English Use In The Algerian Media Discourse: An Exploratory Case Study

Résumé: As a part of the Maghreb, Algeria is the largest francophone country after France where French co-exists with the native languages (Berber & Arabic) since the French occupation. Unlike in the Middle East, English in Algeria was only part of the curriculum in education and as a specialty in higher education. However, nowadays, we notice the increasing spread of English in Algeria beyond education. That is, we notice the presence of English in other domains such as Oil Industry, Maritime Industry, Marketing, and even Media. Thus, the present paper attempts to investigate the status and the presence of the English language in the Algerian Media. The purpose of the study is twofold; first, to explore the different Algerian TV channels and online Newspapers / blogs that use English as a means of communication & information. Second, it seeks to know about the attitudes of the Algerian audience/readers towards the Algerian media in general and those being delivered in English in particular. As for methods of data collection, we relied on an observation and a questionnaire. The findings of the study reveal mainly the following: 1) nowadays, the Algerian TV channels, public and private, have increased considerably in quantity and quality. 2) The three languages in use in Algeria (i.e., Arabic, Berber, and French) are all present in the Algerian TV programs. 3) Similarly, the number of Algerian newspapers has significantly augmented in recent years. And they are written mainly in Arabic and French, in addition to some contributions in Berber in some regional newspapers. 4) Besides, we noticed a widespread of Algerian blogs covering many aspects of the Algerian updates. Importantly, we noticed the presence of many blogs written in English by Algerian bloggers (and for the Algerian reader). 5) Significantly, the event that attracted us most is the experience of Dzair News in delivering the news in English. 6) The majority of participants (68%) follow the Algerian news reported in French, followed by Berber (Kabyle) with 21%, and finally in Arabic with 11%. 7) The majority of participants (76%) generally follow the world news in English. 8) Finally, All the participants expressed their positive attitudes towards the use of the English language in the Algerian Media. Also, most of them added that it would be very useful at the national and international levels.

Publié dans la revue: دفاتر في اللسانيات والتعليمية