The Use and Functions of English in Egyptian Social Media
Abstract
This article examines the contemporary functions of English in Egypt through two interrelated lines of inquiry. First, it provides an updated account of the status and roles of English in the country, revisiting and extending Schaub's assessment in light of significant historical, socio‐economic and linguistic developments over the past two decades. Second, drawing on a qualitative linguistic analysis of a sample of posts and comments from Facebook, the study investigates how young Egyptians integrate English alongside Arabic in their everyday digital communication, creating patterns of code‐switching, code‐mixing and translanguaging. It also explores the communicative role of English in this digital user‐generated content, suggesting that English is increasingly employed not only for pragmatic purposes but also for creative expression and informal interpersonal interactions. By analysing the contemporary functions of English and linguistic practices of young Egyptians online, this study also contributes to a broader understanding of Egypt's current sociolinguistic positioning within the world Englishes framework and evaluates the conceptual validity of ‘Egyptian English’ as a distinctive hybrid variety.