Nashid, Sawsan Abdel Aziz Mohammed and Abu-Manga, Almin
Abstract
This paper aims at exploring the situation of Arabic language in Aweil Town, South Sudan. It focuses on the
use of Arabic language in different domains: home, public domains and folklore. The use of Arabic is investigated
according to a number of independent demographic variables, including, age, gender, and level of education, and it is
examined among the three generations. The study uses the descriptive-analytical method. It essentially rests on
primary data collected through a questionnaire and in-depth interviews in 2009-2010; the questionnaire includes
nineteen questions and is administered to 846 respondents while the in-depth interviews are carried out with 10
persons of different ages, jobs and ethnic backgrounds at Aweil. Descriptive statistics is used to describe the data.
Univariate statistics is the initial data analysis. It consists of simple frequency distribution that shows the numbers
and percentages of values of one variable. Bi- or multivariate methods as cross-tabulation is used when the
relationship between two or more variables have to be estimated. The results of the study revealed that Arabic is used
sometimes at home, public places and in storytelling and carries out some of the ethnic languages’ functions. However,
one cannot assume that the society is undergoing a tangible process of language change that may lead to language
shift to Arabic as is the case in some regions of the Sudan (e.g. the Nuba Mountains); this is especially after the
secession of the South Sudan in 2011.
سوسن عبد العزيز محمد ناشد | Sawsan Abdel Aziz Mohammed Nashid | 2203