The Role of Demographic Factors in the Process of Language Maintenance and Shift in Khartoum, Sudan

Abstract

This paper intends to investigate the role of demographic factors such as sex, age, education, ethnicity, intermarriage, migration and job status in the process of language shift among ethnic migrant groups in Khartoum, Sudan. The paper depends on structured questionnaires to collect data on language presidency, language use and language attitudes among fourteen ethnic groups living in Khartoum, the capital city of Sudan. The main objective of the study is to investigate the role of these factors in accelerating or hindering the process of language shift among the groups under study. PSS was used in the process of data analysis using Qui square test to find correlation between demographic factors and language shift among the groups under investigation. Results showed a significant correlation between language shift and factors such as age, sex, and education among the Beja, the Darfurians and the Nuba Mountains ethnic groups. A less degree of significance between demographic factors and language shift was registered by the groups descending from Southern Sudan who showed a strong tendency to preserve their linguistic and cultural heritage during their stay in Khartoum.