Fawwaz Al-Abed Al-Haq

Functional or Anaphoric Control in Jordanian Arabic

Abstract The purpose of this study is to investigate the nature of control in Jordanian Arabic within the framework of Lexical-Functional Grammar (LFG) as developed by Bresnan (J. Bresnan, 1982. The Mental Representation of Grammatical Relations, Cambridge: MIT Press.), Mohanan (K. Mohanan, 1983. Linguistic Inquiry 14.), Simpson (J. Simpson, 1983. “Aspects of Warlpiri Morphology and Syntax,” Unpublished Ph.D. dissertation, MIT.), Simpson and Bresnan (J. Simpson and J. Bresnan, 1983. Natural Language and Linguistics Theory 1), Wager (J. Wager, 1983. “Complementation in Moroccan Arabic,” Unpublished Ph.D. dissertation, MIT), Pinker (S. Pinker, 1982. The Mental Representation of Grammatical Relations, Cambridge: MIT Press) and Kaplan and Bresnan (R. Kaplan and J. Bresnan, 1982. The Mental Representation of Grammatical Relations, Cambridge: MIT Press). The researcher discusses functional and anaphoric control in complex sentences of Jordanian Arabic (JA) within the framework of Lexical-Functional Grammar (LFG). By complex sentences, we mean those in which more than one verb appears. These complex sentences in Jordanian Arabic can be produced by using: the lexical entries, phrase-structure rules, and functional structures along with the well-formedness principles: completeness, coherence and consistency (J. Bresnan, 1982. The Mental Representation of Grammatical Relations, Cambridge: MIT Press). The researcher argues that in Jordanian Arabic we have anaphoric rather than functional control.

The Pragmatics of Space Expressions in Spoken Jordanian Arabic

This study aims at studying space expressions in Spoken Jordanian Arabic (SJA). Moreover, it aims at discussing the pragmatics of space expressions in SJA. The researchers use two methods to collect colloquial space expressions. Firstly, the researchers use eight specific images for a little girl who is asked to determine her position. Secondly, space expressions are extracted through unstructured interviews and general observations. It has been found that using space expressions is vital for speakers. Moreover, some space expressions do not carry a pragmatic function. Some of space expressions may express different pragmatic functions, such as hospitality, threat, and encouragement. Some of the colloquial space expressions are culture-specific; they would not be clear apart from their culture, since they might not be found in another dialect or language.

A sociolinguistic study of Hebrew in Jordan: implications for language planning

This study aims to investigate changing attitudes toward the Hebrew language among students at Yarmouk University, Jordan, and attempts to answer the following questions: what are theprevailing attitudes in Jordan to the learning of Hebrew by Jordanians? How much importance do university students attach to learning the Hebrew language? What are the main incentives for students to learn Hebrew? And do students believe that learning Hebrew will aid the process of normalization between Arabs and Jews? A questionnaire was developed and distributed to 317 undergraduate students at Yarmouk University. Thefindings ofthe study reveal that attitudes toward Hebrew and toward Jewish culture are changing äs rapidly äs the availability of Hebrew learning opportunities is changing. The sample realizes that it is necessary to learn Hebrew for religious, political, and national purposes. Jordanian students show a spectrum of attitudes that strongly reflect the cultural confusion that has come öfter so many years of settled enmity. Finally, a Strategie plan is proposedfor the acquisition of Hebrew in Jordan.