Code-switching & Identity Construction in 'Takh's' [Boom /Bang] 'Call Me Ziko'

Document Type : Original Article

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Abstract

Egyptian Arabic exhibits diglossia as Egyptians speak country two varieties of Arabic side by side; this is in addition to the English language which is one of the most widely used foreign languages in Egypt. The present study investigates how code-switching (CS) is employed in 'Call me Ziko', one of the songs by an Egyptian popular band called 'Takh' which literally means in Arabic [boom / bang]. The song is presented as a short narrative sarcastic sketch, where code-switching is extensively used to mark the social identity of the main characters in the narrative, creating a humorous enjoyable message. The study answers the following questions:
1. What are the linguistic codes (i.e. Arabic dialects and foreign languages) used in Takh's Song 'Call me Ziko'?
2. How does code-switching construct the social identities in 'Call me Ziko'?
The study analyzes the code switching in the song and verifies the results about the identities of the main characters (Siham & Ziko) through a survey administered to the audience eliciting their attitudes and expectations about the social background of Siham and Ziko.

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