Muazzam Mamai

If you have listened to the radio or been in a public restaurant in the past five months, chances are you have been unable to escape The Weeknd’s hit song “The Hills.” Its huge success is reason alone for me to assume that you have heard of this song before; it remained on the number one spot for the Top 100 R&B/ Hip hop songs for five consecutive weeks. I (a huge fan of the Weeknd) discuss a live rendition of “The Hills” performance because of the artist’s codeswitch (from English into Amharic) in the outro of his song, which only appears in the live performance; in the original song, a woman’s voice ends the song. Thus, I ask and attempt to answer: What is the function of this codeswitch?

Since many scholars debate its definition, I will first identify what a codeswitch is. Codeswitching is when a single speaker alternates between two languages (inter lingual) or dialects (intra lingual) in a single speech act (Babalola & Taiwo, 2009). For the purpose of this blog, I will focus on The Weeknd’s inter lingual codeswitch from English into Amharic (his native tongue and the language of his Ethiopian born migrant parents) during his live performance documented below:

I only call you when it’s half past five The only time that I’ll be by your side I only love it when you touch me, not feel me When I’m fucked up, that’s the real me When I’m fucked up, that’s the real me, yeah I only fuck you when it’s half past five The only time I’d ever call you mine I only love it when you touch me, not feel me When I’m fucked up, that’s the real me When I’m fucked up, that’s the real me, babe

[Outro]

Ewedishalehu (I love you very much) Yene konjo, ewedishalehu (My beauty, I love you very much) Yene fikir, fikir, fikir, fikir (My love, love, love, love) Yene fikir, fikir, fikir, fikir (My love, love, love, love)

I treat codeswitching as a skill which requires a great deal of bilingual ability (Poplack, 1980) and one which serves a particular purpose known by the agent (Myers-Scotton, 1993). Based upon a perusal of scholarly research which discusses codeswitching in hip-hop songs, I offer some plausible reasons for The Weeknd’s codeswitch.

To express his ethnic identity. In their study of codeswitching in Nigerian hip hop songs, Babalola & Taiwo (2009) found that signifying ethnic identity was a function of codeswitching by Nigerian hip-hop artists. In an interview, The Weeknd says: “But the feeling in my music and voice is very Ethiopian and very African.” Thus, his codeswitch can be seen as a nod to his Ethiopian roots through his native language.

To grab attention. Sarker, Winer, & Sarker (2005) in their examination of codeswitching in Montreal hip-hop music come to the conclusion that codeswitching is a way for hip-hop artists to grab attention. In an interview, The Weeknd supports this theory by saying: “Now I’m grabbing the ear of most of the world.” Thus, his decision to sing in Amharic allows him to surprise his American audience and delight his fan base in Africa.

To juxtapose two contrasting themes. Davies & Bentahila (2006) in their exploration of Rai music in Algeria and Morocco conclude that codeswitching serves as a way for artists to emphasis similarities or oppositions. In The Weeknd’s case, the part which appears in Amharic is a declaration of love which contrasts from the lust laced English lyrics (see above). The aesthetic value he places in Amharic is reflected in another interview: “It is such beautiful music.” Thus it comes as no surprise that the song’s most tender moment is expressed in the language he deems beautiful.

To explore his potential as an artist. In their study Babalola & Taiwo (2009) note how codeswitching serves as “stylistic innovation” in the song lyrics of Nigerian hip hop artists (p. 4). In an interview The Weeknd reveals: “I owe it to myself to show the world how versatile I can be…Why can’t I try something that challenges me as an artist?” Thus, it can be understood that his codeswitch is a way for him to experiment with the language skills at his disposal and explore his potential as an artist who can utilize his bilingual competence.

To express how he feels about his reality: Babalola & Taiwo (2009) write that codeswitching serves as a way for artists to express how they feel about their world. Similarly, Lin (2013) states that codeswitching is a means by which artists can use whatever linguistic skills they have to best convey their feelings and ideas. In an interview, Abel reveals: “All of my music is honest. When I write, I write about my surroundings. Sometimes it’s light and sometimes it gets dark. With this album (Beauty Behind the Madness), I’ve learned to balance them out and evolve my sound.” In this manner, codeswitching is also a reflection of his linguistic reality.

In sum, it appears that The Weeknd’s codeswitching serves a particular function in the context of his live performance; this conforms to a trend at large when it comes to hip-hop artists and codeswitching in general: to express social cultural realities and experiment with linguistic abilities. Thus, The Weeknd simply adds to the repertoire by experimenting in a genre that is most conducive to this type of word play; in the words of Babalola and Taiwo (2009) hip-hop has “few rules, promotes originality, and artists can sing about almost anything especially how they feel about their world” (p. 5). In the future, I look forward to seeing if more codeswitching will occur in his music, and if it will serve similar purposes.

References:

Babalola, E. & Taiwo, R. (2009). Code switching in contemporary Nigerian Hip Hop music. Journal of African Studies, 1, 1-26.

Benthalia, A. & Davies, E. B. (2006). Code switching and the Globalisation of Popular music: the case of north African rai and rap. Multilingual Journal of Cross Cultural and Interlanguage Communication, 25.

Lin, A. (2013). Hip-Hop Heteroglossia as Practice, Pleasure, and Public Pedagogy: Translanguaging in the lyrical poetics of “24 Herbs” in Hong Kong. Educational Linguistics, 20, 119-136.

Myers- Scotton, C. (1993). Duelling Languages: Grammatical Structure in Codeswitching. Oxford: Clarendon Press.

Poplack, S. (1980). Sometimes I’ll start a sentence in Spanish y termino en español: toward a typology of code-switching. In L. Wei (Ed.), The Bilingualism Reader (pp. 221-258). London: Routledge.

Sarkar, M., Winer, L. & Sarkar, K. (2005). Multilingual code-switching in Montreal Hip-Hop: Mayhem meets method, or, ‘Tout moune qui talk trash kiss mon black ass du nord’. In J. Cohen, K. McAlister, K. Rolstad & J. MacSwan (Eds.), Proceedings of the 4th International Symposium on Bilingualism (pp. 2057-2074). Somerville, MA: Cascadilla Press.

Cycling habitually, especially at a high intensity, can help lower your body fat levels, which promotes healthy weight management (1).

Additional studies suggest that including sprint and strength training with regular cycling may temporarily increase your metabolism and build muscle, which allows you to burn more calories, even while at rest (2).

Cycling improves overall function in your lower body and strengthens your leg muscles without overstressing your joints. It targets your quads, glutes, hamstrings, and calves.

To make your legs even stronger and enhance your cycling performance, try doing weightlifting exercises, such as squats, leg presses, and lunges, a few times per week (3).

Riding a bike is fairly simple. If you have difficulty with a standard bicycle, stationary bikes are a great alternative.

If you’re new to fitness or bouncing back from an injury or illness, you can cycle at a low intensity. As you get more fit, you can increase the intensity or continue to cycle at a chill pace.

Studies have shown that even sedentary people reap the health benefits of cycling, so it can be a great introduction for exercise novices (1).

The health-enhancing effects of cycling may help improve cholesterol levels, which can boost your cardiovascular health and lower your chances of stroke and heart attack.

According to one review of 300 studies, indoor cycling has a positive effect on total cholesterol. It may boost HDL (good) cholesterol levels while lowering LDL (bad) cholesterol and triglyceride levels (4).

Cycling can ease feelings of stress, depression, or anxiety. Focusing on the road or your cadence when cycling can help you develop concentration and awareness of the present moment. This may help take your focus away from the mental chatter of your day.

Research backs this up. One study found that biking outside improved cognitive functioning and well-being for older adults (5).

If you find yourself feeling lethargic, listless, or like your brain is moving slowly, get on your bike for at least 10 minutes.

Exercise promotes the release of endorphins in your body, which helps you feel better while lowering your stress levels. As the study above found, exercise outdoors only increases these effects (5).

You may feel more confident and content once you make cycling a regular part of your life.

Cycling is a fantastic addition to your care plan if you have or are recovering from cancer. However, many cancer patients experience low energy and pain during treatment, so be sure to work with your care team, listen to your body, and exercise only if you’re up for it.

Cycling can also help keep you lean and fit, which may reduce your risk for certain types of cancer, including breast cancer (6).

According to research from 2019, if you have breast cancer, staying active may help reduce side effects of cancer treatment, including fatigue, and improve your overall quality of life (7).

Beginning your day with a healthy activity like cycling wakes you up by boosting your circulation and allows you to start your day with a sense of accomplishment.

You may feel more inclined to make healthy, positive choices as the day progresses (8).

Fasted morning rides at a low intensity may burn fat, enhance endurance performance, and boost your energy and metabolism levels all day (9).

The caveat? The research seems to show that this is mainly true for casual bikers, and it’s not recommended that highly trained athletes fast before long endurance rides (9).

Whether you want to prevent health concerns from arising or manage existing conditions, regular exercise is key. Cycling regularly is one way to avoid a sedentary lifestyle and its possible accompanying health concerns.

Regular exercise can help prevent heart issues such as stroke, heart attack, and high blood pressure (10, 11, 12).

Cycling may also help prevent and manage type 2 diabetes (13).

In fact, very recent research suggests regular cycling can lower mortality rates for people with diabetes by 24% and, if continued for at least 5 years, can decrease mortality rates by 35% (14).

Reduce your carbon footprint by riding your bike whenever possible. Recent research in Europe found that commuting by bike instead of by car once a day decreases your transportation carbon footprint by 67% (15).

Cycling is a great replacement for transportation options that involve sitting in traffic for extended periods. It’s especially useful when you’re going places that are a bit too far to walk, but you don’t want to take a car.

A bonus is not having to fight for a parking space in crowded areas.

As you stabilize your body and keep your bike upright, you’ll improve your overall balance and coordination and even your gait (16, 17).

Balance tends to decline with age and inactivity, so it’s vital to stay on top of it. Improved balance is beneficial in the prevention of falls and fractures, which can help decrease your risk of injury and keep you off the sidelines.

Cycling is easy on your body, providing a gentle, low impact option for people who want an intense workout without stressing their joints (18).

Cycling is a great option for people who have joint concerns or overall stiffness, especially in the lower body.

Cycling is a fantastic way to raise your heart rate, improve cardiovascular function, and enhance your overall fitness level.

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