English loanwords in Saudi colloquial Arabic

Other Title(s)

الكلمات الإنجليزية الدخيلة في اللهجة السعودية.

Dissertant

al-Awni, Abd Allah Bin Sad

Thesis advisor

al-Khawlidah, Muhammad Irshiad

University

Mutah University

Faculty

Faculty of Arts

Department

Department of English Language and Literature

University Country

Jordan

Degree

Master

Degree Date

2009

English Abstract

This study is concerned with examining English loanwords in Saudi colloquial Arabic, and the reasons behind the increase of these English loanwords in Saudis' daily speech.

This study also focuses on the morphological and phonological changes of these English words when they are loaned to Saudi colloquial Arabic.

To better investigate the problem under discussion, the following four research questions are formulated: (1) how, (2) when, (3) why are English loanwords used in Saudi colloquial Arabic? And (4) do factors like gender, age and education level affect loaning words? The study sample involves 300 persons, males and females having different ages, jobs, and education levels.

Included in the sample are both males and females between the ages of 18 and 50.

They occupy different jobs such as university teachers, doctors, programmers, pharmacists, dentists, lawyers, managers, business persons, teachers, students of master’s degrees, university students, receptionists and workers.

To collect the data required for answering and testing the research questions, the researcher developed a questionnaire that included ten questions.

The questionnaires, which are classified according to gender, age, job and level of education, were distributed to the random sample of 300 persons of the Saudi people listed previously.

The results of the study revealed that people in Saudi Arabia use English loanwords in their speech for many reasons like personal needs which include prestige and showing off, job requirements, study, habit and modernity which means that people who speak English feel more modern than those who do not.

Those reasons are affected by factors like gender, age and education level.

As a result of the increase of English loanwords and their affect on the Arabic language in Saudi Arabia, it is recommended that the Saudi Ministry of Education should collect those English loanwords and teach them along with the subject of English language and provide its students with the Arabic equivalents of these English loanwords.

The Saudi government should limit the use of loanwords in public (television, radio and newspapers) and in the government (in official documents, ministries, and organizations).

The Saudi government should also encourage pride in the Arabic language as it is the language of the Holy Quran.

In light of the weakness of scientific and technical terminology in Arabic, Arab governments should encourage the creation of technical Arabic terminologies, encourage Arabic in all education levels and arabicize higher education.

Arab governments should unify the academies of the Arabic language in the Arab world to unify the scientific terminology.

The academies of Arabic language in the Arab world should design specialized contemporary scientific dictionaries and create a high committee for translation and publishing works under the authority of the unified academies of the Arabic Language.

Finally, Arab governments should deal with arabicizing higher education and unifying the academies of the Arabic language as national issues that should be politically supported with possibilities and plans.

Main Subjects

Languages & Comparative Literature

Topics

• English language
• Arabic language

No. of Pages

47

Table of Contents

• APA
• MLA
• AMA

Language

English

Data Type

Arab Theses

Record ID

BIM-304641