Tunisian hip-hop music discourse: Linguistic, socio-cultural and political movements from the local to the global or vice versa? A case study of Balti's songs. (November 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Bach Baoueb, Sallouha Lamia
• Is Part Of: Language & communication. Volume 75(2020)
• Page Start: 1
• Page End: 20
• Publication Date: 2020-11
• Subjects: Hip hop music -- Code switching -- Revolution -- Socio-cultural -- Political movement-global -- Local; Communication -- Periodicals; Linguistics -- Periodicals; Communication -- Periodicals; Linguistics -- Periodicals; Communication -- Périodiques; Linguistique -- Périodiques; Communication; Linguistics; Periodicals; Electronic journals; 405
• DOI: 10.1016/j.langcom.2020.07.005
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0271-5309

Abstract

Abstract: The present paper investigates the linguistic, socio-cultural and political movements portrayed in Balti's songs in the pre and post Tunisian Revolution periods. It further aims at depicting the hip-hopper linguistic behaviour and particularly code switching within the two periods to move amid the local and the global spheres. Instances of code switching to French and English are studied to describe the amount of switching during both periods and the social constraints behind his linguistic behaviour in a corpus of 12 songs. The themes of the songs are further explored to investigate the rapper's concerns about the socio-cultural and political life of Tunisians in the periods under study. Highlights: Hip hop music is a mirror of Tunisian linguistic, socio-cultural and political change. Intersentential and intrasentential Code switching occur in Balti's lyrics along with borrowing and substitution. Tunisian Arabic and French are interchangeably the matrix languages of the lyrics. Balti's songs is a tool for globalising the local Tunisian problems to link them with the international socio-cultural and political flow. Balti's songs are a weapon to combat and criticise the Tunisian socio-cultural and political degeneration.