Language contact in Algeria: A sociolinguistic study

Abstract

The present paper discusses the language contact in Algeria and how languages are used on a daily basis. One hundred and twenty Algerian participants of different age groups were the subjects of this study. In order to achieve the aim of this study, a mixed method was applied through a questionnaire to present the findings statistically, a group discussion that was analysed qualitatively to observe the linguistic behaviour, and a semi-structured interview to explore the attitudes of Algerians toward multilingualism was conducted. The findings showed a high degree of native language use (Algerian Arabic and Berber) in addition to frequent use of French and other languages, like English, and a low use of Modern Standard Arabic in different fields and in daily language use. Furthermore, Algerians perceive themselves as multilinguals due to their daily interaction and code-switching between more than two languages.