Regional Dialect leveling in Iraqi Arabic: The Case of (q) in the Hīti Dialect

Abstract

It has been argued that mobility is an efficient motive of the deterioration of large-scale close-knit localized networks, which have over time preserved highly systematic and convoluted sets of socially-built linguistic standards (Milroy, 1980). Previous research on the qəltu dialects of Iraq has indicated that these dialects are in a state of levelling in favor of the gilit dialect group. This paper explores a war-induced Regional Dialect Levelling in the qəltu dialect spoken in Hīt in relation to Social Network Integration. Recordings were made of 18 Hīt-born informants, native speakers of the qəltu dialect in three age groups (20-39, 40-59, and over 60). Results revealed a state of diffusion of more prestigious variants associated with more dominant dialect, spreading outward at the expense of socially marked variants. There was consistent statistically significant correlation between high scores of Network Integration and the choice of new variants. Involvement within friendship networks with gilit-speaking migrants has a stronger impact on informants’ language behavior than their contacts when they are outside Hīt (i.e. spatial mobility).