Description
Book SynopsisWritten by four leading experts, this book provides a comprehensive overview of sociolinguistic variation and linguistic change in Arabic. It introduces sociolinguistic theory, methods, and data step-by-step, using accessible language and extensive examples throughout. Topics covered include sociolinguistic methodology, social variables, language change, spatial variation, and contact and diffusion. Each topic is explained and illustrated using empirical data drawn from a wide array of Arabic-speaking communities in the Middle East and North Africa, as well as other parts of the world where Arabic is or was spoken, to provide a rich resource of individual dialects, as well as a comparative view of variation in Arabic. Each chapter also contains annotated suggestions for further reading and elaborate exercises. It is an essential resource for students studying Arabic in its social context, as well as anyone wishing to expand their knowledge of variation in Arabic.
Table of ContentsAcknowledgements; List of tables; List of figures; List of maps; Transcription, symbols and abbreviations; 1. Introduction; 2. Methodology – principles and practice; 3. Gender; 4. Education; 5. Social stratification; 6. Religion and ethnicity; 7. Language change; 8. Spatial variation; 9. Contact and diffusion; References; Index of subjects; Index of places; Index of names.
