Exploring Foreign Languages Use and Code choice among Genders :The Case of Master Students at Ibn Khaldoun University of Tiaret

Abstract

The present research aims at exploring choice and use of foreign languages from a genderbased point of view namely males and females. It attempts to determine which language is the most used and preferred by each gender, whether it is English or French in addition to the main socio-cultural reasons that stand behind. The study employs both a written questionnaire that is used to elicit views of master students of both departments “Arabic Literature” and “Law” at Ibn Khaldoun University of Tiaret, and an interview addressed to random sample from Tiaret speech community . The findings reveal that English is the first language preferred by males because of the status of English as being a lingua franca and a global language and men‟s obsession about immigration and living abroad which makes it on the top of their interests . While French is the preferred language by females because French is considered as a language of femininity and this latter is an integral part of women‟s identity and personality .In addition, French is highly prestigious in terms of using and speaking it, which has a relation to the female tendency to be more attractive in her speech .