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4 pages, 243 KiB

Open AccessEditorial

Introducing the Special Issue: Language Use in the Middle East and North Africa

by Rania Habib

Languages 2024, 9(4), 116; https://doi.org/10.3390/languages9040116 - 26 Mar 2024

Viewed by 1276

Abstract

The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region represents a rich tapestry of languages, cultures, and political, religious, and societal dynamics [...] Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Language Use in the Middle East and North Africa)

Research

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13 pages, 1113 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Learners’ Perceptions of Arabic Consonant Contrasts: Gender and Learning-Context Effects

by Asmaa Shehata

Languages 2024, 9(3), 77; https://doi.org/10.3390/languages9030077 - 28 Feb 2024

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1437

Abstract

This study investigates the effects of gender and the learning context on learners’ perceptions of Arabic consonant contrasts. To this end, 60 intermediate Arabic learners, half of which were males and half of which were females, were recruited from two different learning contexts: [...] Read more.

This study investigates the effects of gender and the learning context on learners’ perceptions of Arabic consonant contrasts. To this end, 60 intermediate Arabic learners, half of which were males and half of which were females, were recruited from two different learning contexts: a study-abroad (SA) program in Egypt and an at-home (AH) setting at a western American university. Learners in the two groups were tested before and after a semester of Arabic study using a perception task that involved distinguishing four Arabic consonant contrasts: /d - dˁ/, /h - ħ/, /s - sˁ/, and /t - tˁ/). The results reveal that the advantage of females in segmental identification accuracy was not verified, as female performance did not significantly differ from male performance in any of the four target consonant contrasts. In contrast, the learning context was found to positively impact learners’ perceptions of the target Arabic consonants, as the SA group significantly outperformed their counterparts in the AH environment on the /h - ħ/ and /d - dˁ/ contrasts. However, there were no significant differences between learners in the two different contexts regarding the two other consonant contrasts (i.e., /s - sˁ/ and /t - tˁ/). The findings bring insights into the understanding of the gender-based differences in identifying problematic Arabic consonantal contrasts for English learners in two different contexts of learning, and they shed light on the implications for language pedagogy for pronunciation training. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Language Use in the Middle East and North Africa)

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17 pages, 6993 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Isma‘ili Continuity and Social Change: Chronotopes and Practicing Taqiyya within the Sulaymani Community of Saudi Arabia

by Aidah Aljuran and Jarred Brewster

Languages 2023, 8(4), 275; https://doi.org/10.3390/languages8040275 - 22 Nov 2023

Viewed by 1943

Abstract

This paper examines discourses around the religious and social practice of taqiyya among members of the Sulaymani Isma‘ili community in Saudi Arabia. Isma‘ilism, in the context of 1200 years of anti-Shi‘a discrimination, cultivated the practice known as taqiyya (Arabic, ‘circumscription’) as a tool [...] Read more.

This paper examines discourses around the religious and social practice of taqiyya among members of the Sulaymani Isma‘ili community in Saudi Arabia. Isma‘ilism, in the context of 1200 years of anti-Shi‘a discrimination, cultivated the practice known as taqiyya (Arabic, ‘circumscription’) as a tool for self-preservation, which was then further rationalized and reinforced by the sect’s esoteric theology. Taqiyya consists of concealing religious identity, public avoidance of certain rituals, and, in some instances, claiming to be a member of the unmarked Sunni majority. Sweeping changes in Saudi society in the last several years have meant a growing ambivalence about taqiyya and its continued utility. This is significant since taqiyya for many of our interlocutors in this study is not merely a survival tactic. Instead, it is better understood as an embodied disposition cultivated against the backdrop of household privacy. This disposition intimately links everyday comportment to the esoteric cosmology of Isma‘ilism, which is the distinctive and iconic feature of the faith. Our interlocutors’ narratives demonstrated how the invocation of different spatial and temporal frameworks provides a basic heuristic by which to interpret these individuals’ accounts of taqiyya. For some of these individuals, taqiyya is an essential and timeless practice, while for others, the meaning has been reshaped by the recent socio-political reforms. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Language Use in the Middle East and North Africa)

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21 pages, 2631 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Emergence of Tab in Najdi Arabic

by Amereh Ibrahim Almossa

Languages 2023, 8(4), 245; https://doi.org/10.3390/languages8040245 - 23 Oct 2023

Viewed by 1817

Abstract

This study empirically investigates functional and social variation in the use of TAYYIB (‘okay, well, right’) in light of grammaticalisation. Thirty naturally occurring conversations of 60 Najdi Arabic speakers were recorded in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The analysis demonstrates that TAYYIB has two realisations: [...] Read more.

This study empirically investigates functional and social variation in the use of TAYYIB (‘okay, well, right’) in light of grammaticalisation. Thirty naturally occurring conversations of 60 Najdi Arabic speakers were recorded in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The analysis demonstrates that TAYYIB has two realisations: full Tayyib [tˁajjib] and reduced Tab [tˁab]. Drawing on the conversation analytic approach within a variationist framework, TAYYIB was used to perform multiple discourse-pragmatic functions: interpersonal, textual and interpersonal–textual. The statistical analysis reveals that variant choice is significantly conditioned by the pragmatic functions. While Tayyib is employed to perform all three functions, Tab is only used for textual and interpersonal–textual meanings. As for social factors, Tab is significantly more likely to be used by younger speakers than adults and also more likely to be used by females than males. This can be interpreted as an indication of ongoing change driven by young people, primarily females, towards the greater use of the innovative Tab. Given the evidence of linguistic change in Tab including semantic bleaching, pragmatic strengthening and phonological reduction, the study suggests that Tab has undergone advanced grammaticalisation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Language Use in the Middle East and North Africa)

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30 pages, 6787 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Accommodation Patterns in the Speech of Arabic-Speaking Children and Adolescents: A Variationist Analysis

by Ourooba Shetewi

Languages 2023, 8(4), 236; https://doi.org/10.3390/languages8040236 - 17 Oct 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2694

Abstract

This paper presents a variationist analysis of patterns of speech accommodation by 40 Arabic-speaking children and adolescents (aged 3–17) experiencing dialect contact in a Bedouin speech community near Damascus, Syria. It examines participants’ use of the phonological variables (θ), (ð), and (q), and [...] Read more.

This paper presents a variationist analysis of patterns of speech accommodation by 40 Arabic-speaking children and adolescents (aged 3–17) experiencing dialect contact in a Bedouin speech community near Damascus, Syria. It examines participants’ use of the phonological variables (θ), (ð), and (q), and the morphophonological feminine suffix (-a) in recorded sociolinguistic interviews and play sessions with two female fieldworkers, a local and an urban speaker, in order to investigate accommodation patterns across different interlocutors. Accommodation patterns were influenced by age, gender, and the linguistic variable under examination. Convergence to the urban interviewer was most evident in the realization of (q), whereas little convergence, and indeed variation, occurred in the realization of (-a), and more convergence occurred in the speech of girls and speakers younger than 15. Divergence and maintenance emerged in the speech of 15–17-year-old male speakers. These patterns are analysed in light of Accommodation Communication Theory and issues of identity and linguistic prestige in Arabic. Accommodative behaviour in the speech of participants exhibits their awareness of the social value of the phonological variables under investigation and demonstrates a high level of sociolinguistic awareness and competence. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Language Use in the Middle East and North Africa)

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25 pages, 470 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Differential Effects of Input Quantity and Input Quality on Bilingual Development: A Study with Kurdish–English Adolescents

by Ismael Rafaat Faraj and Twana Saadi Hamid

Languages 2023, 8(3), 220; https://doi.org/10.3390/languages8030220 - 19 Sep 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2556

Abstract

Previous research has shown that both input quantity and quality play a role in dual language learning. However, it is unclear whether input quantity factors (e.g., school input) and input quality factors (e.g., home media input) work similarly in the language development of [...] Read more.

Previous research has shown that both input quantity and quality play a role in dual language learning. However, it is unclear whether input quantity factors (e.g., school input) and input quality factors (e.g., home media input) work similarly in the language development of bilinguals while other potential internal and external factors are controlled for. This paper addressed this issue through investigating the influence of input quantity and input quality factors, both at the individual and group levels, on morphosyntax, vocabulary size, and lexical access ability in the Kurdish-L1 and English-L2 of Kurdish–English bilingual adolescents. Data were collected via a battery of standardized and researcher-developed measures and a detailed questionnaire. The results from backward regressions revealed that higher parental Kurdish proficiency and more exposure to Kurdish input through siblings and reading activities were associated with better Kurdish morphosyntactic skill, while a larger Kurdish vocabulary size was predicted by more exposure to native-speaker input in Kurdish. Both more Kurdish input received in preschool/school and through Kurdish media were related to better lexical access ability in Kurdish. Further, more exposure to English input in preschool/school predicted better English morphosyntactic skill and a larger vocabulary size, whereas higher paternal English proficiency was associated with better lexical access ability in English. Hierarchical regression analyses showed that input quality was more important in explaining Kurdish morphosyntactic and vocabulary size skills and lexical access ability in both languages, while input quantity explained more variance in English morphosyntactic and vocabulary size skills. Out-of-class Kurdish input outweighed instructional input to a certain extent in relation to Kurdish skills and lexical access ability in English, while instructional English input was more important for English morphosyntax and vocabulary size. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Language Use in the Middle East and North Africa)

22 pages, 3398 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Status of Religion/Sect-Based Linguistic Variation in Tartus, Syria: Looking at the Nuances of Qaf as an Example

by Tamam Mohamad

Languages 2023, 8(3), 167; https://doi.org/10.3390/languages8030167 - 13 Jul 2023

Viewed by 2547

Abstract

This study investigates the social and historical dynamics affecting the religion/sect-based linguistic distribution and associations of the Qaf variants, namely [q] and [ʔ]. The findings are based on the data gathered through interactions with 93 Arabic speakers from Tartus Center, Syria. The descriptive [...] Read more.

This study investigates the social and historical dynamics affecting the religion/sect-based linguistic distribution and associations of the Qaf variants, namely [q] and [ʔ]. The findings are based on the data gathered through interactions with 93 Arabic speakers from Tartus Center, Syria. The descriptive analysis reveals the presence of religion/sect-based linguistic distribution, with [q] being dominant mainly among Alawites and [ʔ] being dominant among Sunnis and Christians and increasingly becoming popular among Alawites of the urban regions. The paper highlights the emergence of [q] as a religiously, socially, and symbolically marked Alawite variant during the war, contrary to the [ʔ], which became a supralocal and religiously neutral variant that speakers of marked [q] backgrounds can resort to at times of tension and social pressure. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Language Use in the Middle East and North Africa)

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18 pages, 799 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Effect of Gender, Urban/Rural Background, and Profession on Patterns of Use of Color Terms in Jordan

by Abdulaziz Alzoubi, Hanan Hamouri, Thaer Al-Kadi and Aseel Hamdan

Languages 2023, 8(2), 97; https://doi.org/10.3390/languages8020097 - 29 Mar 2023

Viewed by 2117

Abstract

In this study, we examined the relationship between social factors and language by focusing on color terms. We investigated patterns of color terms’ use and the diversity of the color terms lexicon (CTL) among males and females belonging to different subcultures—city vs. small [...] Read more.

In this study, we examined the relationship between social factors and language by focusing on color terms. We investigated patterns of color terms’ use and the diversity of the color terms lexicon (CTL) among males and females belonging to different subcultures—city vs. small town or urban vs. rural—and different university majors—professionally color educated vs. others. Using an unconstrained color-naming task performed on a computer, three hundred and ninety-nine participants were asked to type in descriptions for fifteen color samples. The use of lexical items from Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) in the color descriptions was also investigated. Uni/multivariant analyses of the data were carried out in order to test the association between the patterns of color terms and the social independent variables. Females, participants with professional education in colors, and participants from the city were found to have a larger and more diversified CTL than males, participants with no professional color education, and participants from small towns. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Language Use in the Middle East and North Africa)

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