A Sociolinguistic Study of Language Use in the Printed Advertising of the Algerian Phone Operators : The case of Djezzy, Ooredoo and Mobilis

Abstract

The sociolinguistic situation in Algeria is characterized by the use of a large variety of languages and varieties. As a result, a lot of linguistic phenomena have appeared and these are used in all the domains of Algerians’ everyday lives, and the domain of advertising is no exception. Our research aims at investigating the different language choices employed in the printed advertisements of Algerian phone operators (Djezzy, Mobilis and Ooredoo) and the language contact outcomes occurring in them. Moreover, it explores the attitudes of people towards these languages. Our study is based on three hypotheses which are: first, Algerian Arabic and French are the most languages in the printed advertisements of the Algerian phone operators. Second, Code switching, code mixing and borrowing may be the most used language contact phenomena by the Algerian phone operators. Third, the languages employed in these advertisings may entice the consumer to purchase. To ensure validity, a mixed method which combines between a qualitative and a quantitative analysis has been used. In order to test the first two hypotheses...