Arabic borrowings and code-switches in the speech of English native Speakers living in Jordan

Characteristics surrounding the Arabic borrowings, code-switches, & -mixes of a group of native English speakers (N = 13) residing in Jordan are investigated for the nature & categories of borrowed /code-switched items, their functions, & linguistic strategies employed. Ss used English as their primary means of communication, although on several occasions they resorted to Jordanian Arabic while speaking either with native Jordanians or among themselves. Borrowed words were most frequently related to food & cuisine, drinks, fruits & vegetables, culture, & clothing; the use of local product brand names as common nouns was also prevalent. English speakers were observed adopting the Jordanian strategy of using a single word to represent a larger speech expression. Instances of code-switching typically occurred with words or phrases expressing greetings, relating to health, or conveying common conversational idioms. Some of the observed code-switches are noted to violate Shana Poplack's "equivalence constraint" (see LLBA 17/1, 8300457). 23 References. Adapted from the source document