Arabic Sociolinguistics: Topics in Diglossia, Gender, Identity, and Politics

329 Pages·2009·17.96 MB·English

by  Reem Bassiouney

Arabic Sociolinguistics

Arabic Sociolinguistics
Reem Bassiouney
Edinburgh University Press
© Reem Bassiouney, 2009
Edinburgh University Press Ltd
22 George Square, Edinburgh
Typeset in ll/13pt Ehrhardt
by Servis Filmsetting Ltd, Stockport, Cheshire, and
printed and bound in Great Britain by CPI Antony Rowe, Chippenham and East bourne
A CIP record for this book is available from the British Library
ISBN 978 0 7486 2373 0 (hardback)
ISBN 978 0 7486 2374 7 (paperback)
The right ofReem Bassiouney
to be identified as author of this work
has been asserted in accordance with
the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
Contents
Acknowledgements viii
List of charts, maps and tables x
List of abbreviations xii
Conventions used in this book xiv
Introduction 1
1. Diglossia and dialect groups in the Arab world 9
1.1 Diglossia 10
1.1.1 Anoverviewofthestudyofdiglossia 10
1.1.2 Theories that explain diglossia in terms oflevels 14
1.1.3 The idea ofE ducated Spoken Arabic 16
1.2 Dialects/varieties in the Arab world 18
1.2. 1 The concept ofp restige as different from that ofs tandard 18
1.2.2 Groups ofd ialects in the Arab world 19
1.3 Conclusion 26
2. Code-switching 28
2.1 Introduction 29
2.2 Problem of terminology: code-switching and code-mixing 30
2.3 Code-switching and diglossia 31
2.4 The study of constraints on code-switching in relation to the
Arab world 31
2.4. 1 Structural constraints on classic code-switching 31
2.4.2 Structural constraints on diglossic switching 42
2.5 Motivations for code-switching 59
2. 5. 1 Motivations and discourse functions ofc lassic code-switching 59
2. 5.2 Motivations and discourse functions ofd iglossic switching 71
2.6 Conclusion 85
Vl ARABIC SOCIOLINGUISTICS
3. Language variation and change 88
3.1 Introduction 89
3.2 Language variation and change 90
3.2.1 Social class approach 90
3.2.2 Social networks approach 92
3.2.3 Third wave approach to variation studies: community of
practice 93
3.3 Methodology 94
3.4 Sociolinguistic variables 97
3.4.1 Ethnicity 97
3.4.2 Religion 103
3. 4. 3 Urbanisation 111
3.4.4 Social class 114
3.4. 5 Other factors 116
3.5 Levelling 117
3.5.1 Diglossia and levelling 119
3.5.2 Levelling and language change 120
3.6 Conclusion 122
4. Arabic and gender 128
4.1 Introduction 128
4.2 Approaches to language and gender 129
4.2.1 The deficit theory and Lakoff's contribution to the study of
language and gender 130
4.2.2 The dominance theory 131
4. 2. 3 The difference theory 132
4.2.4 Third wave approach to variation studies: community of
practice theory 133
4.3 Women in the Arab world: framing and background information 133
4. 3.1 Diversity in education 134
4. 3. 2 Diversity in urbanisation 134
4. 3. 3 Economic diversity 135
4. 3. 4 Diversity in traditions and religious practices 135
4.3.5 Honour and modesty 137
4. 4 Politeness in relation to gender 138
4.5 'Mister master': names, status and identity 142
4. 5.1 Names and why they are hidden 148
4.6 When a chicken crows like a cock: women narrators 149
4. 7 Language variation and change in relation to gender 155
4. 7.1 An overview ofs tudies on language variation in relation to
gender 155
4. 7.2 An overview ofl inguistic variation in relation to gender in
the Arab world 158
CONTENTS Vll
4.8 Projection of identity in the speech of educated women and men
in Egypt: evidence from talk shows-a case study 162
4.8.1 Description ofd ata 163
4.8.2 Categorising the data 163
4.8.3 Detailed description ofthe data 167
4.8.4 Conclusion 185
4.9 The symbolic use of language 186
4.10 Gender universals re-examined 190
4.11 Conclusion 193
5. Language policy and politics 198
5.1 The power oflanguage 199
5.2 What is language policy? 200
5.2.1 Language ideologies 201
5.2.2 Language practices 204
5.2.3 Language planning 205
5.3 Nation and state 206
5.3.1 The relation between nation and language 206
5.3.2 The Arab nation 207
5.4 Countries with SA as the official language 210
5.5 French versus British patterns of colonisation and their relation
to language policies 210
5.5.1 Frenchpatternsofcolonisation 212
5.5.2 British patterns ofc olonisation 236
5.6 Language policies in other parts of the Arab world 254
5. 7 The role oflanguage academies in the Arab world 256
5.8 SA, politics and the aching nation: a case study 258
5. 9 Linguistic rights and political rights 263
5.10 English and globalisation 267
5.11 Conclusion 268
General conclusion 273
Bibliography 276
Index 299
Acknowledgements
This work is the product of years of investigation in both sociolinguistics in
general and Arabic sociolinguistics in particular. Two semesters of research
leave from the University of Utah and Georgetown University have helped
me focus more on this book. I would like to thank both universities for this
research period.
Professor Jean Aitchison has been and will remain a constant friend and a
great scholar. I thank her for drawing my attention to Edinburgh University
Press. Dr Mahmoud Hassan will also remain a teacher, a friend and a model of
integrity. Thank you also to Professor Ya sir Suleiman for suggesting the title
Arabic Sociolinguistics instead of Arabic and Society and for being an inspiring
scholar. I would like also to thank the two anonymous reviewers who read my
proposal and made useful recommendations. Thank you to the reader of the
manuscript, whose suggestions were very useful and insightful, and whose
knowledge of the field is exemplary. I am very lucky to have such a reader.
Needless to say any oversight is my responsibility.
I have benefited in one way or another from discussions and exchange of
ideas, not necessarily about linguistics, with a lot of colleagues and friends.
Among those, in alphabetical order, are: Ahmed Dallal, Marianna Di Paolo,
Mushira Eid, Gail Grella, Oive Holes, Joe Metz, Carol Myers-Scotton, Karin
Ryding, Keith Walters, Kees Versteegh and Malcah Yaeger-Dror.
There is nothing as satisfying as having students who are interested
and engaged in the topics one teaches. My students in many ways helped
me clarify my ideas in fruitful and stimulating class discussions. I thank
them.
The team at Edinburgh University Press are a delight to work with. Nicola
Ramsay and Sarah Edwards are both extremely dedicated and efficient. James
Dale has been enthusiastic about the book, friendly, resourceful and efficient.
Thanks also to Fiona Sewell my copy-editor for her diligent work.
Thanks to all my family, whose support and belief in me were my main
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS IX
incentive always, especially my parents Nour El-Hoda and Alnned Refaat. It
becomes clearer over time that without moral support from people who care,
the journey is aimless.
This book is dedicated to Mark Muehlhaeusler.
Charts, maps and tables
Chart 3.1 Fixed independent variables 123
Chart 3.2 Flexible independent variables 124
Chart 4.1 Binary approaches to gender studies 195
Chart 4.2 Construction approaches to gender studies 195
Chart 5.1 The education system in Egypt 244
Map 1.1 The Arab world 20
Table 1 Pronounciation of the letters of the Arabic alphabet
in Modem Standard Arabic xiv
Table 2 Transliteration scheme of the Library of Congress xvi
Table 2.1 Relation between code choice and speaker's role 84
Table 4.1 Diversity in literacy rates 135
Table 4.2 Strong palatalisation in female speakers in Cairo, by
social class 160
Table 4.3 Use of /q/ by male and female Cairene speakers, by
social class 161
Table 4.4 Categorisation by use ofMSA variables 164
Table 4.5 Male speakers 170
Table 4.6 Female speakers 170
Table 4. 7 Number of interruptions and overlaps initiated by
women and men 185
Table 4.8 Languages and varieties used in Morocco and their
gender associations 187
Table 5.1 Countries with Arabic as the joint or sole official language 211
Table 5.2 Language of instruction by subject and educational cycle:
Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia 233
Table 5.3 Weekly hours per language in primary and secondary
education: Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia 234