Readings in Language Shift Studies from the Past to the Present: Review Article

Abstract

Based on the fact that our social and national identities are usually communicated and interpreted through language (Abdelhadi (2017), Sacic (2018)), and the scholarly belief that a shift in one’s language, from his/her mother tongue to a more dominant language, can contribute to an unintentional cultural merge or loss of original identity (Fishman (1991), Nowak (2020)), the current paper aims to shed light on the research concerned with the language shift (LS) phenomenon, with more focus on the historical development of the concept, the factors affecting it, the domains and stages of LS, and types of LS research. The paper also reviews some relevant concepts to LS, such as the relationship between language and identity, and the theory of ethno-linguistic vitality (EV) and language attitudes. In addition, a review of recent studies on LS in general, i.e. internationally, and in the Arab world more specifically is also provided.