Abstract
The popularity of social networking sites in the Arab world has resulted in a new writing code, Arabizi, which combines Roman letters and numbers to represent the Arabic language. This new code received vehement criticism from Arabic linguists who argued that Arabizi is detrimental to the Arabic language and Arab identity. Arabizi use, however, has been increasing, especially in Saudi Arabia, a highly conservative and religious society. To address this apparent contradiction, this study investigated the reasons why young Saudi Arabians use Arabizi online and their attitudes towards its use. The research was based on 131 questionnaires distributed on social networking sites, and 20 interviews conducted with Saudi users of Arabizi. The findings suggest participants use Arabizi because (1), it is the language of their peers, (2) it is cool and stylish, (3) they have difficulties with the Arabic language, and (4) Arabizi constitutes a secret code, allowing escape from judgements of the older generation. The study concludes that Arabizi is a strong marker of Arab youth identity and group solidarity.
Highlights
While using social networking sites (SNSs) as a means of communication, many aspects of our lives are reconfigured and reshaped
Arabizi users reported a variety of attitudes towards and beliefs about Arabizi
The most frequently cited attitudes are (1) Arabizi is a code that is used for informal communication; (2) Arabizi is easier and faster than Arabic in terms of grammar and writing; (3) Arabizi is described as cool, stylish, trendy, and the language of young people on social media; (4) Arabizi may have some negative effects on the participants’ Arabic writing skills, and (5) Arabizi does not undermine the Arab culture and/or identity
Summary
While using social networking sites (SNSs) as a means of communication, many aspects of our lives are reconfigured and reshaped. Net-Speak, as explained by Crystal (2006), has unique features that assist users in achieving ease and swiftness in writing. This results in simplifying online communication as well as the creation of new features, such as invention of new technical terms, acronyms, and abbreviations that are mostly associated with internet use, such as acronym use in text messaging (Crystal 2006). Such simplicity in internet language provides its users with new opportunities to use language (Crystal 2006; Greiffenstern 2010). Users of the internet are able to create their own rules of communication and adopt new rules which allow them to accommodate to their speech communities
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
