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This introductory chapter situates the study in two contexts. First, the two kinds of sources used for the interpretation of Arabic are described. On the one hand are the written Arabic sources which become available in a significant volume towards the end of the 2nd/8th centuries; particularly important are the early Arabic grammars. On the other are reconstructions using the comparative method derived from the contemporary Arabic dialects. These lead to a reconstruction of what is termed, pre-diasporic Arabic, an Arabic reconstructible to the 7th century, i.e., the era before Arabic spread outside of its Arabian borders. The second context is an overview of western approaches to the study of the history of Arabic. It is suggested that these rarely have applied the comparative method systematically, but rather have been developed on the basis of non-historical dichotomies, such as ‘analytic vs. synthetic’, or have assumed that Classical Arabic may be regarded as a proto-language.

This presents some concluding thoughts from the author. It identifies two facts that render Arabic inclusive in many respects. The first is the non-distinction between Classic Arabic, Modern Standard Arabic, and the colloquials by the mass of native speakers who may think they speak Arabic, perhaps bad Arabic, but still perceived by many as a corrupted version of the same language as that of the Qur'an. An aggregate picture of Arabic is prevalent. The second fact that this book has tried to capture is the diversity of the Arab world, whether religious, historical, political, ethnic, social, or economic. This diversity in itself renders Arabic an inclusive, common component of different communities. Tribes, religious groups, upheavals, rapid urbanisation, wars, civil wars, social and political changes, dislocation of large groups, ethnic minorities, varied ethno-geographic, and historical backgrounds are all characteristics of the Arab world that are reflected directly or indirectly through language.

This chapter presents a bird's-eye view of the linguistic status quo of the Arab world. The first part deals with issues relating to the vertical (diglossia) and the second deals with issues related to the horizontal (national varieties/groups of dialects). The chapter is organized as follows. Section 1.1 discusses the concept of diglossia as analysed by Charles Ferguson and others, and the developments that have occurred in the evolution of this concept until the present day. It also differentiates between Modern Standard Arabic and Classical Arabic. Section 1.2 discusses the growing realisation by a number of linguists that the ‘standard’ variety is not necessarily the same as the ‘prestige’ variety in Arab speech communities. Finally, the chapter presents concrete examples of different dialects in the Arab world and compares and contrasts them in real contexts.

This chapter examines associations or indexes of codes in relation to language ideology and language attitude in Egypt, with reference to concrete examples from public discourse, including talk shows, films, newspaper articles, and books. These data will help explain ‘direct’ and ‘indirect’ indexes, as well as the process of indexical layering that takes place during ‘talk about language.’ Topics discussed include diglossia and first order indexes; second order indexes; direct and indirect layering of Standard Arabic (SA) second order indexes; Egyptian Colloquial Arabic (ECA) indexes; and English indexes.

This article, written by Eirlys Davies, begins by highlighting a reality whereby, for centuries, the gulf between Colloquial Arabic dialects (CA) and Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) has been a defining characteristic of the Arabic-speech community. Davies then notes that the arrival of mobile phones, the growing use of the Internet and computer-mediated communication, and advertising that corresponds to these trends have revolutionised communication in the Middle East. Consequently, many individuals, particularly among the younger generation, have begun to communicate (in personal SMSs, emails or social media) in CA and they have a strong tendency to use Latin letters instead of Arabic letters. Davies focuses on these trends as they are manifested in Morocco. Highlighting the contribution of Suleiman to the diglossic relationship between CA and MSA, the chapter stresses that this is a bottom-up process. Davies courageously concludes that we must accept change as inevitable, and, instead of resisting such modes of communication, ‘it may be better to embrace them, experiment with them and explore their potential as means of solving problems’.

This chapter focuses on the contestation of identity before, during, and after the January 25, 2011 Revolution. The first section outlines how linguists in the Arab world at large and Egypt in particular have referred to language to explain and justify negative social and political phenomena. It shows how diglossia was used to justify and, at times, explain the lack of democracy in Egypt prior to the revolution. The second section presents examples of linguistic manipulation that took place during the revolution. The third section shows how Standard Arabic indexes are used to lay claim to political legitimacy and the credibility of the revolutionaries, rather than the pro-Mubarak group.

The chapter shows how bloggers mix of elements drawn from high and low varieties (Mixed Arabic) and foreign languages to develop new literary styles. It adopts Deleuze and Guattari’s theory of ‘minor literature’ (1983) to illuminate the subversive nature of bloggers’ literary practices. The concept of ‘minority’ sheds light on the collective and political value of this literature, as it is produced by writers who publish their personal life-stories on the Internet to distance themselves from mainstream, state-owned media, to connect with each other and push the boundaries for freedom of expression. Besides, ‘minority’ allows to understand the use of mixed varieties of Arabic as a ‘deterritorialized language’, that is, a new, subversive literary style coined by a young generation of writers who feels alienated in respect to the national standardized written language. This chapter is based on the analysis of the six blogs chosen as case studies, but it includes examples drawn from the larger sample of blogs. It combines theories drawn from sociolinguistics and literary studies. Furthermore, it shows some examples of editorial choices made concerning this style when blogs are turned into books.