Kuwaiti Arabic: A Socio-Phonological Perspective

Diglossia manifests itself on various linguistic levels, one of which is phonological. It poses a linguistic ‘struggle’ for speakers in the Arab world through the functional distribution that exists between the Arabic language and its varieties. This is the main drive behind diglossia. These varieties are part of the same language; hence, the term ‘diglossic-switching’ is employed when describing the alternation of speakers from one level to another. The extreme functional dichotomy in treating diglossia, such as that of Ferguson (1959) High Level and Low Level has since been replaced with a more flexible and realistic interpretation, whereby the speech situation is to be seen as one of continuum constituting a gradient of speech levels co-existing between the two extreme poles: Modern Standard Arabic (H or acrolect) and the colloquial (L or basilect). First, this study examines diglossic switching in Kuwaiti Arabic along four main dialectal phonological variables. These are [č], [g], [j], and [y]. The occurrences of each of the four phonological variables are correlated concurrently with four sociolinguistic variables (age, gender, religious affiliation, and area~origin) and six recording groups (Duwāniyya ‘social gathering’ Group Observation, Semi-Structured Interview, Political Show, Kuwait National Assembly, and Xuṭba ‘religious sermon’) to which the respondents belong. A distribution and frequency analysis shows that there is a tight, dependant relation between the production of the dialectal features and sociological/recording groups. Further, a correlational and multivariate analysis shows that only ‘age’ correlates significantly (negatively) with 3 out 4 of the dialectal markers. Following this, the study constructs and defines the mid-levels in the dialect, and identifies Kuwaiti Modern Arabic as the mesolect, being a product of constant admixture between Modern Standard Arabic and Kuwaiti Arabic in a process of diglossic-switching. It is established that that the speech situation in Kuwait is a multiglossic one, where seven overlapping levels exist in a functionally-distributed sociolinguistic relationship

Disentangling the Qatari identity discourse: social engineering and the dialectics of identity formation

This study starts with the premise that a complex identity discourse is forming in Qatar, which must be traced and deconstructed to enable an understanding of the processes and the social and cultural formations that constituted this discourse. Over the past three decades, a number of social engineering endeavours have been implemented in the Qatari nationalism project to consolidate a national identity and establish a hegemonic national culture. These endeavours have contributed to shaping the ‘question of identity’ and the dialectics and social contentions within the Qatari identity discourse. The aim of this research is to explore and understand the emergence of the ‘question of identity’ and what turned the Qatari identity discourse into a contemporary debate. The study is conducted through a Foucauldian genealogical inquiry, that involves the ‘problematization’ of the present Qatari reality, in order to approach the Qatari identity discourse and its dialectics and formation process outside and independently from the normative investigative parameters and theoretical lenses that currently define it. This is done using interviews with policy instigators and social influencers (of different age ranges and social and professional backgrounds), a set of two surveys conducted with the general public (pre and post blockade), as well as informal observations to understand the current socio-cultural capital, undercurrents and changes from the perspective of the local society. The multiple dimensions of the Qatari identity discourse are investigated in order to comprehend the society’s perceptions, understandings and dialectics – about the identity - during an era of rapid nation-state building and modernization. The thesis contends that the endeavours of the Qatari nationalism project along with processes of globalization and modernity, as well as the blockade imposed on Qatar have played a role in both challenging and re-articulating the Qatari identity discourse, in addition to enabling the cultivation of a hegemonic national Qatari culture

Oral health status of athletes with intellectual disabilities: a review

© Open Access Macedonian Journal of Medical Sciences 2019. All Rights Reserved. BACKGROUND: Oral health reflects the overall health of an individual; it impacts the mental and physical well-being, quality of life, and social relations of an individual. Special Olympics (SO) athletes have been found to have poorer oral health, and high unmet treatment needs globally. Nine articles are included in this systematic review to determine the oral health status of Special Olympics athletes with intellectual disabilities. AIM: To identify the oral health status of athletes with intellectual disabilities who participated in the Special Olympics. METHODS: Electronic bibliographic databases (PubMed, Biology database, Health management database, Science Direct, Health and medical collection (ProQuest), Mendeley, and Health reference centre academic) were used to search for eligible publications using “oral health,” “special needs athletes,” and “intellectual disabilities” terms. All included articles are in English and were published from 2000–2018. The whole process was conducted following PRISMA guidelines. RESULTS: The search strategy yielded 4,090 articles. Only nine articles met the criteria and were included in the final analysis. All included articles reported outcome measurements of gingival signs, missing teeth, untreated decay, filled teeth and sealant. CONCLUSION: The oral health status of athletes with intellectual disabilities can be considered poor compared with athletes without intellectual disabilities, which points to the need for oral health policies for this specific population

Workforce Diversity Management towards Organizational Performance: The Case of AlAujan Group, Kingdom of Bahrain

This study aims to assess the influence of workforce diversity management to organizational performance with particular emphasis on AlAujan Group Company. The Group is one of the largest private sector companies in Bahrain, with companies in the food, personal care, fashion and real estate sectors. The study utilized a descriptive research design involving 120 conveniently sampled respondents. An adopted questionnaire was used as data gathering tool. The study found that over-all organizational climate has a significant impact on organizational performance. However, looking at the individual indicators, only Top Management Support and Personal Diversity Experience are significant at 0.05 while Co-workers Behaviour is significant only at 0.10

The Aesthetics of Poetic Necessities in Alfarazdaq's Poetry

يدرس البحث جماليات الضرورة الشعرية في شعر الفرزدق، للكشف عما أدته من معنى فرضه السياق النفسي والاجتماعي، وكيف واجه بها النحاة متحديا ًقياسهم النحوي. وهو الشاعر الذي لم تكن تعوزه القاعدة ولا المعرفة النحوية، فقد أوتي مقدرة لغوية عالية، ومعرفة بأسرار العربية والتصرف فيها، ولكنه على فضله هذا عرف بكثرة الصيغ الغريبة في شعره ومخالفته القياس النحوي وارتكاب الضرورات. ولهذا شغل أهل زمانه بعجائب قصائده، وبغريب ألفاظه وبخروجه على قواعد اللغة مع أن شعره موضع احتجاج، لذا نقول إنه ارتكب الضرورة عامداً، ولو شاء لنحت قوله على ما يرتضيه اللغويون؛ لكن ابن تميم البار، المفتخر بها، الذائد عن صيتها له مقاصد في مخالفاته النحوية، التي ترتبط بالموقف والسياق، اللذين يسوغا للشاعر التصرف في القاعدة اللغوية وفق ماتتيحه اللغة من حرية للشاعر بوصفه أمير الكلام، فهو يتوخى تراكيب لغوية، يعجز النحو عن معرفة أسرارها. ولذا كان البحث في تأويل بعض الضرورات التي وردت في شعره عبر تلمُّس الباحثتين لأوجه تأويل الضرورة بعيداً عن القاعدة النحوية، للحفر في دلالتها النفسية. ومن أهم النتائج التي توصلت إليها الدراسة: أن الفرزدق لم يكن دائما مضطرا عند وقوعه في الضرورة الشعرية؛ فهناك صلة وثيقة بين الدلالات النفسية والمناسبات المجتمعية لضرائر الشعر عند الفرزدق، إذ كان للبيئة والنشأة أثر واضح في مقاصد النظم لدى الفرزدق.Al-Farazdaq occupied the people of his time with the wonders of his poems, the strangeness of his words and his departure from the grammar of the language that he lived in contemplating. Most of his poetry was a subject of protest and a subject of surprise at the same time. He is the first scholars of Arabic who violate the rule, and Al-Farazdaq is a lofty stature in the language whose wonders and arts are not hidden from him. In addition, he would carve his words according to what the linguists accept, if he desired.  However, Ibn Tamim Al-Bar, who is proud of it, who defended its reputation, has intentions that the statement may not translate in his outspoken face. Perhaps this is a reason for interpreting some of the necessities that were mentioned in his poetry through the two researchers looking for aspects of the interpretation of necessity away from the verbal rule, close to the psychological significance. One of the most important findings of the study: that Al-Farazdaq did not always have to use the poetic necessity, there is a close link between psychological connotations and societal events of   poetic necessity to Al-Farazdaq. The environment and upbringing has a clear impact on purposes of styles in Al-Farazdaq's Poetry. &nbsp

Reflections of physiotherapy students in the United Arab Emirates during their clinical placements: A qualitative study

BACKGROUND: Although Western models of education are being used to establish health professional programs in non-Western countries, little is known about how students in these countries perceive their learning experiences. The purpose of this qualitative study was to describe the reflections of physiotherapy students from a Middle East culture during their clinical placements and to compare them to reflections of physiotherapy students from a Western culture. METHODS: Subjects were six senior students (3 females, 3 males, mean age 22.6 years) and 15 junior, female students (mean age 20.1 years) in the baccalaureate physiotherapy program at a university in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). They wrote weekly entries in a journal while in their clinical placements. They described an event, their reaction to it, and how it might affect their future behavior. Two evaluators independently read and coded the content of all the journals, and then worked together to categorize the data and develop themes. A third evaluator, an UAE national, independently read the journals to validate the content analysis. A feedback session with students was used to further validate the data interpretation. The themes were compared to those derived from a similar study of Canadian physiotherapy students. RESULTS: The content of the students' reflections were grouped into 4 themes: professional behavior, awareness of learning, self-development and shift to a patient orientation, and identification and analysis of ethical issues. Although the events were different, students from the UAE considered many of the same issues reflected on by Canadian students. CONCLUSION: Physiotherapy students from a Middle East culture consider many of the same issues as students from a Western culture when asked to reflect on their clinical experience. They reflect on their personal growth, on how they learn in a clinical setting, and on the ethical and professional behaviors of themselves and others

The Evolution of National Boundaries in the Southeastern Arabian Peninsula: 1934-1955. (Volumes I and II) (Buraimi, Gulf States, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Oman).

The formation of the Arabian peninsula in the twentieth century has involved developments of many different kinds; one of the more complex has been the definition of Saudi Arabia's southeastern boundaries. The countries now known as Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Oman were regarded by the British as being in the British sphere. Through major policy efforts Britain attempted to retain control over their boundaries ( and thus the states) in the period after the discovery of oil made the inl and areas of Arabia so important. From 1934 to 1955 Saudi Arabia and Britain explored various ways to settle the boundaries, never with success. Britain walked out of arbitration in 1955 (one day after the proceedings began), and the border dispute (often called after the Oasis of Buraimi, a focus of attention in the controversy) was not resolved until after Britain withdrew from the Gulf region in 1971. The repeated attempts to settle the matter cast light not only on later stages of British colonialism and on Saudi state formation, but also on the emergence of the United States and the oil companies as actors on the Middle Eastern scene. Available documention is both extensive and revealing, and the topic is well defined enough to reveal interesting diplomatic shifts, as Britain sought to control state-formation in the peninsula by regulating boundaries.Ph.D.Middle Eastern historyUniversity of Michiganhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/161355/1/8712065.pd

The Qatari Identity: Crisis, Change and Transition

The paper presents a set of qualitative and quantitative data (including interviews with policy instigators, academics and social/cultural influencers of different age ranges, backgrounds and professions, as well as an online survey conducted for the general public) which are gathered to explore and unpack cultural dynamics and the nature of the concepts of change and modernization in the local Qatari society in order to understand their influences on shaping the dialectics, issues and problems within the discourse on Qatari identity and its formation process