ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the notion of religious identity as a type of social identity formation with a focus on Saudi Arabia as a prominent Islamic country. It explains theories of social identity and explores the relationship between language, religion, and identity in first and second language contexts. This is followed by a case study that showcases the importance of factoring religion and religious identity into researching second language use and attitude in contexts in which the second language can be a representative of the other and one’s personal identity which can opposes the perception one’s social identity. The case study focuses on the context of Saudi where Saudis’ religion proved to shape Saudis’ linguistic attitudes and to be a factor that predicts English variation indirectly through influencing other social factors, such as gender and tribalism. By doing so, this chapter aims to add to the understanding of the impact of religion on second language that is not representative of one’s faith and perceived to be the language of the other. Finally, this chapter provides a discussion of how language and religion in second language research should be examined, especially in communities that are religiously homogenous.
