Anglicisms in Omani Arabic: A Study on the Use, Status, and Perception of English Loanwords

Abstract

The growing dominance of English in fields such as education, technology, business, culture, and politics across the globe has contributed to the existence and spread of Anglicisms in world languages. The use of anglicisms, English loanwords, is a global phenomenon that has a significant impact not only on international communication exchanges but also on people's native languages. Modern varieties of Arabic, including Omani Arabic, are no exception to this growing trend. This research is an attempt to investigate the status of Anglicisms in Omani Arabic. The aim is to determine the factors promoting the use of Anglicisms in day-to-day interactions and people's attitudes towards them. As a method of data collection, the study used focus group discussions that included seventy undergraduate students. The findings of the study showed that anglicisms are consistently used by young Omanis in face-to-face and virtual interactions. Furthermore, the findings revealed that a large number of anglicisms have undergone morphological and phonological adaptation and thus been incorporated into the lexicon of Omani Arabic. This rising trend of anglicisms can be attributed to certain factors including a) the influence and prestige of Anglo-American culture, b) the influence of information and communication technology, c) the internationalization of education, d) lexical voids in the native language, and e) conciseness and expressiveness of English loanwords. Finally, apart from some voices against the unnecessary use of anglicisms in the language, the younger generation seems to accept and have a positive attitude towards the use of English loanwords in day-to-day interactions.