A Pragmo-Semantic Analysis of Colloquial Referring Expressions: A Study in Jordanian Arabic

Authors

  • Rula Ahmad Abu-Elrob

    Department of English Language and Literature, Al-Zaytoonah University of Jordan, Amman, Jordan
  • Tariq Mohammed Farghal

    Department of English Language and Translation, Amman Arab University, Amman, Jorda
  • Ahmad Issa Tawalbeh

    Department of English Language and Translation, Amman Arab University, Amman, Jordan

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.30564/fls.v7i1.8215
Received: 25 November 2024 | Revised: 6 January 2025 | Accepted: 8 January 2025 | Published Online: 14 January 2025

Abstract

In language, context is described as the information that is available to participants. For effective communication, participants need to share knowledge and they may use relevant elements that help interactants share common ground, such as a definite article, a definite relative clause or a post-nominal adjective. In certain contexts, a mismatch between the speaker’s target referent and the hearer’s interpretation occurs, which leads to "uncertain referring expressions” and causes distraction for the receiver. This study investigates the role of Givenness Hierarchy Theory in shaping referring expression (RE) choices in Jordanian Arabic (JA) and explains the potential confusion beyond using such REs. Also, the notion of tacit knowledge was employed to analyze the assumed shared knowledge in using such REs. Analysis of the naturally occurring discourse revealed that speakers used indefinite phrases for given referents, such as demonstratives and impersonal items, mitigating religious expressions, the dummy RE: ʃu: ismo, and how are you. The findings also showed that there is an ambiguity in using such expressions, which can be due to flouting the maxim of quantity. In addition, it was noticed that speakers tacitly know more than what they say. The findings contribute to understanding how cognitive principles influence RE selection and extend the applicability of Givenness Hierarchy to Arabic spoken language. The study also identifies potential areas for future research, including the impact of gender and broader cross-linguistic comparisons. Despite limitations in data size, this research highlights significant theoretical and practical implications for linguistic studies on referentiality.

 

Keywords:

Givenness Hierarchy Theory; Reference; Referring Expressions

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How to Cite

Abu-Elrob, R. A., Farghal, T. M., & Tawalbeh, A. I. (2025). A Pragmo-Semantic Analysis of Colloquial Referring Expressions: A Study in Jordanian Arabic. Forum for Linguistic Studies, 7(1), 975–994. https://doi.org/10.30564/fls.v7i1.8215

Issue

Vol. 7 , Iss. 1 (January 2025)

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Article

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Copyright © 2025 Rula Ahmad Abu-Elrob, Tariq Mohammed Farghal, Ahmad Issa Tawalbeh

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This is an open access article under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) License.