Descriptive Analysis of Ghazaouet Speech

Abstract

Abstract: This work sheds light on sociolinguistic changes in an urban environment of Algeria, a coastal town called Ghazaouet, located in the extreme north-west of Tlemcen, where the language situation is very complex. This linguistic community is known for its easily observable heterogeneity. In this town, in addition to bilingualism, two forms of Arabic dialects coexist in a network of language disturbances in everyday speech. Using empirical data collected from spontaneous, day to day verbal interactions, it was possible to show the extent to which certain phonological, morphological, and lexical features that characterize this speech community are increasingly avoided by native local inhabitants. The aim was to circle the reasons behind such linguistic behaviour orientation, identifying why males are more affected by rural Arabic speakers unlike female speakers who are to a great extent more conservative. In the face of social life, males in this speech community find themselves in contact with many different dialects, especially rural ones. This contact leads to alterations in some linguistic items which make their way of speaking influenced. Yet, women at the exception of a very small number, were found to be conservative by preserving the way they speak as their ancestors used to do due to the lack or total absence of contact with rural dialects. Keywords: Dialectcontact, language variation, lexis & phonemes.