Language Attitudes and Ethnic Language Loss in Algeria: The Case of the Chaoui Variety Among Young Users in the City of Oran

Abstract

This article surveys language use in the city of Oran, Algeria. It aimed to study the language attitudes of a small community of Chaoui speakers towards their language with the other languages spoken in the city, namely Standard Arabic, Algerian Arabic, and French. The results showed that though the Chaoui speech community is still emotionally attached to its ethnic language and considers it part and parcel of its identity, the Chaoui language is clearly witnessing a decline, which might eventually lead to death. The other languages, however, maintain themselves thanks to tight domain division, whereby Standard Arabic is used in official and formal situations, French, in the sciences, and Algerian Arabic, in informal interpersonal communication. The study concludes by stressing the role of schools in maintaining the country’s ethnic languages to allow them to survive outside their regions.