Edited by Atta Gebril
[AILA Applied Linguistics Series 15] 2017
► pp. 89–113
In the Arab world there is a conviction that Arab identity is grounded in Arabic and identity continues to arise as something over which Arabs must be vigilant in view of global English. Identity research today is transforming, and is viewed as fluid and unconstrained by language, culture, or geography. Recent publications on language learning and multilingual language practices reveal a post-structuralist approach to identity, when considering how identity is conceptualized in applied linguistics. This study examines Arab youth studying at an English medium university in the UAE and their perceptions regarding their native Arabic as significant in constructing an Arab identity. According to the results of the study, Arabic is not viewed as an identity marker.