Multifunctional markers in a contact situation

This paper presents a synchronic analysis of two items - bass and ġayr - in Siwi Berber and Arabic L2 spoken in the Siwa Oasis (Egypt). Despite their different etymologies, both items have followed a similar grammaticalization path, going from focus particles to contrastive conjunctions and, in turn, to discourse markers. These three functions are attested in the synchronic stage of both languages under study as well as in other Berber and Arabic varieties. After a general overview of the distribution and functions of bass and ġayr in Arabic and Berber languages, data on Siwi and Arabic L2 are discussed in a comparative fashion. This study shows that the use of bass and ġayr in the two languages largely overlaps, confirms the layered influence of Arabic on Siwi on a diachronic level, and demonstrates the increasing presence of Egyptian Arabic and its dominance over other Arabic varieties in the present day.