Published In

International Journal Of The Sociology Of Language

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

1-1-2003

Subjects

Sociolinguistics -- Africa (North), Diglossia (Linguistics), Arabic language -- Variation

Abstract

Despite criticisms it has received, Ferguson's (1959b) account of diglossia should be recognized for its prescience. It offered not only an admittedly idealized characterization of diglossia in Arabic, but also pointed out how and why it might change. Focusing on Tunisia, this article demonstrates the many ways in which Fergie was right. It examines the changing demographics of Tunisians' access to the high variety of Arabic; the complex ways in which Tunisians, and Arabs more generally, deal with the "communicative tensions" diglossia creates; and considers the changing nature of Arabic in what is, in many ways, a postdiglossic Tunisia.

Description

The final publication is available at www.degruyter.com

Persistent Identifier

http://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/8492

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