The social distribution of non-verbal negation in the Lebanese Arabic of Zgharta

Abstract

This article examines the sociolinguistic distribution of non-verbal negation in Zgharta Arabic, based on sociolinguistic interviews conducted in the Lebanese town of Zgharta. Quantitative data analysis shows that young, middle-class speakers are leading a change in progress towards an increased usage of the capital Beirut variant, while old, working-class members tend to favor the more local negators. The factor of gender was overall reported as statistically insignificant, but cross-tabulating gender with age reveals significant gender differences among the middle-aged and old groups. It is argued that Zghartawis design their language in order to project traits that match their social status and satisfy their communicative needs. This study is among the first to reveal a linguistic change in progress in Lebanon, an area whose sociolinguistic configurations remain underexplored. It also enhances our understanding of the role of dialect contact and urbanization in the Arabic-speaking world.