Latinised Arabic and connections to bilingual ability

Abstract

• As software support for non-Latin scripts is becoming more readily available, the continuing use of Latinised forms in online discourse highlights an interesting phenomenon. This paper focuses on Latinised Arabic (LA) as one manifestation of this trend. While there appears to be significant variation in the conventions used to Latinise Arabic in association with regional vernaculars, there is evidence that LA is now being used for more than just online communication. Thus far, researchers have dealt with LA as a form of script-switching. In this paper, LA is examined as a form of code-switching to investigate links to bilingual ability. A statistical comparison between emails from two emailing groups indicates a link between the use of English and LA. A close examination of code-switching sites reveals a number of associated trends, while email content suggests a number of factors that influence language and script choice.