Language, gender, and identity in immigration contexts: pragmatic and sociocultural markers in Arabic-speaking diaspora communities

The pragmatics of native language use among immigrants is a central linguistic concern under the pressures of transnational migration. On this backdrop, this study investigates the multifunctionality of the Arabic expression Aiy Khadamat (AK), a discourse marker widely used by Yemenis in both homeland and diaspora contexts. Focusing on politeness, conflict management, and sociocultural signaling, the study examines how AK functions as a discourse marker within immigrant interactions. A descriptive-analytical design grounded in qualitative methods was employed, using nine discourse completion scenarios presented to 30 male and 30 female Yemeni Arabic speakers residing permanently in the United States. Findings reveal that AK is more prevalent in men’s speech and varies in function depending on the social context. While men more frequently use it for face-saving, indirect threats, and pragmatic closure, women tend to employ AK in ways that promote social harmony and mitigate confrontation. These gendered patterns underline the adaptability of pragmatic markers in migration settings. The results highlight how linguistic expressions like AK facilitate both cultural retention and linguistic adaptation, preserving core communicative practices while enabling speakers to navigate new sociocultural environments. With these findings, the study contributes to our understanding of how linguistic resources serve as cultural anchors in migration contexts.