Sociolinguistic Variation and Attitudes towards Language Behaviour: Case Study of Beni-Saf Speech Community

Abstract

Language variation and attitudes towards language behaviour has always been a topic of hot debate, especially in multilingual countries like Algeria. The present research work sheds light on the linguistic features that distinguish the dialect of Beni-Saf from the other Algerian dialects. The aim behind conducting this study is to check whether the native citizens of this targeted speech community incorporate the Spanish language in their daily conversations or not. It also aims at determining the effects of ethnicity and gender on language variation to detect which gender uses Spanish items mostly. Therefore, to analyse the impact of these variables on language use and the citizens’ attitudes towards Spanish, a group of native inhabitants was chosen as a sample population. Through the use of two sociolinguistic research instruments consisting of a questionnaire and an interview, data were analyzed and interpreted quantitatively and qualitatively. Therefore, the results indicated that Beni-saf citizens, frequently, incorporate Spanish words in their daily speech, and males tend to use these vocabularies more than women do. The results also revealed that the majority of the inhabitants hold positive attitudes towards the Spanish language.