Abstract
This study aimed at investigating language use and language
attitudes among the Palestinian Arabs of 1948. It is based on the
domain and attitude analysis proposed by Fishman (1964) and takes
into consideration Fishman‘s (1989) resolutions concerning the
fate of languages in contact. The current study aimed to answer the
following questions:
1- In what domains of language do the Palestinian Arabs of 1948 use
Arabic and Hebrew?
2- What are the attitudes of the Palestinian Arabs of 1948 toward
Arabic and Hebrew?
To achieve the goal of this study, the researchers selected a
purposive sample that comprised 70 Palestinian Arabs of 1948. The
subjects were chosen from Palestinian Arabs of 1948 in different
cities and villages. They covered different ages, genders, educational
and professional backgrounds . Data were collected by means of a sociolinguistic questionnaire that included a demographic background, language use
and language attitudes toward both Arabic and Hebrew.
Results of the study revealed that the Palestinian Arabs of 1948 use
both languages in their daily life: Arabic is used at home, mosque,
neighborhood, school, media, and inner speech, while Hebrew is
used at work and for business transactions. Furthermore, the results
showed that the Palestinian Arabs of 1948 have positive attitudes
toward both languages.