DIALECT PREFERENCES AND LANGUAGE ATTITUDES IN SAUDI MARRIAGE DECISIONS: A SOCIOLINGUISTIC PERSPECTIVE

Abstract:

With an emphasis on how linguistic attitudes influence social decisions and mirror larger societal structures, this study explores dialect preferences in the context of marriage proposals in Saudi Arabia. A total of 246 parents (47 males and 199 females) and 122 daughters constituted the 368 individuals who completed two distinct surveys. Crosstabulation, chi-square tests, and descriptive statistics were employed to analyze the data. The findings indicate that the majority of parents (60.2%) preferred suitors who communicated in their dialect, with a markedly greater in-group preference observed among Najdi speakers. Speakers of the white dialect were more inclined to exhibit indifference or preference for the white dialect. Daughters had more varied responses: 25.4% selected the white dialect, 31.5% expressed no preference, and 40.8% favored the same dialect. The demographics of the daughters and their preferences shown no significant correlation. These results indicate how beliefs about language, especially dialects, influence marriage choices, identity boundaries, and societal standards. The results suggest that younger generations exhibit greater language adaptability, whereas older generations maintain stricter linguistic boundaries linked to social and geographical identity. This indicates a greater trend in the ways that language attitudes in modern Saudi society may both support and challenge social institutions.