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Navigating Trauma: A Linguistic Exploration of Bilingual Trauma Expressions
This study explores the relationship between language, trauma, and emotional expression among bilingual Arabic-English speakers, focusing on code-switching patterns and euphemisms, and more broadly the emotional roles of native and non-native languages in trauma narratives. Through qualitative inter...
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AUC Knowledge Fountain
2025
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| _version_ | 1867613424404398080 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Mahmoud Othman, Amira |
| author_browse | Mahmoud Othman, Amira |
| author_facet | Mahmoud Othman, Amira |
| author_sort | Mahmoud Othman, Amira |
| collection | Thesis |
| description | This study explores the relationship between language, trauma, and emotional expression among bilingual Arabic-English speakers, focusing on code-switching patterns and euphemisms, and more broadly the emotional roles of native and non-native languages in trauma narratives. Through qualitative interviews with 20 Egyptian participants, the research reveals that code-switching serves as both a linguistic and emotional tool, allowing speakers to navigate trauma by creating distance or engaging more intimately. Such codeswitching patterns include the integration of English content words within Arabic structures, morphosyntactic innovations, and gender agreement applications, reflecting the creative adaptability of bilingual speakers in emotionally charged contexts, in line with Myers-Scotton’s (1993) Matrix Language Framework. Additionally, culturally embedded euphemisms highlight sensitivity in discussing difficult topics like death and loss, offering insight into how language reflects cultural values and emotional mediation. Arabic is perceived as a language of immediacy and intimacy, enabling profound personal expression, while English provides a neutral, protective buffer that facilitates cognitive distancing and emotional regulation. These findings potentially contribute to sociolinguistics and trauma studies, shedding light on how linguistic strategies intertwine with cultural and emotional contexts to help individuals process and articulate their trauma. Practical implications extend to teaching Arabic as a foreign language, emphasizing the importance of cultural and emotional perceptiveness to prepare learners for sensitive conversations. This research also offers insights for future therapeutic and humanitarian research, where understanding the emotional weight of language can improve communication with trauma survivors. Ultimately, the study underscores the transformative power of language in articulating, surviving, and healing from trauma, showcasing its critical role in navigating human resilience and recovery. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:fount.aucegypt.edu:etds-3492 |
| institution | American University in Cairo (Egypt) |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:35:55.364Z |
| license_str | Not specified — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from AUC Knowledge Fountain — bepress |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| publishDateRange | 2025 |
| publishDateSort | 2025 |
| publisher | AUC Knowledge Fountain |
| publisherStr | AUC Knowledge Fountain |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | AUC Knowledge Fountain — bepress |
| spelling | oai:fount.aucegypt.edu:etds-3492 Navigating Trauma: A Linguistic Exploration of Bilingual Trauma Expressions Mahmoud Othman, Amira This study explores the relationship between language, trauma, and emotional expression among bilingual Arabic-English speakers, focusing on code-switching patterns and euphemisms, and more broadly the emotional roles of native and non-native languages in trauma narratives. Through qualitative interviews with 20 Egyptian participants, the research reveals that code-switching serves as both a linguistic and emotional tool, allowing speakers to navigate trauma by creating distance or engaging more intimately. Such codeswitching patterns include the integration of English content words within Arabic structures, morphosyntactic innovations, and gender agreement applications, reflecting the creative adaptability of bilingual speakers in emotionally charged contexts, in line with Myers-Scotton’s (1993) Matrix Language Framework. Additionally, culturally embedded euphemisms highlight sensitivity in discussing difficult topics like death and loss, offering insight into how language reflects cultural values and emotional mediation. Arabic is perceived as a language of immediacy and intimacy, enabling profound personal expression, while English provides a neutral, protective buffer that facilitates cognitive distancing and emotional regulation. These findings potentially contribute to sociolinguistics and trauma studies, shedding light on how linguistic strategies intertwine with cultural and emotional contexts to help individuals process and articulate their trauma. Practical implications extend to teaching Arabic as a foreign language, emphasizing the importance of cultural and emotional perceptiveness to prepare learners for sensitive conversations. This research also offers insights for future therapeutic and humanitarian research, where understanding the emotional weight of language can improve communication with trauma survivors. Ultimately, the study underscores the transformative power of language in articulating, surviving, and healing from trauma, showcasing its critical role in navigating human resilience and recovery. 2025-02-19T08:00:00Z thesis application/pdf https://fount.aucegypt.edu/etds/2445 https://fount.aucegypt.edu/context/etds/article/3492/viewcontent/amira_mahmoud_othman_thesis.pdf Theses and Dissertations AUC Knowledge Fountain Trauma trauma talk codeswitching euphemisms bilinguals Arabic-English speech Myers-Scotton Matrix Language Framework language and resilience survival Applied Linguistics Arabic Language and Literature Interpersonal and Small Group Communication Language Interpretation and Translation Linguistic Anthropology Morphology Other English Language and Literature Phonetics and Phonology Semantics and Pragmatics Speech and Rhetorical Studies |
| spellingShingle | Trauma trauma talk codeswitching euphemisms bilinguals Arabic-English speech Myers-Scotton Matrix Language Framework language and resilience survival Applied Linguistics Arabic Language and Literature Interpersonal and Small Group Communication Language Interpretation and Translation Linguistic Anthropology Morphology Other English Language and Literature Phonetics and Phonology Semantics and Pragmatics Speech and Rhetorical Studies Mahmoud Othman, Amira Navigating Trauma: A Linguistic Exploration of Bilingual Trauma Expressions |
| title | Navigating Trauma: A Linguistic Exploration of Bilingual Trauma Expressions |
| title_full | Navigating Trauma: A Linguistic Exploration of Bilingual Trauma Expressions |
| title_fullStr | Navigating Trauma: A Linguistic Exploration of Bilingual Trauma Expressions |
| title_full_unstemmed | Navigating Trauma: A Linguistic Exploration of Bilingual Trauma Expressions |
| title_short | Navigating Trauma: A Linguistic Exploration of Bilingual Trauma Expressions |
| title_sort | navigating trauma a linguistic exploration of bilingual trauma expressions |
| topic | Trauma trauma talk codeswitching euphemisms bilinguals Arabic-English speech Myers-Scotton Matrix Language Framework language and resilience survival Applied Linguistics Arabic Language and Literature Interpersonal and Small Group Communication Language Interpretation and Translation Linguistic Anthropology Morphology Other English Language and Literature Phonetics and Phonology Semantics and Pragmatics Speech and Rhetorical Studies |
| url | https://fount.aucegypt.edu/etds/2445 https://fount.aucegypt.edu/context/etds/article/3492/viewcontent/amira_mahmoud_othman_thesis.pdf |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT mahmoudothmanamira navigatingtraumaalinguisticexplorationofbilingualtraumaexpressions |