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Eid, Zeina and Sallabank, Julia (2021) 'Language attitudes and language practices of the Lebanese community in the UK.' International Journal of the Sociology of Language, 2021 (269). pp. 179-202.

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Abstract

Abstract The number of Lebanese immigrants in the UK has dramatically increased in recent years, motivated by socio-political and economic pressures and in pursuit of academic excellence. This is one of the first studies to explore the attitudes of Lebanese parents and British-Lebanese children towards Arabic (Lebanese Arabic [LA] and Modern Standard Arabic [MSA]) in the UK. The data were collected from semi-structured interviews with 24 parents and 15 children, participant observation and field notes. Results indicate that Lebanese parents and children believe that HL maintenance can foster a sense of Lebaneseness, and help children access the highly valued socio-cultural significance of LA. MSA is regarded in high esteem, but Muslim children appreciate MSA more for its “pride” value than for instrumental “profit” purposes. This illustrates that the notions of “pride” and “profit” are not clear-cut in a linguistic market where multilingualism is undervalued and European foreign languages outweigh Arabic varieties, even MSA despite its global significance. For HL speakers, the “pride” value of the HL in family, culture and religion may outweigh both profit incentives and hegemonic language ideologies.

Item Type: Journal Article
Keywords: Linguistics and Language, Language and Linguistics
SOAS Departments & Centres: Departments and Subunits > School of Languages, Cultures & Linguistics > Department of Linguistics
ISSN: 01652516
DOI (Digital Object Identifier): https://doi.org/10.1515/ijsl-2020-0008
SWORD Depositor: JISC Publications Router
Date Deposited: 10 May 2022 10:59
URI: https://eprints.soas.ac.uk/id/eprint/37189

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