1. Introduction

Sociolinguists dealing with Bedouin-sedentary Arabic contact identify several stages of transition from Bedouin to urban Arabic. Cadora (1992:1), for example, cites the following five stages:

Bedouin ⇒ Bedouin-Rural ⇒ Rural ⇒ Rural-Urban ⇒ Urban

This is a gradual process that takes place when nomadic tribes settle in sedentary rural or urban areas and level their speech patterns in the di…