Degemination in Emirati Pidgin Arabic: A Sociolinguistic Perspective
Jan 05, 2022
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/languages7010008
Published in: Languages
Publisher: MDPI
This study examines the production of geminates in Emirati Pidgin Arabic (EPA) spoken by blue-collar workers in the United Arab Emirates. A simple naming test was designed to test the production of geminates to determine whether the EPA speakers would produce a geminated or degeminated phoneme. Following that, a semi-structured interview was conducted with a subset of the study cohort to obtain the participants’ own explanation of where they degeminated the consonants. Our findings suggest that the exercising of this choice functions as a sociolinguistic strategy, akin to the one observed by Labov in his study of Martha’s Vineyard. In particular, our findings show that speakers of EPA are inclined to degeminate consonantal geminates to establish themselves as members of a particular social group. The reasons for wanting to achieve this aim were given as follows: to claim privileges only available to members of this group (such as employment); and to distinguish themselves from the dominant cultural group. The study concludes that degemination in EPA has developed into a sociolinguistic solidarity marker.
Other Researches
Mitch: The forgotten hero of T. Williams's a streetcar named desire
This study aims to demonstrate the significant role Mitch (Harold Mitchel) assumes in Tennessee Williams' most prominent play: A Streetcar Named Desire. It focuses on Mitch's outstanding contribution to the development of the play, to its thematic c...
: This study aims to present a critical analysis of the significance of the images of light and darkness in association with the image of the moth in Tennessee Williams' most famous play: A Streetcar Named Desire. It also showcases the tremendous ...
On the appreciation of English punny jokes by Arabic-speaking EFL learners
This study measures the extent Arabic-speaking EFL learners appreciate English punny jokes. It also aims at identifying the challenges they face with certain types of these jokes and providing explanations for these challanges. For the purpose of th...
The Use of Loanwords in Emirati Arabic According to Speakers’ Gender, Educational Level, and Age
This study aims at identifying the loanwords commonly used in Emirati Arabic (EA), determining their origins and identifying the reasons behind using them. It also investigates the impact of gender, education, and age of speakers of EA on the use of...