IDEAS: Journal on English Language Teaching and Learning, Linguistics and Literature
Vol. 14 No. 1 (2026): IDEAS: Journal on English Language Teaching and Learning, Linguistics and Lite

Language Preference and Diglosic Practice Among Islamic Boarding School Students: A Case Study in Sociolinguistics

Masnawati (Universitas Muhammadiyah Kendari)
Andi Rachmawati Syarif (Universitas Muhammadiyah Kendari)
Syarif Amin (Universitas Muhammadiyah Kendari)
Ibrahim Manda (Universitas Muhammadiyah Kendari)



Article Info

Publish Date
18 Apr 2026

Abstract

This study investigates language preference and diglosic practices among students at an Islamic boarding school in Indonesia, where Arabic, English, and Indonesian coexist in daily communication. Language choice is shaped by sociocultural domains and institutional norms (Fishman, 1972; Holmes, 2013). Although Arabic and English are officially promoted, their use reflects unequal functional distribution consistent with classical diglossia (Ferguson, 1959). Using a qualitative case study design (Creswell & Poth, 2018), data were collected through non-participant observations, semi-structured interviews, and document analysis. Data were analyzed using Miles, Huberman, and Saldaña’s (2014) interactive model. Findings indicate the dominance of Arabic in religious activities and peer interaction, while English is largely limited to classroom instruction. Arabic functions as a high-status variety linked to religious authority and institutional ideology (Ferguson, 1959), whereas English occupies a restricted pedagogical role shaped by language policy and symbolic capital (Bourdieu, 1991; Spolsky, 2004). The study highlights how institutional ideology sustains diglosic hierarchies in Islamic boarding school contexts.

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Journal Info

Abbrev

ideas

Publisher

Subject

Languange, Linguistic, Communication & Media

Description

IDEAS Journal is published twice a year in the months of June and December (P-ISSN 2338-4778 and E-ISSN 2548-4192); it presents articles on English language teaching and learning, linguistics, and literature. The contents include analyses, studies and application of theories, research report, ...