Sociolinguistic Variation in the Use of Negation Patterns among Qassimi Arabic Speakers

Abstract

This study investigates the use of negation markers within the Qassimi Arabic (QA) dialect, spoken in northcentral Saudi Arabia. It explores the types of negation markers employed by speakers across various grammatical contexts and examines how social factors such as age and gender influence their usage. Using a survey-based approach, data were collected from 60 QA speakers, categorized by age (young, middle-aged, old) and gender (male, female). The analysis revealed a diverse set of fifteen negation markers, each with a distinctive syntactic structure. This indicates the significant influence of morpho-syntactic factors in determining the choice of negation markers across different contexts. Notably, the study identified new negation markers unique to QA, such as mahnash, mabush, maħnnab, mahib, manab, mahunb, and mameish, and emphasized the distinction between preverbal and postverbal negation. The statistical analysis showed that age significantly influences the choice of negation markers, with clear generational shifts evident in marker usage. Older speakers tended to favor traditional markers that are characteristic of their generation, while younger speakers preferred markers perceived as more modern and concise. Middle-aged speakers exhibited a blend of both traditional and modern markers, demonstrating a transitional linguistic behavior influenced by both older and younger generations. This generational variation suggests that negation markers carry perceived social meanings that differ among age groups, reflecting broader trends in linguistic evolution within the Qassimi community. Gender, though comparatively less than age, also influenced the selection of negation markers. The study found statistically significant differences in marker usage between males and females, but these differences were context specific. Male speakers were more likely to use conventional and locally recognized markers, whereas female speakers showed a tendency towards innovative and perhaps more socially progressive markers. This gender-based variation highlights an emerging linguistic shift, particularly among females who are adopting new forms of negation markers, potentially as a means of expressing social identity and modernity. The research implies a strong connection between social identity and language variation within the Qassimi speech community. It suggests that the choice of negation markers is not merely a linguistic preference but also a reflection of social identities and cultural shifts. This finding is crucial for understanding how language evolves in response to social dynamics and how different social groups contribute to this evolution. Furthermore, the study considers the broader socioeconomic changes that have influenced Saudi society in recent decades. The rapid urbanization and economic development in the country have led to increased mobility and interaction among people from different dialectal backgrounds. This has likely contributed to the linguistic changes observed in the Qassimi community, as speakers adapt their language use to navigate the multilingual and multicultural urban environment. The study underscores the importance of considering local sociolinguistic contexts when studying language variation and change. The findings contribute to the broader field of sociolinguistics by providing empirical evidence on how social factors such as age and gender shape language use in specific communities. Keywords: Qassimi Arabic, negation markers, sociolinguistic variation, morphosyntactic variation