Represent your origins: An analysis of the diatopic determinants of non-standard language use in French rap

Abstract

Abstract This article investigates the impact of diatopic determinants, and more specifically, ethnic and geographic origins, on non-standard language use in francophone rap (in France and Belgium). This study relies on a lexicographic analysis to produce quantitative results that are then analysed qualitatively with the help of extracts from rap tracks and semi-structured interviews with francophone rappers. This article looks at a variety of possible determinants, including multicultural communities, immigration, flows of people, notions of power relations, authenticity and conflicts between cities and départements. The general conclusion from the analysis is that the diatopic determinants do not have a marked impact on quantitative variation within the corpus when it comes to the overall use of non-standard language, although some wider differences emerge in relation to specific categories, such as the absence of verlan by Marseille rappers or the higher use of Arabic, slang and verlan by rappers of Algerian origin.