Language attitudes and language practices of the Lebanese community in the UK
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Zeina Eid
und
Julia Sallabank
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.
Parents’ profiles.
| Pseudony ms | Method used | Gender | L1 | Abilities in English | Abilities in French | Years in UK | Education | Employment | Pseudony ms of participant children |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Souha | Observation | F | LA | Proficient | Proficient | 20+ | University degree | Linguist | Nida; Hala; Heba |
| Kamii | Observation | M | LA | Proficient | Functional | 30 | University degree | Business | Nida; Hala; Heba |
| Maryam | Interview | F | LA | Proficient | Proficient | 20+ | University degree | Teacher | Faten; Jad |
| Said | Interview | M | LA | Proficient | Minimal | 20+ | University degree | Business | Faten; Jad |
| Amai | Interview | F | LA | Proficient | Functional | 20+ | University degree | Embassy employee | Yasmina |
| Amani | Interview | F | LA | Proficient | Functional | 20+ | University degree | Artist | Roula |
| Najwa | Interview | F | LA | Proficient | Proficient | 20+ | University degree | Embassy employee | Reem |
| Layla | Interview | F | LA | Proficient | Proficient | 20+ | Proficient | University lecturer | Jamil |
| Mina | Interview | F | Polish | Minimal | None | 13 | Senior School | Housewife | Sara; Elisa |
| Tarek | Interview | M | LA | Proficient | Functional | 20+ | Senior School | Shop owner | Sara; Elisa |
| Dima | Interview | F | LA | Proficient | Proficient | 16 | University degree | Engineeringg | Omar |
| Lana | Interview | F | LA | Proficient | Proficient | 18 | University degree | Marketing | Talal |
| Lulu | Interview | F | LA | Function al | Functional | 20+ | Senior School | Housewife | Jalal |
| Samar | Interview | F | LA | Proficient | Proficient | 20+ | University degree | Interprete r | Tala |
| Joud | Interview | M | LA | Proficient | Functional | 19 | University degree | Doctor | Liyana |
| Rania | Interview | F | LA | Proficient | Functional | 18 | University degree | Business | – |
| Amer | Interview | M | LA | Proficient | Functional | 30+ | University degree | Engineer | Nadim; Malek; May |
| Youmna | Observation | F | LA | Proficient | Proficient | 20+ | University degree | Linguist | Nadim; Malek; May |
| Salim | Observation | M | LA | Function al | Minimal | 20+ | Senior School | Shop owner | Adel; Wassim; Aya |
| Fadia | Observation | F | LA | Function al | Functional | 20+ | University degree | Housewife | Adel; Wassim; Aya |
| Muncera | Interview | F | LA | Function al | Functional | 17 | University degree | Beautician | – |
| Maha | Interview | F | LA | Proficient | Proficient | 18 | University degree | Teacher | Samir |
| Souhad | Interview | F | LA | Function al | Proficient | 18 | College degree | Housewife | Rayyan |
| Rana | Interview | F | LA | Proficient | Proficient | 15 | University degree | Chemical engineering | Nay |
Children’s profiles.
| Pseudonym | Gender | Age | Place of birth | L1 | Method used |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nida | F | 13 | UK | LA | Observation |
| Hala | F | 11 | UK | LA | Observation |
| Heba | F | 8 | UK | LA | Observation |
| Jad | M | 14 | UK | LA | Interview |
| Faten | F | 16 | UK | LA | Interview |
| Yasmina | F | 16 | UK | LA | Interview |
| Reern | F | 15 | UK | LA | Interview |
| Roula | F | 12 | UK | LA | Interview |
| Jamil | M | 16 | UK | LA | Interview |
| Omar | M | 14 | UK | LA | Interview |
| Talal | M | 15 | UK | LA | Interview |
| Jalal | M | 13 | Dubai | LA | Interview |
| Tala | F | 14 | UK | LA | Interview |
| Liyana | F | 15 | UK | LA | Interview |
| Nadim | M | 16 | UK | LA | Observation |
| Malck | M | 15 | UK | LA | Observation |
| May | F | 11 | UK | LA | Observation |
| Adel | M | 16 | UK | LA | Observation |
| Wassim | M | 14 | UK | LA | Observation |
| Aya | F | 10 | Lebanon | LA | Observation |
| Samir | M | 15 | UK | LA | Interview |
| Rayyan | M | 10 | UK | LA | Interview |
| Sara | F | 15 | Poland | Polish+LA | Interview |
| Elisa | F | 13 | UK | Polish+LA | Interview |
| Nay | F | 16 | UK | LA | Interview |
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© 2021 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston
Artikel in diesem Heft
- Frontmatter
- Introducing a Varia section
- Introduction: the changing faces of transnational communities in Britain
- Living with diversity and change: intergenerational differences in language and identity in the Somali community in Britain
- “Pride” and “profit”: a sociolinguistic profile of the Chinese communities in Britain
- “Dobra polska mowa”: monoglot ideology, multilingual reality and Polish organisations in the UK
- The UK’s shifting diasporic landscape: negotiating ethnolinguistic heterogeneity in Greek complementary schools post-2010
- “Talk in Tamil!” – Does Sri Lankan Tamil onward migration from Europe influence Tamil language maintenance in the UK?
- A disavowed community: the case of new Italian migrants in London
- Language attitudes and language practices of the Lebanese community in the UK
- Varia
- The functions of language mixing in the social networks of Singapore students
- Indigenization in a downgraded continuum: Ideologies behind phonetic variation in Namibian Afrikaans
- Book Review
- Andrea C. Schalley and Susana A. Eisenchlas (eds.): Handbook of Home Language Maintenance and Development: Social and Affective Factors
Artikel in diesem Heft
- Frontmatter
- Introducing a Varia section
- Introduction: the changing faces of transnational communities in Britain
- Living with diversity and change: intergenerational differences in language and identity in the Somali community in Britain
- “Pride” and “profit”: a sociolinguistic profile of the Chinese communities in Britain
- “Dobra polska mowa”: monoglot ideology, multilingual reality and Polish organisations in the UK
- The UK’s shifting diasporic landscape: negotiating ethnolinguistic heterogeneity in Greek complementary schools post-2010
- “Talk in Tamil!” – Does Sri Lankan Tamil onward migration from Europe influence Tamil language maintenance in the UK?
- A disavowed community: the case of new Italian migrants in London
- Language attitudes and language practices of the Lebanese community in the UK
- Varia
- The functions of language mixing in the social networks of Singapore students
- Indigenization in a downgraded continuum: Ideologies behind phonetic variation in Namibian Afrikaans
- Book Review
- Andrea C. Schalley and Susana A. Eisenchlas (eds.): Handbook of Home Language Maintenance and Development: Social and Affective Factors
