Levels of Arabic Language in Saudi Tweets

Abstract

Recent decades have noted the dramatic development of communication technologies. New modes of written, audio, and visual communication have emerged through the Internet. The association between language and media is of great interest to linguists. Examination of the use of Arabic online is of interest to many researchers because of the diglossic phenomena of its communities of speakers and the richness of Arabic dialects and levels. The current study aims to examine different levels of Arabic in Saudi tweets and replies on Twitter. Two hundred tweets and replies originating from a prominent Saudi news account, which was posted from 2022 to 2023, were collected. The data is qualitatively and quantitatively analyzed, according to Badawi (1973). The study revealed that both tweets and replies exhibit a sharp decline from written standard Arabic levels (CA and MSA in Badawi’s model) to spoken colloquial Arabic levels. While news account predominantly adhered to Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) norms, replies exhibited a pronounced predilection towards spoken colloquial Arabic, with Semiliterate Spoken Arabic (SSA) emerging as a prominent mode of Saudi Hyperdialect expression. This dichotomy signifies a bolster and a broader societal shift towards informality and familiarity in digital discourse, endangering and challenging traditional linguistic hierarchies and norms of written standard Arabic.

Received: 19 January 2025 / Accepted: 26 February 2025 / Published: 02 March 2025