Notes on Language Change and Standardization in Damascus Arabic

  1. Berlinches Ramos, Carmen 1
  1. 1 Universidad de Zaragoza
    info

    Universidad de Zaragoza

    Zaragoza, España

    ROR https://ror.org/012a91z28

Journal:
Anaquel de estudios árabes

ISSN: 1130-3964

Year of publication: 2020

Issue: 31

Pages: 79-99

Type: Article

DOI: 10.5209/ANQE.66210 DIALNET GOOGLE SCHOLAR lock_openOpen access editor

More publications in: Anaquel de estudios árabes

Abstract

This paper attempts to point out some linguistic changes observed in Damascus and its tendency towards standardization. The objective is to provide new material to update the sociolinguistic state of Damascus Arabic. Because the main studies focused on this variety were written some years ago, they generally do not reflect the changes and trends in the language produced by the contemporary social context. This study examines eleven types of morphological and morpho-syntactical variants from a corpus of texts gathered in Damascus between 2007 and 2010, and produced almost wholy by young informants. Results are compared to the data available in previous grammars and papers, and demonstrate a rapid standardization taking place mainly through variant reduction (koineization), the decline or disappearance of traditional features (variety shifting), and the spreading of variants previously assigned to particular collectives to others (homogenization). Finally, new tendencies in Damascus Arabic observed in our data which merit further sociolinguistic research will be indicated.

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