A sociolinguistic study of diglossia of Egyptian Radio Arabic: An ethnographic approach

This research is an investigation of diglossia of Egyptian Radio Arabic. A study of radio and television interviews and discussions in diglossic communities shows that speakers switch from one variety of language to another even within the same sentence. In studying languages with diglossia, one of the major problems is the number of varieties included in the linguistic system. One of the goals of this study is to re-examine the linguistic situation in the Arab World, with a focus on Egypt, where the language situation can best be referred to as "triglossic." This triglossic model recognizes one intermediate variety of Arabic, i.e., Modern Standard Arabic, in addition to Classical Arabic and Egyptian Colloquial Arabic. This research examines the different factors which determine using one variety of language rather than another, as well as different factors which govern switching from one variety to another in the spoken discourse. It is demonstrated that switching between varieties is dependent upon social rather than linguistic variables. These variables are identified within the theoretical framework of Hymes' Theory of the Ethnography of Speaking, Giles and Smith's Accommodation Theory, and Scotton's Principle of Negotiation of the Rights and Obligations of social interaction. The study also discusses the fact that triglossia in Egyptian Arabic cannot be treated as a case of code-switching as in bilingual situations. The variations that take place in any speech event are produced and understood by a set of social rules which govern the speech form used. Despite external social pressure to keep apart the distinct varieties of language, the overlapping occurs continuously, often at the subconscious level. It is shown that the neglect of studying varieties other than Classical Arabic is related in one way or another to the values that are associated with these varieties.