34.1927, Review: Arabic Sociolinguistics: Al-Wer, Horesh, Herin, De Jong (2022)

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LINGUIST List: Vol-34-1927. Fri Jun 16 2023. ISSN: 1069 - 4875.

Subject: 34.1927, Review: Arabic Sociolinguistics: Al-Wer, Horesh, Herin, De Jong (2022)

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Date: 20-Apr-2023
From: Farah Ali [farah636 at gmail.com]
Subject: Sociolinguistics: Al-Wer, Horesh, Herin, De Jong (2022) 


Book announced at https://linguistlist.org/issues/33.2677

AUTHOR: Enam Al-Wer
AUTHOR: Uri Horesh
AUTHOR: Bruno Herin
AUTHOR: Rudolf De Jong
TITLE: Arabic Sociolinguistics
PUBLISHER: Cambridge University Press
YEAR: 2022

REVIEWER: Farah Ali

SUMMARY

As the presence of Arabic in academic contexts grows, both in
scholarly and language learning situations, there is an increased need
for foundational resources that inform the study of Arabic,
particularly as it functions in a variety of social and cultural
contexts. This textbook introduces Arabic sociolinguistics,
specifically focusing on variation and change in the Arabic language,
as well as providing readers with methodological foundations for
pursuing research in Arabic sociolinguistics. Written in English, this
book is designed for students and scholars who may or may not have
proficiency in Arabic, though some knowledge of linguistics is
assumed.

Chapter 1 (Introduction) provides an overview of Arabic dialectology,
thus establishing the variationist perspective in which this text is
grounded. Here, the authors introduce important key concepts that are
relevant to discussions of variation in Arabic, such as diglossia and
code-switching. This chapter also discusses historical linguistics,
where the authors aptly note that language variation and language
change are inextricably linked. The authors conclude with an overview
of the book, as well as a list of recommended readings that introduce
Arabic linguistics. Chapter 2 (Methodology: Principles and Practice)
is similarly structured as an introductory chapter, providing readers
with foundational information about research methodologies as they may
apply to the study of Arabic sociolinguistics, which can inform their
understanding of subsequent chapters of this book, as well as in the
design of one’s own research projects. The authors offer sound advice
about research design, such as “the rule of thumb is that the methods
should be dictated by the objectives of the research” (p. 10), which
many students and burgeoning researchers do not always consider when
embarking on their first empirical studies. They also point out other
critical aspects of research and more specifically about language
analysis: descriptive vs. prescriptive and exploratory vs.
confirmatory approaches, the observer’s paradox, the advantages and
disadvantages of having an insider role in one’s research,
sociolinguistic variables, qualitative and quantitative research,
practical and logistical considerations when conducting research,
among other topics.

Chapter 3 (Gender) is the first of several chapters to focus on
specific sociolinguistic variables as they relate to variation in
Arabic. While this chapter centers on gender, the authors do note the
intersection of different social variables, and address them when
relevant. Given the popular generalization that women lean towards
prestigious linguistic features more than men, it is also in this
chapter that the authors critique previous claims about the role of
Classical Arabic in variation and change, particularly in its
relationship to vernacular varieties. Chapter 4 (Education) examines
educational background as a variable, and provides an interesting
discussion on historical changes in educational opportunities
available to Arabic speakers and how they may inform language
variation and even the presence of other languages in the educational
systems. The authors look at several cases in the Arabic-speaking
world, including: Ha’il, Saudi Arabia; Amman, Jordan; Morocco;
Algeria; Cairo, Egypt; Jaffa, Israel. Chapter 5 (Social
Stratification), which is tightly connected to education, introduces
social class and classic paradigms for understanding social
stratification. This chapter includes a discussion of social networks
and social integration, regionality (e.g. indigenous, interloper,
among other speaker statuses), and life-mode (e.g. self-employed,
ordinary wage earners, highly skilled/professional wage earners).

Chapter 6 (Religion and Ethnicity) is the final chapter dedicated to a
specific set of social variables and examines how religious and ethnic
diversity in the Arabic-speaking world has produced situations of both
multilingualism and variation within Arabic. The authors look at
several different religious communities and their speech varieties,
including Jewish communities in North Africa, Druze Muslim varieties
in the Levant, as well as Sunni and Shi’a Muslim communities in such
as Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, and Christian and Muslim communities in
Jordan. Chapter 7 (Language Change) offers a shift in focus, and takes
an historical linguistic perspective to discuss language change and
its relationship with language variation. Specifically, they note that
variation is a prerequisite to change, though not a condition that
necessitates change. This chapter also revisits methodological
considerations for sociolinguistic research, this time focusing on the
study of language change. Here, the authors offer a comprehensive look
at studying change in real time vs. apparent time. Finally, this
chapter distinguishes between directions of change, namely, change
from above vs. change from below.

While Chapter 7 deals with diachronic variation, Chapter 8 (Spatial
Variation) deals with synchronic contexts. This chapter begins by
exploring geography as a natural barrier to communication that can be
a contributing factor to variation. Much of this chapter, however, is
dedicated to a discussion of linguistic atlases and their role in the
study of dialectology. While this chapter is heavily centered on
variation across different physical spaces, it does acknowledge to
some extent the ways in which social factors can be critical, such as
in the case of urbanization in Casablanca, Morocco as a result of
French colonization. Finally, Chapter 9 (Contact and Diffusion) delves
into language contact and how interaction between different speech
communities lead to the diffusion of specific linguistic features.
Most notable in this chapter is the discussion of substrate effects
like borrowing, which draws on examples from Aramaic and Amazigh, as
well as the topic of areal groupings, where the authors explore how
languages coexisting in the same geographical area begin to share
linguistic features.

EVALUATION

This book provides a sound introduction to variation and change in
Arabic, and draws on many different varieties of the language, thus
providing students and scholars with a sense of the linguistic
diversity of the Arabic-speaking world. The authors’ attention to
language contact and lesser discussed varieties of Arabic among
linguistic enclaves was especially notable. For instance, their focus
on Arabic among Jewish communities, Arabic-influenced creole
languages, as well as Maltese and Cypriot Arabic is seldom found in
Arabic sociolinguistic scholarship and/or textbooks, but still
certainly worth highlighting. Additionally, the authors attempt to
examine a variety of important sociocultural factors that are crucial
to understanding language variation, and it is commendable that -
while addressing them in their own chapters - their inevitable overlap
and intersections are acknowledged throughout these chapters, since it
is rarely the case that a single social variable on its own can
account for a linguistic variant and is more often than not related to
intersecting identities that collectively play a role in individual or
community linguistic behavior.

Another notable strength as a textbook is the focus on methodology in
Chapter 2. The inclusion of such a chapter makes this textbook far
more accessible to advanced undergraduate and/or graduate students in
linguistics who wish to gain a foundational understanding of how
sociolinguistic research is conducted. This chapter gives a thorough
overview of key concepts and frameworks for approaching
sociolinguistic research, and more so with variationist research, and
does so in a clear and articulate manner. Speaking more generally
about the book in its entirety, the authors provide a very organized
and clearly written guide to those who are new to Arabic
sociolinguistics. Additionally, as a textbook, the inclusion of
questions at the end of each chapter makes for an excellent resource
that can guide homework assignment or in-class activities.

With regard to areas for improvement that could enhance this book, it
is noted above that this book focuses primarily on variation and
change in Arabic. As such, the title, Arabic Sociolinguistics does
appear to be rather broad for this narrow scope. Along these lines,
while the authors note that sociolinguistic research methods can
include qualitative and quantitative approaches, this book relies
heavily on quantitative-based scholarship. While this fits squarely
with common practices in variationist research, the addition of
qualitative-based scholarship would provide a more well-rounded
introduction to sociolinguistic research. Additionally, though the
authors’ coverage of variation across different social and regional
contexts is extensive, some space dedicated to Arabic in diasporic
contexts would also undoubtedly be of interest to many readers.
Lastly, as an introductory textbook, the accessibility of the content
could be improved with minor additions, such as including orthographic
representations of Arabic alongside IPA and translations, which would
be helpful to Arabic speakers with little linguistic knowledge, as
well as the inclusion of a glossary for linguistic terminology. Apart
from these observations, the authors have provided a useful and
instructive manual for those who wish to delve into Arabic
sociolinguistics for the first time.

ABOUT THE REVIEWER

Farah Ali is Assistant Professor of Hispanic Studies at DePauw
University. Her research interests include Spanish and Arabic
linguistics, migration and diaspora, multilingualism, and language and
identity.



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