Egyptian Romanized Arabic: 
                                    
                                   
                 A Study of Selected Features from 
             Communication Among Egyptian Youth on 
                             Facebook 
                                   
                          Jan Arild Bjørnsson 
             
             
             
                                                    
             
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
                                   
                                   
                                   
             Thesis for the degree of Master of Arts in the field of 
                      Arabic language (60 credits)  
                                   
                        UNIVERSITY OF OSLO  
                                   
                             November 2010 
         
         
         
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       Table of contents 
       Acknowledgements ...............................................................................................................5 
       Chapter one: Introduction ...................................................................................................6 
        1.1 Research question .........................................................................................................7 
        1.2 Outline of the thesis ......................................................................................................8 
       Chapter two: Writing and language ....................................................................................9 
        2.1 Writing, scripts and alphabets ..................................................................................... 10 
         2.1.1 Conversion of scripts ............................................................................................ 12 
          2.1.1.1 Transcription of Arabic ................................................................................. 13 
          2.1.1.2 Judaeo-Arabic ............................................................................................... 14 
          2.1.1.3 Romanization of Turkish ............................................................................... 15 
          2.1.1.4 Maltese .......................................................................................................... 16 
          2.1.1.5 Arabic language reform ................................................................................. 17 
        2.2 The language situation in Egypt .................................................................................. 20 
         2.2.1 Arabic in Egypt .................................................................................................... 20 
          2.2.1.1 Attitudes towards the varieties ....................................................................... 21 
          2.2.1.2 The continuum between the varieties ............................................................. 21 
          2.2.1.3 Egyptian Arabic as a written language ........................................................... 22 
         2.2.2 English in Egypt ................................................................................................... 23 
       Chapter three: Computer-mediated communication ........................................................ 24 
        3.1 Communication situations on the Internet ................................................................... 24 
         3.1.1 CMC – between speech and writing? .................................................................... 26 
        3.2 The Internet in Egypt and the Middle East .................................................................. 28 
         3.2.1 The Egyptian Internet user ................................................................................... 29 
         3.2.2 Arabic online ....................................................................................................... 30 
         3.2.3 Language choice online in Egypt .......................................................................... 31 
        3.3 About Facebook and communication between its members ......................................... 33 
        3.4 Method ....................................................................................................................... 35 
         3.4.1 Selection criteria .................................................................................................. 35 
         3.4.2 Notes on transcription .......................................................................................... 37 
       Chapter four: The graphemes ............................................................................................ 41 
        4.1 The consonants ........................................................................................................... 41 
         4.1.1 Numerals representing phonemes ......................................................................... 42 
          4.1.1.1 Representation of /ḥ/...................................................................................... 43 
          4.1.1.2 Representation of /x/ and /ġ/ .......................................................................... 44 
          4.1.1.1 Marginal representations ............................................................................... 46 
         4.1.2 Other consonants .................................................................................................. 47 
          4.1.2.1 Representation of /w/ and /y/ ......................................................................... 47 
          4.1.2.2 Representation of /q/...................................................................................... 48 
          4.1.2.3 Representation of /ʾ/ as a reflex of Standard Arabic /q/ ................................... 48 
          4.1.2.4 Representation of /ʾ/ as a reflex of Standard Arabic /ʾ/ ................................... 49 
          4.1.2.5 The emphatic consonants ............................................................................... 51 
         4.1.6 Regional differences............................................................................................. 51 
        4.2 The vowels ................................................................................................................. 53 
         4.2.1 Vowels in the data ................................................................................................ 56 
          4.2.1.1 Long vowels .................................................................................................. 57 
          4.2.1.2 Short vowels .................................................................................................. 60 
           4.2.1.2.1  representing final /i/ ......................................................................... 62 
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          4.2.1.2.2 The minor representations ....................................................................... 63 
          4.2.1.2.3 The epenthetic vowel .............................................................................. 64 
          4.2.1.2.4 Short vowels and emphatic consonants ................................................... 65 
        4.2.3 A summary: long and short vowels....................................................................... 66 
        4.2.4 The inconsistent use of vowels ............................................................................. 66 
      Chapter five: Some selected features ................................................................................. 69 
       5.1 The definite article ...................................................................................................... 69 
       5.2 The feminine ending ................................................................................................... 71 
        5.2.1 Realized as /a/ ...................................................................................................... 71 
        5.2.2 Realized as /it/ ...................................................................................................... 71 
        5.2.3 Realized as /ā/ ...................................................................................................... 72 
       5.3 Gemination ................................................................................................................. 72 
       5.4 The future prefix ḥa-/ha- ............................................................................................. 74 
       5.5 The prepositions li and bi ............................................................................................ 75 
       5.6 Some other prepositions .............................................................................................. 76 
      Chapter six: conclusion ...................................................................................................... 78 
      Literature ............................................................................................................................ 81 
      Abstract............................................................................................................................... 84 
        
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