Christophe Pereira

Christophe Pereira is a Professor of Arabic Linguistics at the National Institute of Oriental Languages and Civilizations (INALCO) in Paris, France. He specializes in Maghrebi Arabic dialects, with particular focus on Libyan and Moroccan Arabic. His academic roles include Director Adjunct of LACNAD (Languages and Cultures of North Africa and Diasporas), and responsibility for the Master's program in LLCER (Languages, Literatures, and Foreign Civilizations) with a specialization in Maghrebi Arabic.

His educational background includes a Master's degree (2001) on "L'arabe de Tripoli (Libye): État des lieux et nouvelle approche," a DEA (Diplôme d'Études Approfondies) in 2002 on "La transmission de l'arabe dialectal en France," a PhD in 2008 on "Le parler arabe de Tripoli (Libye): phonologie, morphosyntaxe et catégories grammaticales," and an HDR (Habilitation à Diriger des Recherches) in 2018 on "Dialectologie, linguistique et sociolinguistique de l'arabe maghrébin: approches comparatives."

Professor Pereira's research interests span multiple areas of Arabic linguistics. His primary focus is on Dialectology of Maghrebi Arabic, particularly Libyan and Moroccan varieties. He has conducted extensive fieldwork on Tripoli Arabic, documenting its phonology, morphology, and syntax. His work in Sociolinguistics examines language variation and change in North African contexts, including urbanization effects on dialects. More recently, he has made significant contributions to Gender Studies through his research on masculinity construction in Libyan Arabic. He is also deeply involved in the study of Andalusi Arabic, co-authoring multiple volumes of the Encyclopédie Linguistique d'Al-Andalus. His research often bridges traditional linguistic analysis with contemporary sociocultural contexts, particularly focusing on how language reflects and constructs social identities.

His publication record demonstrates consistent output across multiple formats - monographs, edited volumes, encyclopedia entries, and journal articles. His research trajectory shows an evolution from detailed dialect description toward broader comparative and theoretical frameworks, while maintaining empirical grounding in North African Arabic varieties. Recent work increasingly engages with gender studies and sociolinguistic variation, showing interdisciplinary reach beyond traditional linguistic boundaries.

Among his notable achievements are the coordination of the CorpAfroAs project, which created a corpus for Afro-Asiatic languages including detailed documentation of Tripoli Arabic, and his leadership in the Association Internationale de Dialectologie Arabe (AIDA), where he serves as Vice-President. His work has been recognized through invitations to edit special journal issues and conference proceedings.

Professor Pereira has supervised numerous graduate students, directing multiple Master's theses on Maghrebi Arabic varieties across North Africa, and co-directing several PhD dissertations on topics including linguistic urbanization in Morocco, language policy in the Maghreb, and sociolinguistic aspects of the Hirak movement in Algeria. His mentorship extends to HDR (post-PhD qualification) candidates as well.

His research is primarily conducted through the LACNAD research team at INALCO, where he collaborates with colleagues on projects related to North African languages and cultures. He has been instrumental in developing digital resources for Arabic dialectology, including annotated corpora that facilitate comparative research across Maghrebi varieties.