Language Variation and Change in the Christian Arabic of Baghdad

This doctoral project investigates Christian Arabic of Baghdad (CAB), a qeltu dialect of Iraqi Arabic that preserves older linguistic forms but is currently undergoing change due to contact with other Baghdadi Arabic dialects such as Muslim Baghdadi Arabic (MB), a dialect widely used in the capital, its suburbs and the neighbouring regions. The study examines dialect levelling in CAB, analysing whether MB linguistic innovations are adopted by CAB speakers, and under what social and contextual conditions.

A particular focus lies on three linguistic variables and how this change manifests across different age and gender groups, as well as education. The project combines variationist sociolinguistics with ethnographic methods, including sociolinguistic interviews, participant observation, and casual and formal speech elicitation, to capture both linguistic patterns and the social contexts that shape them.

By integrating first-wave variationist methods and second-wave ethnographic approaches, the study investigates how social networks, community practices, and local dynamics drive dialect change. The project addresses a critical gap in Iraqi Arabic sociolinguistics, where most previous research has focused on descriptive dialectology, by providing empirical evidence on language variation, change, and contact-induced processes.

The outcomes will contribute to the documentation and analysis of CAB, advance understanding of dialect levelling and language contact in Baghdad, and to provide a foundation for future sociolinguistic research on Iraqi Arabic.