Cover not available

In:Applied Linguistics in the Middle East and North Africa: Current practices and future directions
Edited by Atta Gebril
[AILA Applied Linguistics Series 15] 2017
► pp. 89–113

Get fulltext from our e-platform
JBE logo with link
PDF logo with download linkDownload Book PDF
EPUB logo with download linkDownload Book EPUB
authorization required

Chapter 5
The age of global English

Language use and identity construction in the United Arab Emirates

 | The American University of Sharjah
Published online: 18 July 2017
DOI logo with link
https://doi.org/10.1075/aals.15.05dah
Abstract
In the Arab world there is a conviction that Arab identity is grounded in Arabic and identity continues to arise as something over which Arabs must be vigilant in view of global English. Identity research today is transforming, and is viewed as fluid and unconstrained by language, culture, or geography. Recent publications on language learning and multilingual language practices reveal a post-structuralist approach to identity, when considering how identity is conceptualized in applied linguistics. This study examines Arab youth studying at an English medium university in the UAE and their perceptions regarding their native Arabic as significant in constructing an Arab identity. According to the results of the study, Arabic is not viewed as an identity marker.
Article outline
  • Introduction
  • Language use in the UAE
  • Literature review
    • Context of the study
    • Arabic as an identity marker
    • Arabic as an instrument of communication
  • The study
    • Research site and participants
    • Data collection and analysis
    • The questionnaire
    • The interviews
    • Validity and reliability
  • Findings
    • Perceptions and rationales of an Arab identity
    • Other markers of an Arab identity
    • Does speaking Arabic make one Arab?
    • Language use and identity
    • Overview of findings
  • Discussion
  • Limitations of the study
  • Conclusion
  • References
  • Appendix
References (67)
References
Abed, S. B. (2007). Arabic language and culture amid the demands of globalization. Abu Dhabi, UAE: The Emirates Centre for Strategic Studies and Research.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Ahmed, A. (2010) October6. Being taught in English ‘undermines local identity.’ The National. Retrieved from <[URL]>
Al Hinai, M. (2012) April27. Arabic should be treasured and given pride of place. The National. Retrieved from <[URL]>
Al-Issa, A. (2012) February9. Arabic must be the focus in pursuit of ‘true’ bilingualism. The National. Retrieved from <[URL]>
Al-Issa, A., & Dahan, L. S. (2011). Global English and endangered Arabic in the United Arab Emirates. In A. Al-Issa & L. S. Dahan (Eds.), Global English and Arabic: Issues of language, culture, and identity (pp. 1–22). Oxford: Peter Lang Publishers. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Al Khan, M. N. (2013) May14. Arabic is not dead but teaching must improve, UAE report shows. The National. Retrieved from <[URL]>
Al Mutawa, M. A. (2008) November23. Fostering a national identity. Gulf News. Retrieved from <[URL]>
Al Saayegh, F. (2008) May27. How can we maintain a national identity? Gulf News. Retrieved from <[URL]>
Badry, F. (2011). Appropriating English: Languages in identity construction in the United Arab Emirates. In A. Al-Issa & L. S. Dahan (Eds.), Global English and Arabic: Issues of language, culture, and identity (pp. 81–122). Bern, Switzerland: Peter Lang.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
(2012). Education in the UAE: Local identity and global development. In Essentials of school education in the UAE. Abu Dhabi, UAE: ECSSR Publications.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Bartlett, T. (2013). Constructing local voices through English as a lingua franca: A study from intercultural development discourse. In E. J. Erling, & P. Seargeant (Eds.), English and development: Policy, pedagogy and globalization (pp. 163–181). Bristol, UK: Multilingual Matters.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Benkharafa, M. (2013). The present situation of the Arabic language and the Arab world commitment to Arabization. Theory and Practice in Language Studies, I(2), 201–208. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
British Council (2013). The 2013 British Council award for ELT writing. Retrieved from <[URL]>
Block, D. (2006). Identity in applied linguistics. In T. Omoniyi, & G. White, (Eds.), The sociolinguistics of identity (pp. 34–49). London: Continuum.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
(2007a). The rise of identity in SLA research, post Firth and Wagner (1997). The Modern Language Journal, 91(5), 863–876. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
(2007b). Second language identities. London: Continuum.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
(2010). Researching language and identity. In B. Paltridge & A. Phakiti (Eds.), Continuum companion to research methods in applied linguistics (pp. 337–349).London: Continuum.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Boyle, R. (2011). Patterns of change in English as a lingua franca in the UAE. International Journal of Applied Linguistics, 21(2), 143–161. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Bucholtz, M., & Hall, K. (2010). Locating identity in language. In C. Llamas & D. Watt (Eds.), Language and identities (pp. 18–36). Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Canagarajah, A. S. (2006). Negotiating the local in English as a lingua franca. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, 26, 197–218. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
(2007). Lingua franca English, multilingual communities, and language acquisition. Modern Language Journal, 91, 923–939. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Carmichael, J. (1967). The shaping of the Arabs: A study in ethnic identity. New York NY: Macmillan.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Constantine, Z. (2007). September 9. English slowly becoming ‘mother tongue’ for all. Gulf News. Retrieved from <[URL]>
Crystal, D. (2003). English as a global language (2nd ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Duff, P. A., & Uchida, Y. (1997). The negotiation of teachers’ sociocultural identities and practices in post-secondary EFL classrooms. TESOL Quarterly, 31(3), 451–486. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Edwards, J. (1985). Language, society, and identity. Oxford: Basil Blackwell.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Elbeheri, G., Mahfoudhi, A., & Everatt, J. (2009). Perspectives from the Arab world. Perspectives on Language and Literacy, 35(1), 9–12.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Findlow, S. (2006). Higher education and linguistic dualism in the Arab Gulf. British Journal of Sociology of Education, 27(1), 19–36. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Fishman, J. A. (2000). Who speaks what language to whom and when. In L. Wei (Ed.), The bilingualism reader (pp. 89–106). London: Routledge.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Fussell, B. (2011). The local flavour of English in the Gulf. English Today, 27(4), 26–32. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Gallagher, K. (2011). Bilingual education in the UAE: Factors, variable and critical questions. Education, Business and Society: Contemporary Middle Eastern Issues, 4(1), 62–79. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Gumperz, J. J., & Cook-Gumperz, J. (1982). Introduction: Language and the communication of social identity. In J. J. Gumperz (Ed.), Language and social identity (pp. 1–22). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Habboush, M. (2009). March 22. Classical Arabic makes a comeback. The National. Retrieved from <[URL]>
Issa, W. (2013). March 6. Call to boost Arabic in universities. The National, 1&4.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Jaworski, A., & Coupland, N. (Eds.). (1999). The discourse reader. London: Routledge.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Jenkins, J. (2007). English as a lingua franca: Attitude and identity. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Joseph, J. E. (2004). Language and identity: National, ethnic, religious. Houndsmills, UK: Palgrave MacMillan. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Lemke, J. L. (2008). Identity, development, and desire: Critical questions. In C. R. Caldas-Coulthard, & R. Iedema (Eds.), Identity trouble (pp. 17–42). Houndsmills, UK: Palgrave Macmillan.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Lepeska, D. (2010). March 26. Qatari professor urges massive effort to prevent death of Arabic. The National. Retrieved from <[URL]>
Leung, C., Harris, R., & Rampton, B. (1997). The idealised native speaker, reified ethnicities, and classroom realities. TESOL Quarterly, 31(3), 543–560. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Lincoln, Y. S., & Guba, E. G. (1985). Naturalistic inquiry. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Llamas, C., & Watt, D. (Eds.) (2010). Language and identities. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Maalouf, A. (2000). On identity. London: The Harvill Press.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Malesevic, S. (2006). Identity as ideology: Understanding ethnicity and nationalism. Houndsmills, UK: Palgrave Macmillan. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
McBeath, N. (2007). English as a lingua franca in the Arab Gulf. IATEFL Voices, 199, 7.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Merriam, S. B. (1995). What can you tell from an N of 1?: Issues of validity and reliability in qualitative research. PAACE Journal of Lifelong Learning, 4, 51–60.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Omoniyi, T. (2006). Hierarchy of identities. In T. Omoniyi, & G. White (Eds.), The sociolinguistics of identity (pp. 11–33). London: Continuum.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Omoniyi, T., & White, G. (Eds.). (2006). The sociolinguistics of identity. London: Continuum.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Ottaway, D. B. (2010). The Arab tomorrow. The Wilson Quarterly, 34(1), 48–64.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Pavlenko, A., & Blackledge, A. (Eds.). (2004). Negotiations of identities in multilingual contexts. Clevedon, UK: Multilingual Matters.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Phillipson, R. (1992). Linguistic imperialism. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
(1998). Globalizing English: Are linguistic human rights an alternative to linguistic imperialism? Language Sciences, 20(1), 101–112. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
(2011). English: From British Empire to corporate empire. Sociolinguistic Studies, 5(3), 441–464. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Prodromou, L. (2008). English as a lingua franca: A corpus-based analysis. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Randall, M., & Samimi, M. A. (2010). The status of English in Dubai. English Today, 26(1), 43–50. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Ronesi, L. (2011). Who am I as an Arab English-speaker? Perspectives from female university students in the United Arab Emirates. In A. Al-Issa, & L. S. Dahan (Eds.) Global English and Arabic: Issues of language, culture, and identity (pp. 49–80). Bern, Switzerland: Peter Lang.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Salameh, F. (2011). Does anyone speak Arabic? Middle East Quarterly, 18(4), 47–60.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Schecter, S. R., & Bayley, R. (1997). Language socialization practices and cultural identity. TESOL Quarterly, 31(3), 513–541. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Suleiman, Y. (2003). The Arabic language and national identity: A study in ideology. Washington, DC: Georgetown University Press.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
(2011). Arabic, self and identity: A study in conflict and displacement. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Swan, M. (2012). April 26. Arabic school aims to boost popularity of the language. The National, p. 6.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Tabouret-Keller, A. (1997). Language and identity. In F. Coulmas (Ed.), The handbook of sociolinguistics (pp. 316–326). Oxford: Blackwell.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Taylor, D. M. (2002). The quest for identity. Westport, CT: Praeger.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Teaching Arabic needs serious push. (2013). September10. The National. Retrieved from <[URL]>
Troudi, S. (2007). The effects of English as a medium of instruction. In A. Jendli, S. Troudi, & C. Coombe (Eds.), The power of language: Perspectives from Arabia (pp. 3–19). Dubai: TESOL Arabia.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Zughoul, M. R. (2002). The power of language and the language of power in higher education in the Arab world: Conflict, dominance and shift. College of Islamic and Arabic Studies Journal, 23. Retrieved from <[URL]>
(2003). Globalization and EFL/ESL pedagogy in the Arab world. Journal of Language and Learning, 1(2), 106–142.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Mobile Menu Logo with link to supplementary files background Layer 1 prag Twitter_Logo_Blue