Students' Perceptions about Course Evaluation: A Discourse Analysis from the Perspective of the Appraisal System

Abstract

The omnipresence of Arabic-English code-switching in Kuwaiti social contexts is unequivocal. Several studies have indicated that the motivation behind deploying such linguistic variety is to promote social status and solidarity. This study examines whether adopting such linguistic variety in Kuwaiti social domains meets code-switchers’ expectations by characterizing and positioning them in the desired social category. By using a verbal-guise test, the study investigates the cognitive attitudes of 92 Kuwaitis towards Arabic-English code-switching through examining dimensions of status (class, education, intelligence) and solidarity (showing-off, attractiveness, sociability). A paired t-test has shown that Kuwaitis attitudes are in favour of English-Arabic code-switching. In complete contrast with other studies, a one-way ANOVA has revealed that older generations are more in favour of code-switching over the younger ones. Additionally, the results suggest that females are less in favour of Arabic-English code-switching than males, and their positive ratings for Kuwaiti Arabic are significantly higher. The paper concludes with some recommendations for future research that would help in researching language attitudes and variation in Kuwait.