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LITERARY CODE-SWITCHING
study object, and the failed love affair with Jeannette, Midhat loves France and
French culture, including fashion. Back in Nablus, his Francophilia, marked
by his code-switches to French, gestures and excessive fashion habits are
frowned upon by many who start to call him mockingly fthe Parisian"." It is
thus only quite late in the novel that the reader’s hunch that the title refers to
Midhat is confirmed and explained: “[they] referred to him as “the Parisian”
with an affection that slid into derision. “I’m going to the banque,” was some¬
thing still said [...], with a flipping of the [...] hand.”*° It is remarkable that in
a novel that is dispersed with transliterated Arabic words and relexifications,
here “the Parisian” is used and not “al-Barisi”, while this transliterated Arabic
word has already occurred in the title and is supposed to be easily understood
even by the outsider reader who does not know Arabic. This choice somehow
breaks with expectations because the nickname is used by Arabic speaking
characters, a lot of them probably monolingual, in a Nabulsi setting. Why this
is the case can be further explored, but we could argue that the use of English
in this context draws even more attention to the nickname and the ways in
which it “others” Midhat. Besides that, it also underscores the observation that
the insertion of Arabic words and expressions aims at much more than the
representation of actual speech. One of the leitmotifs of the novel is after all
Midhat’s alterity. In France he is introduced, addressed or framed by other
characters as “du Proche-Orient” (wittily combined with “he is feeling a little
désorienté at the moment”),”' “le jeune Turc”,”” “Monsieur l’Arabe”,”? “Muslim”,?*
Hammad: “The Parisian or Al-Barisi”, 303, 326, 505. However, for Fatima, when arguing to
her father why she wants to marry Midhat, the nickname has a positive connotation because
it evokes refinement and the fact that he has lived in France. Ibid., 303.
20 Ibid., 505.
21 Tbid., 13. Italics original.
22 Tbid., 27. This label is ironic because there was a lot of animosity between Arabs and Turks in
this era. A large part of the Arab world still belonged formally to the Ottoman Empire, but in
the 19" century a sense of Arab identity and nationalism was crystalizing, which competed
with an Ottoman identity. At the same time Turkish nationalism was gaining pace in intel¬
lectual circles in Istanbul. Though having studied in Istanbul, at best Midhat would have
considered himself, apart from Nabulsi, Palestinian and Arab, an Ottoman citizen, but defi¬
nitely not Turkish. In the perception of most French people at the time there was no difference
between Turks and Arabs. This is up to now still to a certain extent the case. It is interesting
to note that Jeannette immediately corrects her friend by saying: “Actually, [...] Monsieur
Midhat would call himself a Palestinian Arab.” This and other examples indicate that Jean¬
nette’s attitude towards Midhat is more nuanced and emphatic than that of many of the
other French characters.
23 Hammad: “The Parisian or Al-Barisi”, 27.
4 Tbid., 29.
+30 +