Multilingual Codeswitching in Kabyle ReligiousDiscourse: The Case of Dr Said Bouizeri’s Sermons
Loading...
Date
2025
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Université Mouloud Mammeri Tizi Ouzou
Abstract
The present study investigates the phenomenon of multilingual codeswitching in the religious sermons of Dr. Said Bouizri, a Kabyle preacher renowned for his multilingual preaching style. The present study aims to explore the dominant language, the types of codeswitching , and the discursive functions of codeswitching. It examins also the manner in which the preacher employs a variety of languages to convey specific indexes and stances. To achieve the aforementioned objectives, the research adopts a mixed-method approach based on a corpus composed of three selected YouTube video sermons. Additionally, it draws on the typology of codeswitching developed by Poplack (1980); and the six functions of codeswitching identified in Appel and Muysken (1987) framework; and indexicality theory by (Ochs, 1992). The analysis has revealed that Kabyle is the dominant language in Dr Bouizri's sermons, interspersed with instances of Classical Arabic, Algerian Arabic, and French. Three categories of codeswitching were identified: inter-sentential, intra-sentential, and extra-sentential codeswitching . The ten stances and indexes conveyed by the use of codeswitching are as follows: prestige, religious authority and authenticity, intimacy and solidarity, accessibility and pedagogical clarity, empathy and emotional engagement, moral instruction and persuasion, modernity, good education; objection/refusal, and the avoidance of taboo. This study makes a significant contribution to the expanding field of multilingual religious discourse by illuminating how linguistic choices in sermons reflect the speaker's identity, authority, and communicative intent. The paper further emphasizes the significance of codeswitching as a potent rhetorical and pedagogical instrument within the context of religious discourse. This study contributes to the growing field of multilingual religious discourse and sheds light on how linguistic choices in sermons reflect the speaker's identity, authority and communicative intent. The analysis further underscores the significance of codeswitching as a potent rhetorical and pedagogical device in the context of religious preaching.
Description
108p. ; (+CD-Rom)
Keywords
Codeswitching, Dr. Said Bouizeri, indexicality theory, multilingualism, and religious kabyle discourse, Sermons
Citation
Language and Communication