A Moving Target - Literacy Development in Situations of Arab Journal of Applied Linguistics - Vol. 1 - No. 1 - January 2016

Oct 15, 2026

The paper analyzes challenges in literacy development under classical diglossia and bilingualism, focusing on how varying proficiency levels across a linguistic market shape literacy processes, linguistic insecurity, and educational and socioeconomic prospects. Using Tunisia as a key context, it argues that initial marginalization of the vernacular for Standard Arabic literacy is not sufficient for academic success because French competence becomes essential in higher schooling. Heritage Arabic speakers face greater maintenance challenges than heritage speakers in non-diglossic situations.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages18

Reading Time45 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Diglossia and Bilingualism

Introduction

Literacy development and proficiency concerns

Diglossic complexity and applied literacy debates

Definitions of diglossia and the diglossia paradox

A Moving Target: Literacy Development in Situations of Arab Journal of Applied Linguistics e-ISSN 2490-4198 Vol. 1, No. 1, January 2016, 1-18 © The Author [http://www.arjals.com](http://www.arjals.com) Diglossia and Bilingualism Lotfi Sayahi1 University at Albany, State University of New York, USA Abstract The present paper analyzes the challenges of literacy development in cases of classical diglossia and bilingualism. The main argument is that the diverse levels of proficiency in the varieties present in a given linguistic market have implications for and are shaped by processes of literacy development, feelings of linguistic insecurity, and the overall outlook for educational and socioeconomic success. With a special focus on Tunisia, where diglossia and bilingualism are part of the students’ linguistic reality, this paper argues that surmounting the initial marginalization of the native vernacular in favor of literacy in Standard Arabic does not seem to be enough of a guarantee for academic success since competence in French becomes indispensable as students move higher up the educational ladder. This results in a generalized feeling of linguistic insecurity and a shared skepticism about the proficiency levels achieved through the educational systems in the languages of instruction that adversely affect school success rates. The paper also shows that heritage speakers of Arabic face more challenges for language maintenance than heritage speakers of other languages that are not in a diglossic situation. Keywords: literacy, diglossia, bilingualism, heritage language, language of instruction Introduction It is not uncommon in communities where two or more linguistic varieties coexist for concerns, and even anxieties, to surface regarding levels of proficiency, literacy development, and the preservation of language loyalty. In many postcolonial societies, a rivalry is observed between the community’s historical languages, held as valuedindices of ethnic and national identities, and the former colonial language, often perceived as the vehicle of modernity and economic development. Native competence 1Corresponding author: LotfiSayahi, University at Albany, State University of New York Email: [lsayahi@albany.edu](lsayahi@albany.edu) in the community's vernacular is often contrasted with varying levels of proficiency in the formally learned varieties that, in many cases, contribute to educational and socioeconomic disparities. A different type of conflict is observed inimmigration settings where most parents aspire to see their children develop native competence in the host country's language while simultaneously maintaining the heritage language. Be that asit may, second generation immigrants tend to develop native competence in the dominant language, but often reachvarying levels of proficiency in the heritage language, ranging fromrestricted competence that approaches only anecdotal familiarity to native competence, depending on the personal history of each speaker. As many studies have shown (Wei & Cook, 2009), the variability in reaching balanced bidialectal and bilingual competencies in a range of settings has to do with degrees of exposure to each of the varieties available, domains of use, and formal instruction. Undoubtedly, varying levels of proficiency in the varieties present in a given linguistic market have implications for and are shaped by literacy development, feelings of linguistic insecurity, and overall outlook for educational and socioeconomic success. The complexity of diglossic situations, such as that of the Arabic language, poses a multitude of challenges for not only descriptive linguistics but also applied linguistics and, specifically, theories of literacy development and language teaching and learning. At the linguistic level, it is not always easy to sift through the murky data to determine which features belong to the vernacular, which features belong to the standard lan

FAQs

How do challenges differ for heritage speakers of Arabic compared with heritage speakers of other languages?

Heritage speakers of Arabic face more challenges for language maintenance than heritage speakers in languages that are not in a diglossic situation.

Oct 15, 2026

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