Identity and Dialect Performance

Identity and Dialect Performance discusses the relationship between identity and dialects. It starts from the assumption that the use of dialect is not just a product of social and demographic factors, but can also be an intentional performance of identity. Dialect performance is related to identity construction and in a highly globalised world, the linguistic repertoire has increased rapidly, thereby changing our conventional assumptions about dialects and their usage.

The key outstanding feature of this particular book is that it spans an extensive range of communities and dialects; Italy, Hong Kong, Morocco, Egypt, Syria, Japan, Germany, The Sudan, The Netherlands, Nigeria, Spain, US, UK, French Guiana, Colombia,and Libya.

Reem Bassiouney is Professor of Linguistics at The American University of Cairo. Her recent book publications include Functions of Code-Switching in Egypt (2006), Arabic Sociolinguistics (2008), Arabic and the Media (2010, editor), Arabic language and Linguistics (2012, co-editor), Language and Identity in Modern Egypt (2014), and The Routledge Handbook of Arabic Linguistics (forthcoming, co-editor).