Abstract
AbstractA shift from understanding languages as discrete towards understanding them as undifferentiated features in the repertoire has caused disagreements over the reality of linguistic boundaries. In this paper, I show how a middle‐ground approach is achievable by applying the complex workings of a scalar‐chronotopic lens to the discourse of bilingual/multidialectal Bahrainis. I argue that both perspectives on (in)discreteness become relevant in accounting for bi/multilingual subjectivities: at times, Arabic is idealized as a large‐scale code against English, whereas at other times, the intrusiveness of English is backgrounded to show affiliation for one Arabic variety over another. I show accommodation in communication as a spatiotemporally layered process, where the internalized contextual factors within the repertoire may overlap with or take precedence over the immediate context. As such, this paper adds to the question of linguistic discreteness, with implications for our understanding of the repertoire and its utility in bi/multilingual practices and accommodation theory.
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