Language and Cultural Blending in Families Resulting from Mixed Marriages in France: Case Study
IBRIR Samiya
Research Center in Social and Cultural Anthropology (CRASC), Algeria
ibrir.samia@gmail.com
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0001-0747-1134
Abstract
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.
Keywords: Cultural blending, linguistic identity, linguistic mixing, mixed marriage, migration
How to Cite this Paper :
Ibrir, S. (2024). Language and Cultural Blending in Families Resulting from Mixed Marriages in France: Case Study. Atras Journal, 7 (1), 65-76.
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).
Copyright for all articles published in ATRAS belongs to the author. The authors also grant permission to the publisher to publish, reproduce, distribute, and transmit the articles. ATRAS publishes accepted papers under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) License. Authors submitting papers for publication in ATRAS agree to apply the CC BY-NC 4.0 license to their work. For non-commercial purposes, anyone may copy, redistribute material, remix, transform, and construct material in any media or format, provided that the terms of the license are observed and the original source is properly cited.