Laboring to communicate: Use of migrant languages in COVID-19 awareness campaign in Qatar

<p>This study examines the communication strategies employed by Qatar’s government in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. The study contributes to a growing body of work on the sociolinguistics of crisis communication. We focus on the use of South and Southeast Asian languages, spoken largely...

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Main Author: Rizwan Ahmad (14585211) (author)
Other Authors: Sara Hillman (5981831) (author)
Published: 2023
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author Rizwan Ahmad (14585211)
author2 Sara Hillman (5981831)
author2_role author
author_facet Rizwan Ahmad (14585211)
Sara Hillman (5981831)
author_role author
dc.creator.none.fl_str_mv Rizwan Ahmad (14585211)
Sara Hillman (5981831)
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv 2023-03-15T11:51:25Z
dc.identifier.none.fl_str_mv 10.1515/multi-2020-0119
dc.relation.none.fl_str_mv https://figshare.com/articles/journal_contribution/Laboring_to_communicate_Use_of_migrant_languages_in_COVID-19_awareness_campaign_in_Qatar/22046588
dc.rights.none.fl_str_mv CC BY 4.0
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
dc.subject.none.fl_str_mv Language, communication and culture
Cultural studies
crisis communication
migrant languages
language policy in Qatar
communication and culture
multilingualism
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv Laboring to communicate: Use of migrant languages in COVID-19 awareness campaign in Qatar
dc.type.none.fl_str_mv Text
Journal contribution
info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
text
contribution to journal
description <p>This study examines the communication strategies employed by Qatar’s government in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. The study contributes to a growing body of work on the sociolinguistics of crisis communication. We focus on the use of South and Southeast Asian languages, spoken largely by blue-collar migrant workers, which are often seen as peripheral even though they are spoken by a large segment of the population. The deployment of these languages during Qatar’s COVID-19 awareness campaign assumes further significance against the backdrop of a series of measures taken by the government in the last few years to strengthen the status and use of Arabic. We analyze multilingual printed pamphlets, multilingual audio-visual communication through radio and social media, as well as interviews conducted with key figures who were part of the awareness campaign. Our examination of the availability, accessibility, acceptability, and adaptability of the multilingual awareness materials reveals that while the different languages and modes of communication were important in spreading awareness, equally critical, if not more, was who carried the information and in what forms. We show the significant roles community and religious leaders and social media influencers played in disseminating the awareness information to the diverse migrant language communities. </p> <h2>Other information </h2> <p>Published in: Multilingua<br> License: <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0" target="_blank">http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0</a><br> See chapter on publisher's website: <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1515/multi-2020-0119" target="_blank">http://dx.doi.org/10.1515/multi-2020-0119</a></p>
eu_rights_str_mv openAccess
id Manara2_ad45f04d0e781931e149c62fab34a3dc
identifier_str_mv 10.1515/multi-2020-0119
network_acronym_str Manara2
network_name_str Manara2
oai_identifier_str oai:figshare.com:article/22046588
publishDate 2023
repository.mail.fl_str_mv
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rights_invalid_str_mv CC BY 4.0
spelling Laboring to communicate: Use of migrant languages in COVID-19 awareness campaign in QatarRizwan Ahmad (14585211)Sara Hillman (5981831)Language, communication and cultureCultural studiescrisis communicationmigrant languageslanguage policy in Qatarcommunication and culturemultilingualism<p>This study examines the communication strategies employed by Qatar’s government in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. The study contributes to a growing body of work on the sociolinguistics of crisis communication. We focus on the use of South and Southeast Asian languages, spoken largely by blue-collar migrant workers, which are often seen as peripheral even though they are spoken by a large segment of the population. The deployment of these languages during Qatar’s COVID-19 awareness campaign assumes further significance against the backdrop of a series of measures taken by the government in the last few years to strengthen the status and use of Arabic. We analyze multilingual printed pamphlets, multilingual audio-visual communication through radio and social media, as well as interviews conducted with key figures who were part of the awareness campaign. Our examination of the availability, accessibility, acceptability, and adaptability of the multilingual awareness materials reveals that while the different languages and modes of communication were important in spreading awareness, equally critical, if not more, was who carried the information and in what forms. We show the significant roles community and religious leaders and social media influencers played in disseminating the awareness information to the diverse migrant language communities. </p> <h2>Other information </h2> <p>Published in: Multilingua<br> License: <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0" target="_blank">http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0</a><br> See chapter on publisher's website: <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1515/multi-2020-0119" target="_blank">http://dx.doi.org/10.1515/multi-2020-0119</a></p>2023-03-15T11:51:25ZTextJournal contributioninfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersiontextcontribution to journal10.1515/multi-2020-0119https://figshare.com/articles/journal_contribution/Laboring_to_communicate_Use_of_migrant_languages_in_COVID-19_awareness_campaign_in_Qatar/22046588CC BY 4.0info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessoai:figshare.com:article/220465882023-03-15T11:51:25Z
spellingShingle Laboring to communicate: Use of migrant languages in COVID-19 awareness campaign in Qatar
Rizwan Ahmad (14585211)
Language, communication and culture
Cultural studies
crisis communication
migrant languages
language policy in Qatar
communication and culture
multilingualism
status_str publishedVersion
title Laboring to communicate: Use of migrant languages in COVID-19 awareness campaign in Qatar
title_full Laboring to communicate: Use of migrant languages in COVID-19 awareness campaign in Qatar
title_fullStr Laboring to communicate: Use of migrant languages in COVID-19 awareness campaign in Qatar
title_full_unstemmed Laboring to communicate: Use of migrant languages in COVID-19 awareness campaign in Qatar
title_short Laboring to communicate: Use of migrant languages in COVID-19 awareness campaign in Qatar
title_sort Laboring to communicate: Use of migrant languages in COVID-19 awareness campaign in Qatar
topic Language, communication and culture
Cultural studies
crisis communication
migrant languages
language policy in Qatar
communication and culture
multilingualism