Arablish

Not to be confused with Arabish.

Arablish, a portmanteau combining the words Arabic and English, is a slang term for the phenomenon of code-switching between the two languages and/or macaronically using features of one in the other. It is alternatively termed Arbalizi, a portmanteau combining the words Arabic and Inglizi (the word for 'English' in Arabic).

Usage of Arablish/Arbalizi particularly among the youth may be as a result of poor knowledge of one language or the other or both, or may be usage for introducing a humorous effect. Arablish/Arablizi is being increasingly used in ordinary conversations and online.[1]

Arablish usually consists of either filling in gaps in one's knowledge of Arabic with English words, speaking Arabic in such a manner that (although ostensibly "Arabic") would be incomprehensible to an Arab language speaker who does not also have a working knowledge of English.

References

  1. ↑ Al-Quds al-Arabi (via Mideastwire): The 'Arablish' language spreading amongst the Jordanian elite Archived July 14, 2011, at the Wayback Machine.
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