Lexical Choice and Identity Construction in Tiaret Speech Community

Abstract

The current research aims to identify the relationship between lexical choice and identity construction. It seeks to determine how Tairetian speakers of different age groups use words and expressions to reflect aspects of their identities. The research at hands attempts to explore the lexical items utilized by these speakers to refer to a set of nouns, verbs and adjectives, to investigate how speakers in Tiaret speech community use their lexical choices to communicate aspects of their identities. To reach the objectives of this study, two research experiments were conducted with 105 Tairetian speakers. The first experiment was implemented to collect all the possible words and expressions used by the Tiaretian speakers of different age groups in their daily life conversations. In the second experiment, the participants were asked to choose, from all the possible lexical items collected in the first experiments. At the end of this experiment, a questionnaire was conducted with the participants to examine the extent to which their lexical choices are influenced by other social factors, and explore the attitudes of the participants towards the lexical items used in Tiaret speech community. The results of the study revealed that there is a strong relationship between lexical choice and identity construction. The Tiaretian speakers of different age groups employ various lexical items to refer to nouns, adjectives, and verbs. They select words and expressions to define themselves as members of different age groups and convey aspects about their, educational level, occupation, and social status. Despite these differences, they exhibit positive attitudes towards the members of other groups.