‘Numeric Codes in the Arabian Peninsula’ presented by Dr. Amin Almuhanna
Since around 2000, some Kuwaiti youths of Bedouin ancestry have used three-digit numeric codes to refer to their tribes in computer-mediated communication and public areas. These digital nicknames are more functional in Internet-based searches than the polymorphous names of tribes. These codes represent an attempt by urbanized Badu youths to redefine their social identity in a modern setting. While we focus primarily on Kuwait, we show that a whole youth subculture of three-digit codes referring to groups of people is developing in the Arabian Peninsula.
Bio:
Dr. Amin Almuhanna is Assistant Professor of Computational Linguistics at the Department of English Language and Literature, Faculty of Arts, at Kuwait University. He received his B.A. in English Language and Literature from Kuwait University and his M.Sc. and Ph.D. in Computational Linguistics from University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology.