The academic paper titled "Code-Switching with Arabic: A Case of the Hindi/Urdu Mother Tongue Speakers of the Expatriate Community Working in Saudi Arabia" primarily focuses on the phenomenon of code-switching among Hindi/Urdu-speaking expatriates in Saudi Arabia. The research investigates how these speakers, living in a multilingual setting, incorporate Arabic linguistic elements into their native language during communication.
The study aims to explore the linguistic behaviors of Hindi/Urdu speakers in a language contact situation, specifically how they switch to Arabic and mix Arabic linguistic items into their conversations. The scope of the research is centered around the social, educational, and religious domains where such linguistic alternation occurs.
Methodologically, the study adopts a data-oriented approach, relying on the investigator’s close observation of expatriate workers' communication in various social settings in Saudi Arabia. Data were collected through direct observation, interviews, and recordings of natural conversations in public and private spaces such as markets, offices, and homes.
Key findings reveal that a significant proportion of code-switching occurs in the domain of everyday conversation, followed by education and religion. The study documents that around 50% of switches happen in daily interactions, 20% in educational settings, 20% in religious contexts, and 10% in miscellaneous expressions. The research also highlights that these speakers adapt Arabic terms to fit the phonological patterns of Hindi/Urdu, thereby naturalizing the borrowed lexicon.
The paper concludes that Arabic serves as a crucial 'communication bridge' among non-Arabic speakers in Saudi Arabia, enabling effective communication in a linguistically diverse environment. The study underscores the importance of understanding how language contact influences linguistic practices and calls for further research to explore the impact of Hindi/Urdu on Arabic speakers in similar contexts. The findings emphasize the complex dynamics of language contact and the role of Arabic as a dominant language in the expatriate community’s social life.