Linguistic Variation and Change across Different Generations : An Analysis of Bahraini Arabic Lexical Use

Abstract

Abstract : This study examines the dynamic nature of Bahraini Arabic, a dialect that has undergone significant changes over the past decades. For the purpose of understanding these changes, it is crucial to identify the factors influencing Bahraini Arabic among its speakers of different age groups. Therefore, a mixed-method approach was employed in this research, including an online Word Familiarity Test shared with 300 Bahraini Arabic speakers, and in-depth interviews that were conducted with 20 of them. By utilizing statistical analysis techniques, the results showed a lexical gap between old and young speakers, with the former exhibiting more familiarity with traditional Bahraini words and a higher usage of Modern Standard Arabic. In contrast, younger generations relied heavily on loanwords and code-switching. It was also found that globalization, education, and technology are key drivers of lexical change, along with gender and individual preferences. Nevertheless, older generations perceived the loss of traditional words as a threat to their cultural identity, while younger speakers saw this lexical change as a natural part of language evolution. This research contributes to our understanding of linguistic variation and change and highlights the importance of preservation efforts within the Bahraini Arabic-speaking community. However, the limited sample size of the study hinders its generalizability to the broader Bahraini Arabic-speaking population. Therefore, further research with a larger sample size is necessary to increase the accuracy and generalizability of the findings.