The use and social meaning of the variant [ð?] among young women in baqaa: a sociolinguistic study of arabic in a palestinian refugee camp in jordan

This thesis investigates Palestinian Arabic as spoken by female speakers in Baqaa camp a Palestinian refugee camp in Jordan. It focuses on the use of the variable (d?) in the speech of young women in Baqaa camp in addition to exploring the social meaning/s the variant carries for those young women. It also describes the sociolinguistic situation of young women in the camp through examining the social factors that contributed to the preservation of the local variant. The present study is based on the speech of six female speakers between the ages 20 to 28 from the Baqaa camp. The participants are all of Fallahii origin and have lived in the camp since birth. Structured interviews were used to elicit the realizations of the variable (d?), and to identify extralinguistic factors that might affect the use of the variant in question. The interview comprised three parts: personal information, discussion of appropriate cultural topics, and a linguistic attitudes questionnaire. In addition to the structured interview, participant observations were utilized in order to provide insights into the social context of the studied variant. Linguistic variation was investigated following the third wave of variation that was proposed by Penelope Eckert. The third wave adopted the Community of Practice framework that is employed in the present study to explain the preservation of the [ð?] variant. The examination of the data reveals that linguistic variation was systematic. The participants consistently used the local variant [ð?] in their speech. Although they showed positive attitudes toward the urban variety, they deliberately localized their speech to project their linguistic style that was constructed by the shared social practices they were engaged with in the community of the camp. Finally, it was found in the present study that the participants did not yield to social pressure and expectations. They used their linguistic style as an instrument to reject stigma that is associated with their ""Fallahii"" (rural) variety.