Aspects of linguistic acculturation in Ottoman Algeria: The Franca language as an example.

Abstract

       The history of Algeria during the Ottomans era still needs further researches that will unveil the various unclear, hidden sides of this history. Society had remained far from the motivations of researchers despite the mutations that were known at that epoch. This resulted in the formation of different cultural phenomena; some of wich are visible nowadays without realizing neither their meaning nor the causes that led them to appear.

Among the themes related to the culture of the society that studies languages, their origins and the changes they underwent, we noticed that the Algerian dialect was subject to Mediterranean great influences due to the coexistence between the peoples of both   the Mediterranean banks; as a result a particular, special language spread widely between the traders and pirates, then it was used by a number of city people which was called Lingua Franca language. It was a means that helped them to communicate with peoples of the Mediterranean Sea and this is the subject of our study in this research work.

Key words : Linguistic acculturation, Franca language, Ottoman, Algeria, Mediterranean Sea.