When Morphology Indexes Prestige: Arabic-English Code-mixing as Linguistic and Social Practice in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

This study explores the intersection of linguistic form and social meaning within Arabic-English code-mixing in relation to the morphological patterns that arise in mixed speech and their association with prestige and modern identity. Based on naturally occurring spoken and digital data and questionnaires from educated Arabic-English speakers in Saudi Arabia, the analysis reveals that morphological adaptation strategies include the introduction of English lexical items into Arabic morphological patterns, affixal incorporation, and the creation of hybrid lexical forms, whose recurrent patterns provide evidence of systematic linguistic innovation, rather than mere borrowing. These morphological adaptations are analyzed through the lens of indexicality and social meaning (Silverstein, 2003; Eckert, 2008) that correlate language choice with social aspiration, education, and symbolic capital. The occurrence of English insertions in the data is often related to prestige, global orientation and identification with a modern lifestyle, although these meanings are contextually inferred, and Arabic morphology is used as a sign of authenticity and local identity. The study argues that morphological choices in code-mixing are socially motivated, and they serve as a site for negotiating status, identity, and belonging. By drawing on morphological and sociolinguistic approaches, this study illustrates how form and meaning converge to shape prestige meanings in contemporary Arabic-English speech.