Investigating Cars and their Parts Names as Loci of Language Variation in Algeria.

Abstract

This study analyses language variation in the Cars’ Community of Practice (hereafter CCP) in the speech of Tiaret city. To check the reliability of our hypotheses and to attain in full the objectives of research, a semi- structured questionnaire (i.e. quantitative research approach), directed to 80 respondents including cars’ middlemen, proprietors, mechanics, sheet metal workers and parts’ salesmen at Tiaret, was used to inspect the reasons and probe respondents’ attitudes towards nicknaming cars, their parts and accessories. The last section of the questionnaire was dedicated to collect some linguistic evidence about labelling cars’, their parts and accessories in the speech of the CCP. Thus, 11 examples were analyzed via Content Analysis Approach (i.e. qualitative research approach). Our findings show that cars, their parts and accessories’ nicknames have become pervasive linguistic features in the Algerian speech repertoire as a whole and in particular part of our participants’ day-to-day life. Last but not least, this study opens the door for further research language variation and change in the register of other communities of practice in Tiaret such as language choice or use amongst farmers especially amongst livestock keepers, brokers/cattle dealers.