The Impact of Computer-Mediated Communication on the Arabic Language: The Case of Algeria.

Abstract

The Internet is no longer perceived as a mere technological invention but rather it became embedded in human’s daily social activities as it provides unprecedented media of communication. These media have brought language to the brink of the biggest revolution ever in its history. Debatable linguistic issues have been flamed, for people believe that Internet has created new interaction environments where linguistic forms have been turned upside down and where the ‘break’ with the rules became the norm. This dissertation sheds light on the impact of text-based Computer-Mediated Communication (henceforth CMC) on the Arabic language, focusing on the Algerian context. Arabic use online constitutes a topic with unique insights, not only because of the innovative strategies adopted to overcome technical constrains but also because of its diglossic nature. Algerian Arabic use online is specific with its different regional dialects, besides various sociolinguistic articulations such as code-switching, code-mixing, and linguistic borrowing. The present work is an investigation that aims at exploring; first, the linguistic varieties used by the Algerians in their text-based CMC and the one they use the most; second, the linguistic and the sociolinguistic features of their language manifestations online; third, the linguistic variations they articulate according to their regional distribution; and finally, Algerians’ perceptions and attitudes towards Arabic use online. In order to achieve these objectives, four chapters have been implemented. Chapter one is an opening for the main concepts that the dissertation stands on; mainly globalisation, Internet, CMC, SNSs, and Facebook. Chapter two is devoted to the most debatable issues concerning language use on Internet; it reviews literature related to Internet linguistics and sociolinguistics approaches. Chapter three describes and analyses the findings of the study in the light of the research questions and hypotheses.Chapter four discusses the main research findings and provides the researcher’s suggestions and recommendations.