Diglossia and Language Contact
Language Variation and Change in North Africa
Cambridge Approaches to Language Contact Series

This volume provides a detailed analysis of language contact in North Africa and explores the historical presence of the languages used in the region, including the different varieties of Arabic and Berber as well as European languages. Using a wide range of data sets, it provides a comprehensive analysis of the mechanisms of language contact under classical diglossia and societal bilingualism, examining multiple cases of oral and written code-switching. It also describes contact-induced lexical and structural change in such situations and discusses the possible appearance of new varieties within the context of diglossia. Examples from past diglossic situations are examined, including the situation in Muslim Spain and the Maltese Islands. An analysis of the current situation of Arabic vernaculars, not only in the Maghreb but also in other Arabic-speaking areas, is also presented. This book will appeal to anyone interested in language contact, the Arabic language, and North Africa.

1. Introduction; 2. The languages of the Maghreb; 3. Diglossia and bilingualism; 4. Language contact under diglossia and bilingualism; 5. Lexical borrowing under diglossia and bilingualism; 6. Diglossia and contact-induced language change; 7. Diglossia and the emergence of new varieties; 8. Conclusion.

Lotfi Sayahi is Associate Professor of Linguistics and Chair in the Department of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures at the State University of New York, Albany, where he teaches courses on sociolinguistics, bilingualism, and language contact.