Language and Cultural Blending in Families Resulting from Mixed Marriages in France: Case Study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.70091/Atras/vol07no01.4Keywords:
Cultural blending, linguistic identity, linguistic mixing, mixed marriage, migrationAbstract
Migration is considered one of the most critical factors affecting language, as its elements are transferred from one society to another. Mixed marriage resulting from migration is the most essential and prominent source of cultural mixing. The latter mainly emerges in the language component. It is known that language evolves and is not entirely static; it is influenced by cultural contact. Therefore, every year, new words are added to the linguistic repertoire of particular societies. This study aims to highlight the characteristics of linguistic blending within families formed through mixed marriages in France. It does so by conducting field research with families formed by the union of spouses from two different countries residing in France, where one spouse carries Algerian culture and the other a different one. It became clear that language is one of the most critical aspects affected by the change due to cultural mixing among the father's language, the mother's language, and French, the language of the host country. For example, if the family is composed of an Algerian man and a wife from a different culture, blending will begin with their native languages and French. It is as if these families develop a unique hybrid language that reflects the mixing of cultures and serves as a marker of their distinct cultural identity within French society. The field research has shown that, for them, this difference is a positive, not a negative, aspect, as it indicates that they are carriers of diverse cultural elements.
References
Aissaoui, L., & De Sousa, M. (2008). Foreign here, foreign there: The identity discourse of young people from immigration in France. Synergies Monde, (5).
Al-Khashab, A. (1970). Anthropological studies. Dar Al-Ma‘arif.
Boyer, H. (2000). Multilingualism: Contact or conflict of languages. L’Harmattan.
Cheraifi, C. (2005). Dictionnaire moderne de l’arabe maghrébin: Français–arabe, arabo–français. Slatkine.
Ciprut, M.-A. (2001). From in-between to interculturality: Riches and pitfalls of migration. Itinéraires, (60).
Collet, B., & Régnard, C. (2008, November). Franco-foreign mixity: What social reality? Info Migration, (2). French Ministry of Emigration.
Daif, S. (2004). Al-Muʿjam al-wasīṭ (4th ed.). Shorouk International Library.
Guehria, W. (2009). Recognizing oneself in the exchanged word: Spoken language, identity, and didactics. In J. Archibald & S. Galligani (Eds.), Language(s) and immigration(s): Society, school, work (pp. xx–xx). L’Harmattan.
Guemriche, S. (2007). Dictionary of French words of Arabic origin. Seuil.
Hammoudache, N. (2015). Linguistic and identity behavior in Maghrebi societies. Dar Al-Ayyam.
Hegazy, M. F. (1975). The family and industrialization. Wahba Library.
Lakoff, G., & Johnson, M. (2003). The metaphors we live by (A. Hajfa, Trans.). Dar Toubkal. (Original work published 1980)
Lecourt, E. (1998). Music: A transitional link between cultures and its therapeutic applications. In R. Kaës (Ed.), Cultural difference and sufferings of identity (pp. xx–xx). Dunod.
Manaa, K. (2020). Language as a cultural medium. Enlightenment Collection, 10(1).
Mounis, B. (2016). Thinking about cultures: Questions of difference in Indian and Maghrebi cultures (1st ed.). Dar Al-Rafidain; OPUS.
Rashwan, H. A. (2003). The evolution of social systems and their impact on the individual and society (4th ed.). Modern University Office.
Spire, E. (n.d.). Language (Introduction to phonetics) (M. Ashour, Trans.; Part II, 2nd ed.). The Arab Book House.
T. D. Hamdaoui, K. (2021). Linguistic and cultural diversity in Algeria and ways to promote them: Concepts and relations. Maalim Review, 13(Special Issue).
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
Licensing Framework
ATRAS utilizes the Creative Commons Attribution-NoCommercial 4.0 International License, which permits others to remix, tweak, and build upon the work non-commercially, as long as the original work is properly cited. All the journal’s content is under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4-0).
Importantly, the intellectual property rights of the submitted papers remain with the contributors. ATRAS, published by Saida University, Dr Moulay Tahar, Algeria, does not collaborate with any private publishing companies to promote its publications. This policy is in place to prevent deceptive publishing practices. Furthermore, ATRAS strictly prohibits the commercial use or marketing of its published material.
Authors retain the right to reproduce and distribute their articles in any format, without prior authorization, with the proper acknowledgement of the first publication.
Authors are encouraged to self-archive their articles online (in institutional repositories, personal websites, etc.). Any such posting must include an appropriate citation and a link to the journal’s website.
Copyright Holder
Researchers who publish their manuscripts in ATRAS agree to the following:
Copyright and Licensing:
Author (s) retain unrestricted copyrights and publishing rights of their works, which are made available under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial CC BY-NC 4.0 (CC BY-NC 4.0), permitting others to:
SHARE: Copy and redistribute the materials in any format and medium.
ADAPT: Remix, transform, and build upon the material.
The licensor cannot revoke these freedoms as long as he follows the license terms, which are:
ATTRIBUTION: Proper credit must be given, with a link to the license, and any modifications noted. This should not imply endorsement by the licensor.
NONCOMMERCIAL: The material cannot be used for commercial purposes.
Additional Agreements: Researchers can enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal’s published versions of the work (e.g., post it in an institutional repository or publish it in a book) with acknowledgement of its initial publication in ATRAS.
Online Sharing: Authors are permitted and encouraged to share their works online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their websites) prior to and during the submission process, promoting productive exchanges and increasing citations.
