Language threat in the United Arab Emirates? Unpacking domains of language use
-
Keith Kennetz
and
Kevin S. Carroll
Abstract
The United Arab Emirates’ economic and population growth within the past 30 years has led to a vibrant country where linguistic, cultural and religious diversity is the norm. Nevertheless, as Arabic-speaking Emiratis comprise approximately 10–15% of the country’s residents, academics and Emiratis themselves have questioned the level to which Arabic is threatened in the country. Given the use of English in many domains outside of the home, coupled with its global prestige, such uncertainty regarding the future of Arabic are warranted, yet there is currently no baseline data on how Emiratis are using language in their daily lives. This article examines language threat within this context and uses survey data completed by 248 Emirati participants regarding their reported use of Arabic and other languages. Findings suggest that although Arabic plays a major role in the daily lives of majority of Emiratis, English often co-exists in a variety of different domains and adds to the context’s multilingualism. The authors argue that Emiratis live in a multilingual country where Arabic and English co-exist together in relative harmony. Nevertheless, given the rapidly changing demographics and educational policies in the country, further research is essential.
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© 2018 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston
Articles in the same Issue
- Frontmatter
- Race, space and commerce in multi-ethnic Costa Rica: a linguistic landscape inquiry
- “I speak English but i am still me” – English language practices in Alter do Chão, Brazil
- Framing the diaspora and the homeland: language ideologies in the Cuban diaspora
- Who speaks what language to whom and when – rethinking language use in the context of European Schools
- “It sounds like the language spoken by those living by the seaside” – language attitudes towards the local Italo-romance variety of Ghanaian immigrants in Bergamo
- “An unrealistic expectation”: Māori youth on indigenous language purism
- Towards an understanding of African endogenous multilingualism: ethnography, language ideologies, and the supernatural
- Language threat in the United Arab Emirates? Unpacking domains of language use
- Transcending networks’ boundaries: losses and displacements at the contact zone between English and Hebrew
- Book Review
- Maria Sabaté i Dalmau: Migrant communication enterprises. Regimentation and resistance
Articles in the same Issue
- Frontmatter
- Race, space and commerce in multi-ethnic Costa Rica: a linguistic landscape inquiry
- “I speak English but i am still me” – English language practices in Alter do Chão, Brazil
- Framing the diaspora and the homeland: language ideologies in the Cuban diaspora
- Who speaks what language to whom and when – rethinking language use in the context of European Schools
- “It sounds like the language spoken by those living by the seaside” – language attitudes towards the local Italo-romance variety of Ghanaian immigrants in Bergamo
- “An unrealistic expectation”: Māori youth on indigenous language purism
- Towards an understanding of African endogenous multilingualism: ethnography, language ideologies, and the supernatural
- Language threat in the United Arab Emirates? Unpacking domains of language use
- Transcending networks’ boundaries: losses and displacements at the contact zone between English and Hebrew
- Book Review
- Maria Sabaté i Dalmau: Migrant communication enterprises. Regimentation and resistance
