Sociolinguistic representations of variation in Moroccan spoken Arabic: discourses, practices and internet memes

Alexandrine Barontini; Karima Ziamari

doi:10.1515/ijsl-2022-0010

Article

Sociolinguistic representations of variation in Moroccan spoken Arabic: discourses, practices and internet memes

Alexandrine Barontini and Karima Ziamari

Published/Copyright: November 8, 2022

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From the journal International Journal of the Sociology of Language Volume 2022 Issue 278

Abstract

This paper explores metalinguistic representations of Moroccan Arabic, through speakers’ discourses – taken from various spontaneous recordings and interviews with Moroccan Arabic speakers, of various ages, social backgrounds, and, for the most part, living in Meknes – and humoristic images and memes mocking local accents to be found on social media. By comparing language practices and metalinguistic representations with internet memes related to language stereotypes, our objective is to highlight indexicality, iconization and rhematization, in the circulation of metalinguistic representations, especially their reproduction through copy and imitation, which is the main attribute of memes that interests us. Markers, values, meanings associated with variation constantly change and shift through speakers’ practices and discourses, interacting with language ideologies, representations and stereotypes. With that in mind, we examine metalinguistic discourses and sociolinguistic variables in parallel to each other in order to study old and new representations along with social categories such as young/old, virile/effeminate, as well as regional stereotypes.

Keywords: indexicality; internet memes; Moroccan Arabic; sociolinguistic representations and stereotypes; variation and discourse

Corresponding author: Alexandrine Barontini, Etudes Arabes – LaCNAD, Institut National des Langues et Civilisations Orientales, Paris, France, E-mail: alexandrine.barontini@inalco.fr

Funding source: Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades, Agencia Estatal de Investigación and European Fund for Regional Development

Award Identifier / Grant number: FFI2017-87533-P

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Justin McGuinness for his translation of this article and all quotes from French to English. We also would like to thank Chantal Tetreault for her helpful reading and remarks. Finally, we are thankful to the two anonymous reviewers’ improving comments.

Research funding: This article particularly benefitted from the project led by Montserrat Benítez Fernández: “Variación diastrática en las variedades habladas del árabe vernáculo de Marruecos (FFI2017-87533-P)”, which was financed by Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades, Agencia Estatal de Investigación and European Fund for Regional Development.

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Received: 2022-02-03

Accepted: 2022-07-07

Published Online: 2022-11-08

Published in Print: 2022-11-25

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Articles in the same Issue

https://doi.org/10.1515/ijsl-2022-0010

Keywords for this article

indexicality; internet memes; Moroccan Arabic; sociolinguistic representations and stereotypes; variation and discourse