Mexican-American Codewitching

Authors are always considering tactics on the best way to attract readers. In Gustavo Arellano blog, “¡ASK A MEXICAN!”, the author uses code-switching in his advice articles in order to draw readers in with his irreverent Spanish remarks. With an inside perspective of a Mexican-American, he educates the public on controversial topics asked by individuals. The Spanish incorporated in the articles are terms many readers may not understand, however, the words he decides to use are there for a reason.
As an example, the author discusses whether if you should cheer on your nation’s team or your ethnic regions national team, saying,“About the only things fans can look forward on either side to is to see which player has enough huevos to kick Putin

where Trump's lips left a giant chupón”(Arellano). Arellano uses the word huevos because the English definition is considered more inappropriate; I don’t believe the publisher would allow it. The word chupón translates to hickey. Because the word is not commonly known, Arellano knows readers may go out of their way to find its definition. Arellano uses chupón to make readers analyze the sentence, which will lead them to understand the message in he is putting out: he believes Trump is kissing up to Putin and both nations know it.
In another example, Arellano elaborates on ways to find Latino companions in white communities, saying, “If you're trying to keep it straight paisa, then weekends at the Broadacres Marketplace is your spot: Listen to live banda and norteño music, buy some tools, eat mariscos, or open a small business—it's all there”(Arellano). Paisa refers to a term to describe a Mexican who dresses in rancher fashion, lives in the country, and listens to ranchera music. This word is introduced in order emphasize that the writer has a strong sense of pride for his ethnic and native background. The words banda and norteño are used to familiarize americans with the different Mexican music genres because they often believe it all fits in one category.
Moreover, Arellano demonstrates to his audience on why it is not a good idea to close the border between the United States and Mexico, saying, “Primeramente, locking up the border accomplishes nada”(Arellano).

I sincerely believe that the author uses the word primeramente solely to dramatize the use of codeswitch. This particular article was short, so Arellano must have thought that this was a great place to insert a Spanish word without confusing the non-spanish speaker about the context. He accomplished the theme of codeswitch in his blog, while simultaneously getting the message across to his audience.
Arellano uses the Spanish vocabulary to attract readers; it is not a common practice to codeswitch in our daily lives. Because of its uniqueness, it inspires people to read his message, and thus educate the public about social and internal problems faced by Latinos everyday. Arellano creates an unordinary dialogue in order to help people understand a Latino’s perspective.
2. Although Arellano does technically use codeswitching, I would vouch to say that most of his examples are not an authentic form. I believe codeswitching would have a balance between English and Spanish words, however, he predominantly uses English with only a small portion of Spanish. One would use true codeswitching if they were positive that the reader would be fluent in both languages. In reality, Arellano uses this inauthentic version to draw in readers and educate Americans about Latino culture and

mannerism.
3. The proportion of articles involving language usage is about twenty-five percent. The rest is a mixture of issues dealing with stereotypes, history, culture, demographics, legal status, and politics. A generalization of these problems has to do with insight; many times individuals do not understand the situation based on the environment they grew up and the exposure to those encounters. For example, many Americans do not come across the dilemma of having to know the price for crossing the border, how Latino offensive nicknames originated, why their are not many Latinos in some cities, or why one still has an accent even if you have been living in the country for a while. The common purpose each article has is to bind the gap between Americans and Latinos in order to help the public comprehend the reasons behind Latinos motives and outcomes. The more people understand they lifestyle of a different culture, the more we sympathize for them and assist them in fighting for equality.