Résumé:
The extensive Arabic-Berber contact gave rise to new social aggregations and ethnic
networks of different types across various social hierarchies in Batna community,
Algeria. Using a modified version of Milroy’s Social Network Model, called ‘the
Syncretic Social Network Model’ (SSNM), this study set the task to examine the
association between interethnic contact, ethnic network strength and patterns of dialect
change among Chaouispeakers in Batna community. In essence, it seeks to: a) investigate
the extent to which lexical change in Chaouia correlates, systematically, with speakers’
ethnic network density, b) examine how Arabic lexical borrowing in Chaouia operates,
its mechanisms and sociocultural and ideological motives, and c) explore the embodiment
of ethnic identity formation in the linguistic habits of friendship networks. Framed within
sociolinguistics, and informed by social constructivist views, this ethnic network study
integrates methods and concepts from variationist sociolinguistics, sociology and
anthropology. It incorporated a variety of research tools, including social network
questionnaires, participant-observations, note taking and ethnographic interviews. Thus,
ethnic network questionnaires of 1003 Chaoui informants were examined in relation with
their lexical choices. In addition, intensive ethnographic observations were conducted to
explore two ethnically based friendship networks, which vary on several sociocultural
grounds. A set of Network-based analyses and field-observations were carried out to
gauge both networks’ ethnic cohesiveness, dynamics of lexical change and linguistic
practices. The main result indicates that ethnic strength and cohesiveness co-vary,
significantly, with dynamics of lexical change in Chaouia dialect. Respondents who
contract strong Chaoui ties are more likely to adopt Chaoui words, whilst respondents
who contract weak ties are less immune to Arabic influence and, hence, are more prone
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to use Arabic loanwords. The ethnographic study of Chaoui youngsters in Batna ville
elucidated that ethnically dense friendship networks support dialect stability and
maintenance, whereas weak and multiethnic friendship networks promote lexical change.
In urban interethnic settings, migrant Chaoui youngsters use various Chaouia linguistic
practices, stylistically, as a socioindexical function of membership, Ethnic loyalty, biethnic identity, and urbanity. Sedentary, urban youngsters, in contrast, cross into salient
Chaouia dialect norms to mark distance from their Chaoui counterparts. The results, also,
demonstrated the major role of weak ethnic ties, Brokers and geographically mobile
speakers in the dissemination of Arabic loanwords into different social groups and rural
landscapes. The extended Syncretic Social Network Model was discussed at the end of
the thesis, along with its practical considerations and guidelines.
