Innovative Language Practices Among Algerian Youth: A Contemporary Sociolinguistic Study in Mecheria, Naama.
Keywords:
contemporary, language innovation, youth, sociolinguistics, AlgeriaAbstract
This article highlights a contemporary understanding of the language innovation phenomenon among the youth in Mecheria city within the Algerian context. It mainly sheds light on the lexicosemantic level, introducing linguistic items used by both genders. Therefore, this work aims at describing the new words used in this age-category and the motives behind them in the different sociolinguistic contexts. Thus, two research tools have been adopted: a questionnaire and participant observation to address a sample of young individuals (n=60) aged 15 to 24, which is selected through purposive (judgment) sampling. The sample includes secondary school and university students. The primary qualitative and quantitative data demonstrate that innovative linguistic items are evident through code switching between colloquial Arabic, French, Tamazight, and English. The latter is seen as the new implemented aspect, referring to many reasons, mostly globalization and the current Algerian language policy. In addition, the findings of this research work reveal the youths' awareness of their linguistic use, choice, and innovation in relation to personal, social, contextual, and geographical variables.
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