LANGUAGE AND THE ARAB SPRING : SHIFTING NORMS OF LANGUAGE USE ON EGYPTIAN TELEVISION AMID SOCIO-POLITICAL INSTABILITY AND CHANGE

Abstract

The upheaval that the Arab Spring has brought to the wider Arab world, and in particular to Egypt, has had a tremendous impact on Egyptian society. Language use, both in explicitly political and non-political contexts, has been influenced by these events. This study investigates shifting patterns of code-switching and language use on Egyptian television programs amid socio-political instability. Drawing on evidence from corpora of media language use and interviews with media figures, the study explores the observed increase in Egyptian Colloquial Arabic (ECA) use in Egyptian media following the 2011 Egyptian revolution, and how this shift relates to broader shifts in Egyptian society and identity.