Arabic Language and the Loofah
Author: Dr. Reem Salah sartawi
Petra University
November, 30, 2011
Abstract:
Standard Arabic (SA) or FuSha (the Arabic term for 'standard Arabic') is the language
used for recording intellectual output in general, while spoken varieties or colloquialisms
are used for everyday needs. SA has relatively fixed governing rules, whereas
colloquialisms are relatively spontaneous and are subject to change according to
generations and the surrounding circumstances. This existence of dialects next to the
standard is a general phenomenon in all living languages (Arabic spoken varieties are
inherent for more than 1500 years). Hence, the existence of spoken Arabic varieties is not
odd among languages. FuSha and Colloquialisms together compose Arabic Language.
Yet the degrees of the spoken varieties (Colloquialisms) vary in societies according to
certain aspects: education, occupation, social status, gender, geographic location, cultural
background, foreign influence, economic situation, and “more recently” Media influence.
One sharp form of Media influence is satellite channels. Currently, there are around 696
Arab satellite channels adopting different media trends to achieve profit- the key to their
sustainability.
Since singing is the most profitable business for these channels, they are always hunting
for singers to guarantee revenues. Consequently, lower singing forms started to appear-
music, lyrics, and voices.
Our main concern in this paper is the intended choice of words used by current Arab
singers, the level of colloquialism such songs are trying to emphasise and its impact over
Arabic Language. The study will conduct a discourse analysis of the most recent hit
album in the Arab World.
The Second Jordan International Conference on Translation (JICOT 2), Petra University, Amman, Jordan,
Nov. 2010
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