The Use of the Low Variety of Arabic in Email Communications among Saudi Youth
- 1 Department of English Language, College of Languages and Translation, University of Jeddah, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Abstract
This study examines the use of the Low variety of Arabic, commonly known as colloquial or spoken Arabic, in email communications among Saudi university youth, specifically in their correspondence with academic affairs unit. Drawing on sociolinguistic frameworks of diglossia, this project investigates the extent to which colloquial Arabic is employed and the underlying factors influencing this usage. Through a quantitative analysis of 100 email samples and qualitative analysis of 4 focus group discussions with Arabic language instructors, the findings of this study indicated a noticeable shift toward the incorporation of colloquial Arabic in academic email communication among youth, signaling broader transformations in linguistic norms influenced by technological advancements, generational attitudes and educational factors. This phenomenon underscores the need to adapt language education, institutional guidelines, and cultural expectations to align with these changes, ensuring a balance between linguistic evolution and the preservation of traditional standards.
- Al-Saleem, B. I. T. (2011). Language and Identity in Social Networking Sites. International Journal of Humanities and Social Science, 1, 197-202.
- Alshamrani, H. (2012). Diglossia in Arabic TV stations. Journal of King Saud University—Languages and Translation, 24, 57-69. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jksult.2011.04.002
- Bassiouney, R. (2020). Arabic Sociolinguistics: Topics in Diglossia, Gender, Identity, and Politics. Georgetown University Press. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctv10kmbxg
- Biesenbach-Lucas, S. (2007). Students Writing E-Mails to Faculty: An Examination of E-Politeness among Native and Non-Native Speakers of English. Language Learning and Technology, 11, 59-81.
- Chejnová, P. (2014). Expressing Politeness in the Institutional E-Mail Communications of University Students in the Czech Republic. Journal of Pragmatics, 60, 175-192. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pragma.2013.10.003
- Chen, C. F. E. (2006). The Development of E-Mail Literacy: From Writing to Peers to Writing to Authority Figures. Language Learning and Technology, 10, 35-55.
- Daniëls, H. (2018). Diglossia: A Language Ideological Approach. Pragmatics, 28, 185-216. https://doi.org/10.1075/prag.00006.dan
- Domonkosi, Á., & Ludányi, Z. (2019). Linguistic Features of Email Correspondence be-tween University Students and Their Teachers. Acta Universitatis de Carolo Eszterházy Nominatae. Sectio Linguistica Hungarica, 45, 117-132.
- Dornyei, Z. (2007). Research Methods in Applied Linguistics. Oxford University Press.
- Economidou-Kogetsidis, M. (2011). Please Answer Me as Soon as Possible”: Pragmatic Failure in Non-Native Speakers’ E-Mail Requests to Faculty. Journal of Pragmatics, 43, 3193-3215. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pragma.2011.06.006
- Ferguson, C. A. (1959). Diglossia. WORD, 15, 325-340. https://doi.org/10.1080/00437956.1959.11659702
- Haeri, N. (2000). Form and Ideology: Arabic Sociolinguistics and Beyond. Annual Review of Anthropology, 29, 61-87. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.anthro.29.1.61
- Holmes, J. (2013). An Introduction to Sociolinguistics. Routledge.
- Qudah, M. A. (2017). A Sociolinguistic Study: Diglossia in Social Media. In Conference Proceedings: Innovation in Language Learning 2017 . Princess Sumayya University of Technology (Jordan). https://conference.pixel-online.net/files/ict4ll/ed0010/FP/4139-ICL2733-FP-ICT4LL10.pdf