Libyan Arab Attitudes towards the official recognition and use of non-Arab ethnic minority lan-guages in the official and public domains in Libya

Abstract

This paper intends to investigate the attitudes of the Libyan Arab people who speak Libyan Arabic towards the recognition of non-Arab ethnic languages, Tamazight, Tuareg and Tubo. This paper aims to explore the acceptance of these languages as official languages in the forthcoming constitution by the Libyan Arabs who represent the majority of the country and whether these languages can be implemented in governmental institutions and public institutions. It is also to examine whether such attitudes (positive or negative) may influence the linguistic status of these languages in terms of their maintenance or shift. Baker (2001, p. 82) points out that the linguistic situation might be influenced by the support of the public opinion towards bilingualism in a certain community (Choi, 2003, p. 82). Sallabank (2013, pp. 61-62) correlates language attitudes and ideologies with the way individuals perceive language vitality and practices and accordingly, with language policy.