ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the linguistic repertoire of a poet from the south of Egypt who performs in more than one code, and whose original dialect is stigmatised in Egyptian public discourse as associated with the ignorance and violence of the south. In order to construct identity, an individual chooses from his/her linguistic repertoire. The distinction between Sa'idis and Cairenes in particular is conjured up by Sa'idis to delineate their authentic identity as sincere, honest, and strong Egyptians, not sly and sissy like Cairenes. The agency of individuals in manipulating linguistic choices is essential to a better understanding of identity as related to one's linguistic repertoire. Linguistic repertoire is the accumulation of the linguistic resources available to an individual. Some non-Egyptian artists share the indexes of Egyptians towards Cairene Standard Arabic – regarding it as the code of culture and the key to fame – and are aware of previous dialogues concerning the associations of codes.
