Language Change and Stability in Algeria: A Case Study of Mzabi and Kabyle Berber

The current study aims at investigating language change and stability in two Berber speech communities, Kabyle and Mzabi. This study draws upon the following approaches to language change: The sociolinguistic approach (1968), the functional approach (1997), the evolutionary approach (2000), and the Labovian approach (2001). The primary objective of the study is to understand the nature of language change occurring in each dialect with particular reference to French and Arabic as prospective languages of contact. Another objective is to study the linguistic (language competence), extra- linguistic (attitude, nationalism and sense of identity) and social (gender, age, education) factors in play with regard to language change. The data has been collected using three different research tools: the Swadesh List, questionnaire, and interview. The study has found that there is a high level of language change in both dialects, mostly caused by Arabic. Another major finding is that there are different attitudes towards the varieties selected for the study. It is found that the Mzabi community favors MSA, while the Kabyle community favors French. In addition, the study has found that there are significant levels of linguistic variation in the speech of individuals from both communities. Finally, the study has shown that the social variables of “age, gender and education” play a vital role in determining all aspects of the study, i.e. “attitude, use, proficiency and variation”. The only remarkable difference between the speech communities with regard to these social variables is that the Kabyle community has more prominent gender-based differences, particularly among educated individuals.