Perceptions of Arab Non-linguists about New Pidgin ‘Urdubic’

Abstract

The print and electronic media of the world remains occupied with political and economic issues in the world. It rarely seems to pay its attention to gradual sociolinguistic developments that take place in the wake of political and economic developments. One of such issues of sociolinguistic importance is the development of a new pidgin ‘Urdubic’ in the Persian Gulf. Some Arab linguists view this development as a threat to the time-honored purity of Arabic. What do non-linguists among Arabs think on this issue?  Do they take Urdubic as threat for their mother tongue when they go about their daily business with the immigrant workers?  In order to gauge their opinions about the pidgin, the researchers conducted this preliminary study among Arab non-linguists in KSA and UAE. The findings of the study add to the state of the information on the subject.