THE EFFECT OF PRESTIGE ON SPOKEN LANGUAGE: A CASE STUDY OF FEMALE STUDENTS AT SHARIA'A COLLEGE in AL-AHSA

Abstract

This study aims at investigating reasons of using English in daily conversations by Arabic native speakers from the perspective of prestige in language. The study followed the qualitative analytical approach to analyze structured interviews with participants. The interviews included 18 questions which were addressed in Arabic language in order to get the necessary flow of talk to detect the use of English by the population. The responses of the interviews were recorded and then analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively. Percentages were worked out. The results of the study revealed that Arabic native speaker shifted to English because they believed that English is prestigious language and they had positive attitudes towards using English words during their communication