The McChicken Phenomenon: How Has English Become a Prevalent Language among Kuwaiti Youths?

Abstract

The worldwide influence of the English language is undeniable, given its common use in various forms of international entertainment, social media, the Internet, and so on. English has affected many countries’ languages, and Kuwaiti Arabic is no exception, as evidenced by the so-called “McChicken” phenomenon. This phenomenon refers to the widespread use of English by young Kuwaitis who have low proficiency in Kuwaiti Arabic. However, despite the everyday use of the term in colloquial speech, the phenomenon has remained underexplored. In light of the above, this study investigates the development of the “McChicken” phenomenon. Through an online questionnaire survey and audio-recorded interviews, this study uncovers how Kuwait’s young generation came to rely heavily on code-switching in their communication. This study makes a significant contribution to the literature because it sheds light on this pervasive and rapidly spreading, yet barely understood phenomenon. Further, this study delves into a topic that highlights cross-cultural identities and perspectives.

العوامل المؤثرة في تنمية مهارات اللغة الإنجليزية لدى الطلاب الكويتيين

“…The significance of English in Kuwait lies in its ability to enable communication between Kuwaitis and the global community. Furthermore, the extensive use of English in the realms of business, academia, and media renders it an indispensable skill for Kuwaitis navigating the increasingly globalised world (Hayat & AlBader 2022).…”

Bridging the Kuwaiti Dialect Gap in Natural Language Processing

“…Furthermore, Kuwait was a protectorate of the British Empire for 62 years, which also created an effect on the Kuwaiti dialect [5]. Multiple English words integrated into the Kuwaiti dialect with its identical English meaning such as " / Wire", " / Horn", and " / Pencil".…”

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

“…Since speaking varieties carry social meanings that develop either positive or negative attitudinal reactions (Garrett, 2010), this study attempts to investigate Kuwaitis attitudes towards this linguistic trend to determine how integrating English with Arabic in social interactions can modulate the position of those who use different language varieties in the social domain. Although numerous studies have tried to examine the attitudes towards code-switching, only a few have investigated Kuwaitis attitudes towards this linguistic variety in social domains (e.g., AlRumaihi, 2020; Dashti, 2015;Hayat & AlBader, 2022). In addition, studies that have explored Arabic-English code-switching in Kuwait only used direct research methods, whilst in investigating attitudes, using an indirect approach "penetrates deeper than direct methods, often below the level of conscious awareness" (McKenzie, 2010, p. 45).…”

“…However, the authors did not provide any evidence for this claim. Additionally, Hayat and Albader (2022) believe that English-Arabic code-switching is mostly employed by teenage private school students or graduates, which made linguistic and cultural conservatives call this phenomenon the "McChicken" variety, referring to the famous McDonald"s sandwich. The reason behind this label is the westernization of the Kuwaiti dialects as a reference to American imperialism to display their resentment of the non-conformity with the "typical Kuwaiti" identity (Alshammari, 2019, p. 97).…”

“…Several studies have concluded that this sociolinguistic trend is frequently deployed by multilinguals to endorse their social status and solidarity in monolingual communities (AlRumaihi, 2021;Wardhaugh, 2011). Nevertheless, other studies have discovered that people may have negative attitudes towards code-switching (Hayat & AlBader, 2022;Lawson & Sachdev, 2000). However, since English is a prestigious language in Kuwait (Dashti, 2015;Taqi, 2010), this research aims to investigate whether deploying code-switching in informal social contexts meets code-switchers" expectations, or their attempt to endorse status and solidarity is generating contrasting results.…”