Perceptual mapping of linguistic variation in Saudi Arabic dialects

2021 ◽  
Vol 57 (4) ◽  
pp. 471-517
Author(s):  
Yousef Al-Rojaie
Keyword(s):  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Linguistic Diversity ◽  
Linguistic Variation ◽  
Gis Mapping ◽  
Social Evaluation ◽  
Perceptual Dialectology ◽  
Regional Dialect ◽  
Arabic Dialects ◽  
Composite Maps ◽  
Saudi Arabic

Abstract This article provides a perceptual dialectology account of linguistic diversity in Saudi Arabia. Using the map-drawing and labeling task, the study examined the perceptions and ideologies of 674 speakers of Saudi Arabic dialects about the perceived boundaries of regional dialect varieties, as well as their social evaluation of and beliefs about the dialects. The analysis of the results as displayed in composite maps using a Geographic Information System (GIS) mapping program revealed that respondents identified five major dialect areas as having the most distinct features: the Najdi, Hijazi, southern, eastern, and northern regions. Ten categories of respondents’ labels emerged out of the qualitative analysis: style, influence, Bedouin/urban, fast, open/closed, vowel lengthening, unique vocabulary, alternation of /k/ and /g/, attraction, and social media. The present findings show the salience of certain linguistic and social features that respondents associate with certain dialect areas. Such perceptions can ultimately guide and enhance future descriptions and analyses of actual linguistic variation in Saudi Arabia.

Mapping perceptions of linguistic variation in Qassim, Saudi Arabia, using GIS technology

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 9-30
Author(s):  
Yousef Al-Rojaie
Keyword(s):  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Linguistic Variation ◽  
Gis Mapping ◽  
Gis Technology ◽  
Urban Centers ◽  
Perceptual Dialectology ◽  
Arabic Speakers ◽  
Regional Dialects ◽  
Mapping Software ◽  
Najdi Arabic

AbstractThis study explores perceptions held by speakers of Qassimi Arabic (a variety of Najdi Arabic, spoken in central Saudi Arabia) about linguistic variation in their own dialect, and the sociocultural evaluations associated with their perceptions. Drawing on perceptual dialectology research methods, respondents completed the draw-a-map and labeling tasks. The maps were collected and then analyzed using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) mapping software to aggregate, query, and create a composite heat map. Findings indicate that Qassimi speakers perceive regional variation to be associated with urban centers, particularly Buraydah and Unayzah, which were identified as the most salient dialect areas. Analysis of the labeled maps generated six categories of evaluative comments: drawl, influences from other regional dialects, heavy accent, old vocabulary, fast, and affrication. These findings point to the need for further exploration of the underlying ideologies and social values that Arabic speakers have about their own dialects and other dialects in Arabic-speaking communities.

scholarly journals When perception isn't reality: Accent identification and perceptual dialectology in French

2006 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 277-304 ◽  
Author(s):  
ZOË BOUGHTON
Keyword(s):  
Time Lag ◽  
Linguistic Variation ◽  
Social Psychological ◽  
Social Stereotypes ◽  
Perceptual Dialectology ◽  
Regional Background ◽  
Mental Mapping ◽  
Authentic Voice ◽  
Accent Identification ◽  
North Western

This article examines levelling and diversity in northern urban French pronunciation through the optic of folk (= non-linguists') perceptions of variation. These perceptions are investigated by the identification of authentic voice samples (rather than other instruments widely used in perceptual dialectology such as mental mapping): respondents from the Pays de la Loire region of north-western France heard extracts of scripted speech from Nancy and Rennes, and were asked to identify the speakers' regional background and say whether they were of urban or rural origin. The results of this test show that while some difference between the two speaker location groups was accurately perceived, the informants also formed some inaccurate judgements, partly based on social stereotypes. Overall there is some confirmation of accent levelling, and of general social psychological tendencies such as stereotyping, annexation and time-lag in perceptions of regional–social linguistic variation.

Creation of annotated country-level dialectal Arabic resources: An unsupervised approach

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-42
Author(s):  
Maha J. Althobaiti
Keyword(s):  
Language Processing ◽  
Social Networking Sites ◽  
Linguistic Diversity ◽  
Poor Performance ◽  
Country Level ◽  
Part Of Speech ◽  
Novel Approach ◽  
Agreement Score ◽  
Arabic Dialects ◽  
Dialectal Arabic

Abstract The wide usage of multiple spoken Arabic dialects on social networking sites stimulates increasing interest in Natural Language Processing (NLP) for dialectal Arabic (DA). Arabic dialects represent true linguistic diversity and differ from modern standard Arabic (MSA). In fact, the complexity and variety of these dialects make it insufficient to build one NLP system that is suitable for all of them. In comparison with MSA, the available datasets for various dialects are generally limited in terms of size, genre and scope. In this article, we present a novel approach that automatically develops an annotated country-level dialectal Arabic corpus and builds lists of words that encompass 15 Arabic dialects. The algorithm uses an iterative procedure consisting of two main components: automatic creation of lists for dialectal words and automatic creation of annotated Arabic dialect identification corpus. To our knowledge, our study is the first of its kind to examine and analyse the poor performance of the MSA part-of-speech tagger on dialectal Arabic contents and to exploit that in order to extract the dialectal words. The pointwise mutual information association measure and the geographical frequency of word occurrence online are used to classify dialectal words. The annotated dialectal Arabic corpus (Twt15DA), built using our algorithm, is collected from Twitter and consists of 311,785 tweets containing 3,858,459 words in total. We randomly selected a sample of 75 tweets per country, 1125 tweets in total, and conducted a manual dialect identification task by native speakers. The results show an average inter-annotator agreement score equal to 64%, which reflects satisfactory agreement considering the overlapping features of the 15 Arabic dialects.

Factors impacting entrepreneurial intentions among university students in Saudi Arabia: testing an integrated model of TPB and EO

2020 ◽  
Vol 62 (7/8) ◽  
pp. 779-803
Author(s):  
Yaser Hasan Salem Al-Mamary ◽  
Mohammed Abdulrab ◽  
Mohammed A. Alwaheeb ◽  
Naif Ghazi M. Alshammari
Keyword(s):  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
University Students ◽  
Relevant Literature ◽  
Entrepreneurial Intention ◽  
Entrepreneurial Intentions ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
University Administrators ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Saudi Arabic ◽  
The University

PurposeThis research intends to contribute to the literature of entrepreneurial intentions through determining the factors impacting the entrepreneurial intentions among students in different academic programs. This is in order to enhance and improve entrepreneurship-related procedures within relevant universities.Design/methodology/approachThe study was conducted by a structured survey questionnaire on 261 students in the University of Hail. The questionnaire was developed based on previous studies. The proposed hypotheses were tested by the use of the structured equation modeling (SEM) via using Amos software.FindingsThe results of the current study support the theoretical integration of the model as most of the hypotheses have been accepted. The results of the survey also show that attitudes toward behavior, self-efficacy, autonomy, risk-taking, pro-activeness and competitive aggressiveness are expressively related with entrepreneurial intention. Yet, social norms and innovativeness are not considerably connected with entrepreneurial intention.Research limitations/implicationsThis study seeks to contribute to the relevant literature by integrating the theory of planned behavior (TPB) and the entrepreneurial orientation model (EO). This is in order to identify the factors impacting the intention of entrepreneurship among Saudi university students. As the case in many studies, this present study has some limitations. The main limitation lies in that it would not be possible to generalize the study's findings. This is due to the fact the research is the outcome of examining and studying one Saudi university. Therefore, it would be better to conduct similar studies in other Saudi universities in order to generalize the findings of the study.Practical implicationsThe study's results could be of value to policymakers and university administrators in Saudi Arabia universities by which they could be enabled to allocate resources, develop strategies and provide all requirements for the sake of improving entrepreneurial skills among university students. This comprehensive model can be used as a tool for planning and prioritizing resources in bid for providing the required support as this support would reinforce the entrepreneurial opportunity of university students. As such, students would have better thinking about entrepreneurial work and thus would be assisted in achieving their professional goals and the broader goal of nation building.Originality/valueSince today's youth are viewed as the potential future entrepreneurs, they should be encouraged to achieve the Saudi Kingdom's goals through creating suitable employment opportunities for them by supporting entrepreneurship. Therefore, pointing out the factors impacting the entrepreneurial intention of students will contribute to developing the field of entrepreneurship among young people in Saudi Arabic in general. In addition, realized outcomes would create an exciting new knowledge with regard to the entrepreneurial intention among the youth at the university level.

How do Saudis complain?

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 264-293 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dina Abdel Salam El-Dakhs ◽  
Jawaher Nasser Al-Haqbani ◽  
Manal A. Althaqafi ◽  
Shorouq Al-Fouzan
Keyword(s):  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Central Region ◽  
Social Distance ◽  
Social Dominance ◽  
Strong Influence ◽  
Theoretical Models ◽  
Kingdom Of Saudi Arabia ◽  
Small Influence ◽  
Saudi Arabic ◽  
Complaint Behavior

Abstract The current study adopts a dialogue-analytic approach to the examination of complaint behavior in Saudi Arabic as spoken in the Najd region, the central region of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. To this end, role-plays with 120 Saudi nationals who are Najdi-speakers were recorded and transcribed. Statistical comparisons revealed that Najdis used a variety of complaint strategies with requests for repair, expressing annoyance and providing modified blame being the most frequent. Najdis also produced a large number of initiators and internal and external modifiers, mainly to mitigate the negative force of complaints. Although a small influence was found for gender, the variables of age, social distance and social dominance showed a strong influence on the Najdis’ complaint behavior. The results are discussed in light of relevant theoretical models and the existing literature.

Mapping Perceptions of Language Variation in Wisconsin

2020 ◽  
Vol 95 (1) ◽  
pp. 82-102
Author(s):  
Sarah Braun
Keyword(s):  
Language Variation ◽  
The State ◽  
Standard Variety ◽  
Systematic Comparison ◽  
Perceptual Dialectology ◽  
The North ◽  
Language Differentiation ◽  
Urban Rural ◽  
Composite Maps

This article investigates whether residents of central Wisconsin perceive language variation within their state and, if they do, what it looks like according to them. To achieve these aims, this study examines the perspectives of one central Wisconsin community regarding internal language differentiation within the state. It follows the perceptual dialectology paradigm, based on work by Dennis Preston, in that it studies how nonlinguists view language variation within Wisconsin. Respondents completed Preston’s draw-a-map task, which additionally asked them to label each indicated area. The drawn boundaries were digitalized using ArcGIS to create composite maps to allow for systematic comparison. The labels provided by the respondents were analyzed to see how this group of Wisconsin residents views the speech of each identified region and thus to see whether there are distinctly enregistered dialects within Wisconsin for these respondents. Findings show three distinctly perceived areas within the state: the Milwaukee area, the north of the state, and the participants’ own area, central Wisconsin. The analysis of the labels indicates that an urban-rural divide is at play for perception of the first two mentioned areas, whereas perceptioin of the latter identified area reflects the belief in a regionally located standard variety.

scholarly journals Towards Acceptance M-Learning Approach in Higher Education in Saudi Arabia

2016 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alaa Badwelan ◽  
Steve Drew ◽  
Adel A. Bahaddad
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Distance Learning ◽  
Mobile Devices ◽  
Smart Phone ◽  
Learning System ◽  
Use Of Technology ◽  
Widespread Access ◽  
Questionnaire Method ◽  
Saudi Arabic

<p>Mobile learning (m-learning) is one of the most critical technological environment of distance learning in higher education institutes. The m-learning provides a widespread access to mobile devices networks and the possibility to learn regardless of time and place, unlike other learning services that depend on the location of the user. The research objectives of this study is investigate and determine the possibility of acceptance in m-Learning and examine the main factors that affect using m-Learning in higher education students in Saudi Arabia. The method tool is quantitative approach using questionnaire method to collect around 400 participants of universities students who are study in e-learning system in various collages in the universities. The survey was distributed electronically via self-selected and social network channels.</p><p>The study is applied Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) framework. The framework focuses to determine the factors that influence the students’ intention to use M-Learning via smart mobile devices. The numbers of distance learning in some Saudi universities are increased gradually in the last five years. Also, the Saudi electronic university in Saudi Arabic has been established 2011.</p>The smart phone devices are one of popular usage in Saudi audience and eMarketer reports, it was reached around 73% of publication of internet user to in Saudi Arabia and third global country for using the smartphone depending on the number of population. It is beneficial to determine the factor that influencing to accept of M-Learning in education field generally and in higher education in particular.

scholarly journals Geographic Location and Linguistic Diversity: The Use of Intensifiers in Egyptian and Saudi Arabic

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 220
Author(s):  
Abdulfattah Omar ◽  
Mansour Alotaibi
Keyword(s):  
Linguistic Diversity ◽  
Radio Channel ◽  
Geographic Location ◽  
Language Variation ◽  
Fm Radio ◽  
Global Age ◽  
The Face ◽  
The One ◽  
Saudi Arabic ◽  
Everyday Communication

Numerous studies have indicated that geographic location plays an essential role in language variation and the emergence of dialects. That is, when speakers of the same group are geographically apart, it is more likely that they use language differently. The unprecedented widespread of communication channels in what is referred to now as the global age, however, has raised many doubts in relation to the connection between space and geographic location on the one hand and language variation on the other hand. In other words, many linguists have come to question the rationality of geographic location in language variation. In the face of this controversial issue, the purpose of this study is to investigate the influence of geographic location on linguistic diversity in relation to Arabic. The study is limited in scope. It is only concerned with the use of intensifiers in the spoken forms of Egyptian and Saudi spoken Arabic. The rationale is that intensifiers are very frequent in everyday communication and occur naturally without much thinking on the part of speakers. In order to achieve this objective, the study is based on a corpus of selections from the Egyptian radio show Ish Sabahak (Live Your Morning) on Nogoum FM Radio Channel and the Saudi radio show Caffeine on Mix FM. Results indicate clearly that there are linguistic differences between Egyptian and Saudi speakers in the use of intensifiers in terms of frequency, type, and the linguistic structure. This suggests that distance or geographic location is still a considerable factor in linguistic diversity since it is deeply rooted in the cultural evolution of people from different nations. 

scholarly journals Influence of Social Power and Distance on Request Strategies in Saudi Arabic

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 95
Author(s):  
Jalal Almathkuri
Keyword(s):  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Social Power ◽  
Speech Act ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Completion Task ◽  
Request Strategies ◽  
Saudi Arabic ◽  
The Impact

The aim of this study is to investigate the impact of social power and distance on the strategies involved in performing the speech act of request by native speakers of Saudi Arabic. The participants of this study are 26 males and 8 females; all are undergraduate students enrolled in different disciplines at Taif University, Saudi Arabia. Data for this study was collected through the use of a Discourse Completion Task (DCT). The results revealed that the direct strategy is the most preferred strategy employed in making requests by Saudi Arabic native speakers and the nonconventional indirect strategy is the least strategy. It is hoped that this study will facilitate the acquisition of Saudi Arabic pragmatics by non-native speakers in a way to eliminate the miscommunications they may encounter in relation to the sociocultural norms. 

scholarly journals Reinterpretando vazios dialetológicos no norte do Brasil

2018 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 12
Author(s):  
Marilucia Barros Oliveira ◽  
Celiane Sousa Costa ◽  
Flávia Helena Da Silva Paz
Keyword(s):  
Present Article ◽  
Social Factors ◽  
Linguistic Diversity ◽  
Brazilian Portuguese ◽  
Cultural Factor ◽  
Social Evaluation ◽  
Main Hypothesis ◽  
The Social ◽  
Cultural Reality

In the present article, we intend to present reflections on questions that are not easily answered when applying the Phonetic-Phonological Questionnaire (QFF) and the Semantic-Lexical Questionnaire (QSL). These questionnaires integrate the methodology of the Brazilian Linguistic Atlas Project (ALiB), a dialectological orientation project that aims to describe and map the variation and linguistic diversity of Brazilian Portuguese. We will focus specifically on the selection and analysis of questions used to collect data whose use presents difficulty when collecting. We limit ourselves to the presentation, reflection and discussion of questions 32 and 41 of the questionnaire applied by the ALiB. Question 32 integrates the QFF and aims to obtain the ‘abóbora’ (pumpkin) form. Question 41 is already part of the QSL and has as one of the expected variants ‘camomila’ (chamomile). The main hypothesis in the explanation of the facts is that there is pressure from social factors, not only from the classical factors, but also from the social evaluation of linguistic forms, as well as the historical-cultural factor, an integral part of the linguistic-cultural reality of any community investigated.

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