Words in contact : Arabic-Chaouia contact, ethnic identity, and lexical change in the Aurès

Abstract EN

This study seeks to investigate the influence of Arabic on Tachawit dialect in two speech communities in L'Aurès; namely: Batna and Oum El Bouaghi, and to explore its socio-cultural motives.

The researcher collected data from 489 Chaouia participants who differ on many sociocultural and geographical backgrounds.

Through a series of multivariate analyses, this study elucidated the inextricable interplay between Arabic-Tachawit contact and lexical change, and showed how speakers deploy Tachawit words to index their affiliation with Tachawit identity and culture.

The results showed that speakers who live in predominantly rural areas are more immune to Arabic lexical borrowing, whilst speakers in urban areas are more likely to adopt Arabic loanwords.

The use of Arabic loanwords increases in the speech of the youngsters and declines in the speech of elderly speakers, a pattern which mirrors ongoing linguistic change.

Finally, the research discussed the role of mobility along with migration in the diffusion of loanwords into urban landscapes