THE EMERGENCE OF THE RURAL/URBAN OPPOSITION IN ARABIC SPOKEN LANGUAGE

Abstract

Linguistic diversity of the Arab world presents diglossic features of Modern Standard Arabic and dialects. This research is focused on the interference of linguistic varieties related to rural and urban society. The language of urban centers in majority of Arabic countries is related with prestige and prosperity. Bidialectal switch between language codes is resulted by such criteria as migration, age, gender and education level. Big urban centers provide many institutions, which are attractive for citizens from rural areas, willing to develop educational level or good job opportunities. Nevertheless, main issue refers to the problem of social identity and its impact on the language change. Distinct community division of Arabic countries (tribal) makes dialectal diversity more complex.