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An Ethnolinguistic Portrayal of the Arabic-Speaking Orthodox Christian Community of Antakya, Turkey

Year 2017, Volume: 2 Issue: 2, 143 - 158, 21.08.2017

Özgür Köse H. Sezgi Saraç , Arda Arıkan

Abstract

Keywords

Ethnolinguistic Vitality Language Shift Multilingualism Regional Languages

References

  • Baker, C. (2001) Foundations of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism (3rd Ed). Clevedon: Multilingual Matters.
  • Barnes, L. and van Aswegen, K. (2008) An Investigation into the Maintenance of the Maale Language in Ethiopia. African Identities 6 (4), 431-44.
  • Boyd, S. and Latomaa, S. (1996) Language maintenance and language shift among four immigrant minorities in the Nordic region: A re-evaluation of Fishman's theory of diglossia and bilingualism? Nordic Journal of Linguistics 19, 155-82.
  • Crystal, D. (2003) Language Death. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
  • Dalby, A. (2003) Language in Danger: How Language Loss Threatens Our Future. New York: Columbia University Press.
  • Dündar, F. (1999) Türkiye Nüfus Sayımında Azınlıklar. Istanbul: Doz Yayıncılık.
  • Dweik, B. S. (2000) Linguistic and cultural maintenance among the Chechens of Jordan. Language, Culture and Curriculum 13 (2), 184-95.
  • Ferguson, C. A. (2000) Diglossia. In L. Wei (ed) The Bilingualism Reader, (pp. 65 – 80). London: Routledge.
  • Fishman, J.A. (1967) Bilingualism with or without diglossia: Diglossia with or without bilingualism. Journal of Social Issues 23 (2), 29–38.
  • Fishman, J. A. (ed.) (2001) Can Threatened Languages be Saved? Reversing Language Shift, Revisited: A 21st Century Perspective. Clevedon : Multilingual Matters.
  • Fishman, J. A. (1991) Reversing Language Shift: Theoretical and Empirical Foundations of Assistance to Threatened Languages. Clevedon, UK: Multilingual Matters.
  • Fishman, J. A. (1968) Sociolinguistics and the language problems of the developing countries. In A. Fishman, Charles A. Ferguson and Jyotirindra D. G. (eds) Language Problems of Developing Nations (pp. 491–98). New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons.
  • Kalkan, E. (2009) Aziz Petrus’un torunları. National Geographic Türkiye 98, 126-33.
  • Morita, L. C. (2003) Language shift in the Thai Chinese community. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development 24 (6), 485-495.
  • Karimova, N. and Deverell, E. (2001) Minorities in Turkey. Occasional Papers, 19, Retrieved from http://www.ui.se/texter/op19.pdf
  • Khroury, P. S. (1987) Syria and the French Mandate: The Politics of Arab Nationalism 1920-1945. Londan: I. B. Tauris.
  • Koumondouros, M. and McEntee-Atalianis L. J. (2007) Language attitudes, shift and the ethnolinguistic vitality of the Greek Orthodox community in Istanbul. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development 28 (5), 365-84.
  • Lam, H. (2008) Language shift and language loss. In J. M. González (ed) Encyclopedia of Bilingual Education (pp. 476 – 79). Thousand Oaks, California: SAGE.
  • Lee, T. S. and McLaughlin, D. (2001) Reversing Navajo language shift, revisited. In J. A. Fishman (ed) Can Threatened Languages be Saved? Reversing Language Shift, Revisited: A 21st Century Perspective. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters.
  • Maffi, L. (2002) Endangered languages, endangered knowledge. Retrieved from http://www.terralingua.org/publications/Maffi/ENDANGE2.pdf
  • Masters, B. (2001) Christians and Jews in the Ottoman Arab world: The Roots of Sectarianism. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
  • Neyzi, L. (2004) Fragmented in space: The oral history narrative of an Arab Christian from Antakya, Turkey. Global Networks 4 (3), 285-97.
  • Ortaylı, İ. (1987) Orthodoks kilisesi. Retrieved from http://www.mulkiye.org.tr/docs/cars_soy/CARSAMBA8687_16.pdf
  • Owens, J. (2000) Arabic as a Minority Language. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter.
  • Sella-Mazi, E. (1997) Language contact today: The case of the Muslim minority in Northeastern Greece. International Journal of the Sociology of Language 126, 83-103.
  • Önder, A. T. (2007) Türkiye’nin Etnik Yapısı. Ankara: Fark Yayıları.
  • Sandel, T. L., Chao, W. and Liang, C. (2006) Language shift and language accommodation across family generations in Taiwan. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development 27 (2), 126-47.
  • UNESCO. Interactive Atlas of the World’s Languages in Danger. Retrieved from http://www.unesco.org/culture/ich/index.php?lg=EN&pg=00139
  • Yağmur, K. (2009) Language use and ethnolinguistic vitality of Turkish compared with the Dutch in the Netherlands. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development 30 (3), 219- 33.
  • Winford, D. (2003) An Introduction to Contact Linguistics. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing.

An Ethnolinguistic Portrayal of the Arabic-Speaking Orthodox Christian Community of Antakya, Turkey

Year 2017, Volume: 2 Issue: 2, 143 - 158, 21.08.2017

Özgür Köse H. Sezgi Saraç , Arda Arıkan

Abstract

Results of the last census in Turkey showed that the total number of Arabic speaking population was 1.20% that is 5% less than the results of the 1960 census. One third of all Arabic speakers in Turkey reside in Antakya (Antioch). Although the population of the Arabic speaking communities in Turkey is in decline, research is needed to understand to what extent such linguistic change occurs. Hence, the purpose of this study is to study the status of the use of Arabic among Arabic-Speaking Orthodox community of Antakya while investigating the factors contributing to a possible shift from Arabic to Turkish. Fifty members of an Orthodox Christian Church established in Antakya participated in the study by answering a five-point Likert scale that was translated into Turkish and Arabic and was given to the participants in both languages. Results show that almost all participants find their reading and writing skills in Arabic weak or very weak and participants’ language skills in Turkish have started to be stronger across all generations as younger generations use Arabic less successfully. Results also imply that Arabic language is threatened rather than it is well maintained when our results are considered from an intergenerational perspective.   




Keywords

Ethnolinguistic Vitality Language Shift Multilingualism Regional Languages

References

  • Baker, C. (2001) Foundations of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism (3rd Ed). Clevedon: Multilingual Matters.
  • Barnes, L. and van Aswegen, K. (2008) An Investigation into the Maintenance of the Maale Language in Ethiopia. African Identities 6 (4), 431-44.
  • Boyd, S. and Latomaa, S. (1996) Language maintenance and language shift among four immigrant minorities in the Nordic region: A re-evaluation of Fishman's theory of diglossia and bilingualism? Nordic Journal of Linguistics 19, 155-82.
  • Crystal, D. (2003) Language Death. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
  • Dalby, A. (2003) Language in Danger: How Language Loss Threatens Our Future. New York: Columbia University Press.
  • Dündar, F. (1999) Türkiye Nüfus Sayımında Azınlıklar. Istanbul: Doz Yayıncılık.
  • Dweik, B. S. (2000) Linguistic and cultural maintenance among the Chechens of Jordan. Language, Culture and Curriculum 13 (2), 184-95.
  • Ferguson, C. A. (2000) Diglossia. In L. Wei (ed) The Bilingualism Reader, (pp. 65 – 80). London: Routledge.
  • Fishman, J.A. (1967) Bilingualism with or without diglossia: Diglossia with or without bilingualism. Journal of Social Issues 23 (2), 29–38.
  • Fishman, J. A. (ed.) (2001) Can Threatened Languages be Saved? Reversing Language Shift, Revisited: A 21st Century Perspective. Clevedon : Multilingual Matters.
  • Fishman, J. A. (1991) Reversing Language Shift: Theoretical and Empirical Foundations of Assistance to Threatened Languages. Clevedon, UK: Multilingual Matters.
  • Fishman, J. A. (1968) Sociolinguistics and the language problems of the developing countries. In A. Fishman, Charles A. Ferguson and Jyotirindra D. G. (eds) Language Problems of Developing Nations (pp. 491–98). New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons.
  • Kalkan, E. (2009) Aziz Petrus’un torunları. National Geographic Türkiye 98, 126-33.
  • Morita, L. C. (2003) Language shift in the Thai Chinese community. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development 24 (6), 485-495.
  • Karimova, N. and Deverell, E. (2001) Minorities in Turkey. Occasional Papers, 19, Retrieved from http://www.ui.se/texter/op19.pdf
  • Khroury, P. S. (1987) Syria and the French Mandate: The Politics of Arab Nationalism 1920-1945. Londan: I. B. Tauris.
  • Koumondouros, M. and McEntee-Atalianis L. J. (2007) Language attitudes, shift and the ethnolinguistic vitality of the Greek Orthodox community in Istanbul. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development 28 (5), 365-84.
  • Lam, H. (2008) Language shift and language loss. In J. M. González (ed) Encyclopedia of Bilingual Education (pp. 476 – 79). Thousand Oaks, California: SAGE.
  • Lee, T. S. and McLaughlin, D. (2001) Reversing Navajo language shift, revisited. In J. A. Fishman (ed) Can Threatened Languages be Saved? Reversing Language Shift, Revisited: A 21st Century Perspective. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters.
  • Maffi, L. (2002) Endangered languages, endangered knowledge. Retrieved from http://www.terralingua.org/publications/Maffi/ENDANGE2.pdf
  • Masters, B. (2001) Christians and Jews in the Ottoman Arab world: The Roots of Sectarianism. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
  • Neyzi, L. (2004) Fragmented in space: The oral history narrative of an Arab Christian from Antakya, Turkey. Global Networks 4 (3), 285-97.
  • Ortaylı, İ. (1987) Orthodoks kilisesi. Retrieved from http://www.mulkiye.org.tr/docs/cars_soy/CARSAMBA8687_16.pdf
  • Owens, J. (2000) Arabic as a Minority Language. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter.
  • Sella-Mazi, E. (1997) Language contact today: The case of the Muslim minority in Northeastern Greece. International Journal of the Sociology of Language 126, 83-103.
  • Önder, A. T. (2007) Türkiye’nin Etnik Yapısı. Ankara: Fark Yayıları.
  • Sandel, T. L., Chao, W. and Liang, C. (2006) Language shift and language accommodation across family generations in Taiwan. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development 27 (2), 126-47.
  • UNESCO. Interactive Atlas of the World’s Languages in Danger. Retrieved from http://www.unesco.org/culture/ich/index.php?lg=EN&pg=00139
  • Yağmur, K. (2009) Language use and ethnolinguistic vitality of Turkish compared with the Dutch in the Netherlands. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development 30 (3), 219- 33.
  • Winford, D. (2003) An Introduction to Contact Linguistics. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing.
There are 30 citations in total.

Details

Journal Section Articles
Authors

Özgür Köse

H. Sezgi Saraç

Arda Arıkan 0000-0002-2727-1084

Publication Date August 21, 2017
Submission Date May 30, 2017
Published in Issue Year 2017Volume: 2 Issue: 2

Cite

APA Köse, Ö., Saraç, H. S., & Arıkan, A. (2017). An Ethnolinguistic Portrayal of the Arabic-Speaking Orthodox Christian Community of Antakya, Turkey. The Journal of Mesopotamian Studies, 2(2), 143-158.
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