Inequalities, policies, and culture: English, Arabic, and Chinese in the Bahraini linguistic market

Abstract

Due to modernisation and Englishisation in Bahrain, noticeably different types of bilingual and bicultural experiences exist, especially among the youth. Recently, the rise of Chinese education policies in the region raises the question of how it might alter the local linguistic market and the forms of capital within it. Applying a scalar-chronotopic analysis to audio-recorded conversations from Bahraini youth as well as textual data from the Confucius Institute in Bahrain’s website and related press releases, this paper lays out key information about the status of languages in the Bahraini linguistic market to discuss how Chinese might alter the current state of affairs. This approach also highlights the indexical differences in how these codes are promoted and perceived. I argue that whereas the sociocultural aspect highlighted in the promotion of Chinese is somewhat absent when it comes to English, it still has neoliberal implications. I conclude with a discussion regarding a more productive integration of ‘culture’ in the promotion and acquisition of language.