11i1.34621
Gil, L., A. & Gaspar, A. J. (2022). The Role of Internal and External
Factors for Code-Switching: A Study of Early Multilingualism
in Germany with Special Reference to Catalan as a Heritage
Language.
Languages,
7(4),
258.
https://doi.org/10.3390/languages7040258
Gross, M. C. (2019). Processing of code-switched sentences by
bilingual children: Cognitive and Linguistic predictors.
Cognitive
Development,
52(3),
142-155.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cogdev.20 19.100821
Gumperz, J. J. (2009). Discourse Strategies. New York: Cambridge
University Press.
1024

Yusuf, Y. Q., Fata, I. A., Denilda, D., Marhaban, S., & Saidu, A. (2025). Investigation of code-switching
used by young-famous Indonesian YouTubers in travel content videos. JEELS (Journal of English
Education and Linguistics Studies), 12(1), 1003–1027.

Gunelius,
S.
(2019).
What
is
a
Vlog?.
From
https://www.lifewire.com/what-is-a-vlog-3476285. Accessed
on 2024, October 20th.
Hamid, F., Mulyana, A., & Regina, M. (2018). Motive, Meaning and
Social Action of Youtube Content Creators in Indonesia. Saudi
Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences (SJHSS), 3(2), 230-239.
https://doi.org/SJHSS.10.21276/sjhss.2018.3.2.8
Hoffmann, C. (2014). An Introduction to Bilingualism. New York, NY:
Routledge.
Haerazi, Irawan, L. A.,& Sotlikova, R.(2023). Intercultural-based
language learning model to improve prospective English
teachers’ speaking skills viewed from linguistic awareness.
JEELS,10(2),
471-497.
https://doi.org/DOI:10.30762/jeels.v10i2.1763
Holmes, J. (2013). An Introduction to Sociolinguistics. New York:
Routledge.
Kadir, R. (2021). Code-switching in Indonesian popular songs and the
implications for English language teaching. JOALL (Journal of
Applied
Linguistics
and
Literature),
6(1),
109-132.
https://doi.org/10.33369/joall.v6i1.13314
Kamariah & Ambalegin. (2019). Analysis of using code switching in
Instagram.
Jurnal
Basis,
6(2),
259266.
https://doi.org/10.33884/basisupb.v 6i2.1431
Karch, M. (2019). What is a YouTube Channel? From
https://www.lifewire.com/channel-YouTube-1616635.
Accessed on 2024, October 20th.
Mahameruaji, J.N., Puspista, L., Rosfiantika, E., & Rahmawan, D.
(2018). Bisnis Vlogging dalam industri media digital di
Indonesia.
Jurnal
Ilmu
Komunikasi.
15(1),
61-74.
https://doi.org/10.24002/jik.v15i1.1007
Maheswara, M. R. S. (2022). Analysis of Code-Switching and CodeMixing Exist in Rintik Sedu Youtube Channel’s Video. Prasasti :
Journal
of
Linguistic,
7(2),
173–181.
https://jurnal.uns.ac.id/pjl/article/view/58890/37892

1025

Yusuf, Y. Q., Fata, I. A., Denilda, D., Marhaban, S., & Saidu, A. (2025). Investigation of code-switching
used by young-famous Indonesian YouTubers in travel content videos. JEELS (Journal of English
Education and Linguistics Studies), 12(1), 1003–1027.

Myers-Scotton, C. (2020). ‘Code-switching as indexical of social
negotiations’, in The bilingualism reader. New York: Routledge,
pp. 97–122.
Nurhayati, S. (2021). A Study of Code Switching and Code Mixing on
Youtube Talk Show Curhat Bang Denny Sumargo with Cinta
Laura. International Journal of English and Applied Linguistics
(IJEAL), 1(3), 268-282. https://doi.org/ijeal.v1i3.1299
Nuryandi,A. Raharja, R.R., & Husnussalam,H. (2018). Analysis Of
Code Switching Used By Deddy Corbuzier On Hitam Putih
Program In Trans7.Project: professional Journal of English
education, 1(4), 342-349.
Prabowo, Y. A. (2018). The Patterns of Code Switching Among
Youtubers. Language Horizon Journal, 6(1),80-91.
Sari, P. (2017). Using Vlog in the YouTube channel as a means to
improve students’ motivation And confidence to speak English
in intermediate 1 Level of LB-LIA Jambi. International Journal of
Language Teaching and Education. 1(1), 38-44.
Sriwulandari, N. (2016). Code switching used by Sarah Sechan in
"Sarah Sechan" program on Net TV. Aesthatic Journal, 5(1), 1-5.
Suprihatin, Y., Ninsiana, W., & Septiyana, L. (2024). Code Switching
in Cooking Show Programs on Youtube. JOLLT Journal of
Languages and Language Teaching, 12(3), 1606-1615.
https://doi.org/10.33394/jollt.v%vi%i.11307
Tussa’diah, H., Anggarini, E., & Hasibuan, S. H. (2021). Code
Switching Utterances of Public Figures’ Vlog In YouTube
Channel. Professional Journal of English Education, 4(3), 513-520.
Yim, O., & Clément, R. (2019). “You’re a Juksing”: Examining
Cantonese-English code-switching as an index of identity.
Journal of Language and Social Psychology, 38, 479–95.
https://doi.org/10.1177/0261927X19865572
Zenitha, N. P. R. (2020). An analysis of code switching in bilingual
school in communication by non-native speaker English teacher
in Bali.
Jurnal Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris, 8(1), 53-64.
https://doi.org/10.23887/jpbi.v8i1.3137

1026

Yusuf, Y. Q., Fata, I. A., Denilda, D., Marhaban, S., & Saidu, A. (2025). Investigation of code-switching
used by young-famous Indonesian YouTubers in travel content videos. JEELS (Journal of English
Education and Linguistics Studies), 12(1), 1003–1027.

Zhiganova, A. V. (2016). The Study of the Perception of Codeswitching to English in German Advertising. Procedia - Social
and Behavioral Sciences, 236 (December 2015), 225–229.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2016.12.011
Yusuf, Y.Q., Fata, I.A., & Chyntia. (2020). Types of Indonesian-English
code-switching employed in a novel. Kasetsart Journal of Social
Sciences. 41 (1), 208-213.

1027