Abstract
The “Ghawa Syndrome” is a well-known linguistic phenomenon in the Arabian Gulf. In this phenomenon, the first open syllabus of a word is re-syllabified. The current study investigates the occurrence of this linguistic feature in Kuwaiti verbs within the variation of accents in the speech of two ethnic groups (Najdis and Ajamis) and three generations. The ethnicity factor was believed to play a major role in the linguistic feature under investigation due to their varying social and economic status. 48 Kuwaiti individuals represented the two investigated ethnicities and three age groups (chosen according to relevant milestones in the history of Kuwait), and with an equal number of males and females participating in data collection. Three different techniques of data collection were utilized (picture-naming, map task, interview & questionnaires). The results reflected an increase in the use of the Ghawa Syndrome across generations in the Ajami group, while the Najdi dialect was rather stable. This linguistic familiarity seems to affect the two ethnicities, bringing them closer to each other.
Highlights
Sociophonetics is a fairly new area of phonetics, addressed by many scholars (Hay 2006, Haeri 2000, Foulkes & Docherty 2006)
The results reflected an increase in the use of the Ghawa Syndrome across generations in the Ajami group, while the Najdi dialect was rather stable
It is well-defined as the field of linguistics that inspects "variable aspects of phonetic or phonological structure in which alternative forms correlate with social factors" (Foulkes and Docherty, 2006:411)
Summary
Sociophonetics is a fairly new area of phonetics, addressed by many scholars (Hay 2006, Haeri 2000, Foulkes & Docherty 2006). It is well-defined as the field of linguistics that inspects "variable aspects of phonetic or phonological structure in which alternative forms correlate with social factors" (Foulkes and Docherty, 2006:411). The belief in the importance of social construction in inducing phonetic variability and variation has been reinforced by most studies conducted within the field of sociolinguistics. The purpose of this study is delivering a phonetic description of vocalic variation taking place amid two Kuwaiti ethnic groups, highlighting the effect of the social factors of age, gender and ethnicity. The Ghawa Syndrome in verbs has received little attention from Arabic sociolinguists
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