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Al-Mubarak, Ghalia (2016) An investigation of sociolinguistic variation in alal-ʾAḥsāʾ Arabic. PhD Thesis. SOAS, University of London. http://eprints.soas.ac.uk/id/eprint/23575 Copyright © and Moral Rights for this PhD Thesis are retained by the author and/or other copyright owners. A copy can be downloaded for personal non‐commercial research or study, without prior permission or charge. This PhD Thesis cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first obtaining permission in writing from the copyright holder/s. The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders. When referring to this PhD Thesis, full bibliographic details including the author, title, awarding institution and date of the PhD Thesis must be given e.g. AUTHOR (year of submission) "Full PhD Thesis title", name of the School or Department, PhD PhD Thesis, pagination. An investigation of sociolinguistic variation in al- ʾAḥsāʾ Arabic Ghalia Al-Mubarak Thesis submitted for the degree of PhD 2016 Department of Linguistics SOAS, University of London 1 Declaration for SOAS PhD thesis I have read and understood regulation 17.9 of the Regulations for students of the SOAS, University of London concerning plagiarism. I undertake that all the material presented for examination is my own work and has not been written for me, in whole or in part, by any other person. I also undertake that any quotation or paraphrase from the published or unpublished work of another person has been duly acknowledged in the work which I present for examination. Signed: ____________________________ Date: _________________ 2 Abstract The present study sets out to bridge in gaps in the Arabic sociolinguistic scene, which currently does not adequately address issues related to forms of stable linguistic variations in local vernacular features and the way they, among other locally homogeneous features, react to pressures of change towards incoming supra- local variants, as well as the ways in which such relationships may be reflected in patterns of convergence, non-convergence/divergence as motivated by social factors. Where pertinent, the study also examines the influence of linguistic diffusion on the transmission of linguistic constraints, and on the relationship between stylistic shifts and status of the linguistic variable involved. To examine these topics, an investigation of sociolinguistic variation was conducted on the speech of 89 Arab speakers from al-ʾAḥsāʾ – a governorate in eastern Saudi Arabia. The focus of this research was on how social factors such as socio-sectarian affiliation, age, gender, and education may influence linguistic variation at the levels of phonemics ((k), (g), and (ɣ)) and morphophonemics (the 2nd person singular feminine object/possessive suffix (-ik), and the 1st person singular possessive/object pronoun (-i)). The study also looks into the effects of phonetic environment and style on the use of (k) and (g). Quantitative mixed-effects analysis was conducted on data drawn from sociolinguistic interviews. Results show that forms of convergence, non-convergence and divergence are significantly determined by all or some of the social factors investigated, in varying degrees with each variable. Generally, a progressive levelling out of regional vernacular features has been observed in favour of supra- local norms. Findings also indicate that phonetic constraints on the use of (k) and (g) are lost. It has also been found that (k) is an indicator designating social strata, whereas (g) is a marker indexing social value. Sociolinguistic findings that are specific to al-ʾAḥsāʾ Arabic can not only augment our understanding of regional sociolinguistic patterns, but also have meaningful theoretical implications related to the mechanisms underlying processes of linguistic change and stable linguistic variation. 3 Dedication To God, my mother and brother ʿAbdullāh 4 Table of Contents Table of Contents............................................................................................ 5 List of Tables ................................................................................................ 11 List of Figures ............................................................................................... 13 List of Maps .................................................................................................. 15 List of abbreviations ..................................................................................... 16 The Arabic/Semitic phonetic transcription and transliteration systems ...... 17 Acknowledgements ....................................................................................... 19 Chapter 1 Introduction ................................................................................. 21 1.1 Introduction .................................................................................... 21 1.2 Sociolinguistic variation in al-ʾAḥsāʾ dialect ................................. 22 1.3 An overview of chapters ................................................................ 29 Chapter 2 The community of al-ʾAḥsāʾ ....................................................... 35 2.1 Introduction .................................................................................... 35 2.2 The geography of Saudi Arabia and Al-ʾAḥsāʾ ............................. 35 2.3 The historical profile of al-ʾAḥsāʾ .................................................. 40 2.4 The population of al-ʾAḥsāʾ ........................................................... 49 2.5 The socio-sectarian context of al-ʾAḥsāʾ ........................................ 51 2.6 The tribal origin of al-ʾAḥsāʾ inhabitants ....................................... 55 2.7 Occupations in al-ʾAḥsāʾ in the past and present ........................... 58 2.8 Education in al-ʾAḥsāʾ .................................................................... 62 5 2.9 Conclusion ...................................................................................... 67 Chapter 3 The historical linguistic context of al-ʾAḥsāʾ Arabic ................. 69 3.1 Introduction .................................................................................... 69 3.2 Arabic within Semitic and Afro-Asiatic languages ....................... 70 3.3 The Arabic language ...................................................................... 78 3.4 Conclusion .................................................................................... 113 Chapter 4 Research theory and methodology ........................................... 115 4.1 Introduction .................................................................................. 115 4.2 Historical antecedents of sociolinguistics .................................... 116 4.2.1 Sociocultural linguistics............................................................ 117 4.3 Variationist sociolinguistics ......................................................... 123 4.3.1 Basic concepts........................................................................... 124 4.3.2 Limitations ................................................................................ 131 4.3.3 Major early studies in variationist sociolinguistics .................. 135 4.3.4 Dialect contact and linguistic change ....................................... 161 Chapter 5 Research methods ..................................................................... 178 5.1 Introduction .................................................................................. 178 5.1.1 Data collection .......................................................................... 178 5.1.2 Data analysis ............................................................................. 198 Chapter 6 The (k) and (g) variables in word stems .................................. 245 6.1 Introduction .................................................................................. 245 6 6.2 Review of previous studies .......................................................... 248 6.2.1 Palatalisation in Arabic and other languages ........................... 249 6.2.2 Linguistic constraints on word-stem (de)palatalisation in Arabic 252 6.2.3 Geographical distribution of /k/ and /g/ in the Arabian Peninsula 257 6.2.4 Social constraints on word-stem depalatalisation .................... 262 6.3 Word-stem depalatalisation data .................................................. 269 6.3.1 Circumscribing variable context .............................................. 270 6.3.2 Coding ....................................................................................... 276 6.4 Results .......................................................................................... 277 6.4.1 The (k) variable in word stems ................................................ 278 6.4.2 The (g) variable ........................................................................ 283 6.5 Conclusion .................................................................................... 291 Chapter 7 The 2nd person singular feminine object/possessive suffix (-ik) 293 7.1 Introduction .................................................................................. 293 7.2 Review of previous studies .......................................................... 295 7.2.1 Suffix (de)palatalisation in Arabic and other languages .......... 296 7.2.2 Views of the medieval Arab grammarians and others on the linguistic and semantic constraints on suffix (de)palatalisation