From the Medieval ḫarğāt to Contemporary Songs: Patterns of Codeswitching Involving Arabic1

Abstract

This paper seeks to use evidence from contemporary language use to shed light on that of an earlier period. It examines a set of ḫarğāt, the closing sections of medieval Andalusian muwaššaḥ poems, which exhibit codeswitching between colloquial Andalusian Arabic and Romance, and compares the patterns of switching seen there with those used in some contemporary popular songs, in particular the Arabic-French switching used in the rai lyrics of North Africa. On the basis of the parallels and contrasts observed, some remarks are made about what the language of these ḫarğāt suggests about their origins and authors.