Aseel Zibin

This paper investigates the pragmatic functions of the discourse marker ‘fine’ in American TV series. Based on a corpus of 20 selected dialogues from the COCA television genre, the study employed an integrated theoretical framework including Gricean Pragmatics, Speech Act Theory, and Politeness Theory to analyze each instance of ‘fine’. The initially identified pragmatic functions were first subjected to a validation process by an expert panel of eight Native American English speakers. Subsequently, their acceptability was empirically evaluated through a survey administered to 30 non-native English speakers for comparative insights. The analysis uncovered twenty distinct pragmatic functions, including direct speech acts like Acceptance of Apology and Polite Refusal, and indirect, context-dependent functions such as Dismissive Undertone, Sarcasm, Understatement, and Implicit Threat or Warning. This study demonstrates the multifaceted nature of ‘fine’ and its significant, carefully employed role in shaping communication within the context of contemporary American television. The findings have important implications for how we communicate across cultures and teach languages, especially when it comes to helping non-native speakers grasp the subtle meanings of American English in media.

This study investigated the efficacy of peer correction in an English as a Foreign Language (EFL) environment in Jordan, applying Social Network Theory (SNT) as a framework. Employing a quasi-experimental pre- and post-test design with thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews and Social Network Analysis (SNA) techniques, sixty secondary school students were divided into an experimental group using peer correction networks and a control group. ANCOVA showed significant differences favoring the experimental group on the post-test, particularly in spelling and punctuation skills, derived from discrete-item tests. Quantitative analysis indicated student challenges stemming from knowledge gaps and educational issues, but qualitative analysis highlighted participants’ recognition of peer correction’s benefits for improving sentence quality and conceptual understanding. However, social dynamics revealed jealousy and discontent arising when more skilled peers corrected others' work. The study suggests that optimizing social network structures and fostering perceived support could enhance collaboration and learning outcomes.

Understanding how EFL learners process figurative language, an important component of communicative competence, is relevant to effective language acquisition and communication. This study examines whether embodied metaphors are easier to comprehend than non-embodied metaphors for Arabic-speaking EFL learners and whether gender moderates comprehension. Eighty advanced students (40 male, 40 female) from the University of Jordan completed a multiple-choice test, which was developed for this study and refined through a pilot study, grounded in Extended Conceptual Metaphor Theory, followed by semi-structured interviews. Quantitative analyses showed significantly higher accuracy for the specific embodied metaphors tested (M = 7.14) compared to non-embodied metaphors (M = 4.33) across genders, yielding a large effect size (d = 1.22); however, no significant gender effect emerged in overall scores. Qualitative interviews provided illustrative evidence of possible differences in how some participants explained their interpretations, including references to visualisation, lexical reasoning, contextual inference, and L1 knowledge. These findings are interpreted in relation to universal embodied cognition and positive L1 transfer and are discussed in relation to potential working memory differences and the varying cognitive demands theorised for conceptual integration networks (single- vs. double-scope). Pedagogical implications concern the possible sequencing of embodied metaphors in figurative language curricula, targeted scaffolding for culturally specific non-embodied items, especially those that showed lower comprehension in this study, and utilising assessment designs that distinguish metaphor types and underlying comprehension strategies. The study discusses implementation in EFL courses, teacher training, and curriculum policy, alongside directions for replication across proficiency levels.

This study investigates non-verbal hand gestures used in street drive-thru coffee shops ( gahwet taka:si ) in Amman, Jordan, focusing on their role as stand-alone emblems for quick transactions. Integrating Symbolic Interactionism with theories of conventionalization and embodiment, the paper examines how meaning is negotiated between customers and employees through joint action. The methodology consisted of qualitative identification of the gestural lexicon through interviews and observation of 19 coffee shop employees, followed by quantitative validation with 71 participants. Qualitative analysis reveals pathways of conventionalization, including iconicity, pantomime, and shared cultural knowledge, which codify these movements into a system. Quantitative results indicate a high level of recognition among frequent visitors, suggesting that exposure and interaction frequency drive the acquisition of this gestural competence. This study demonstrates how gestures become codified within a commercial context, offering a real-world application of Symbolic Interactionism in understanding the development of an informal, culturally embedded transactional gesture system.

Language and metaphor are intertwined, with metaphor serving as a key tool for conceptualizing experience and expressing social meanings. This study investigates the sociolinguistic use of food-related metaphors in Jordanian Arabic, focusing on how they reflect and construct perceptions of physical appearance, personality, and social traits. It aims to fill a gap in previous research by exploring how such metaphors function as tools for expressing social meanings and identities. The study employs a mixed-methods design and uses Conceptual Metaphor Theory and Sociolinguistic Variation to analyze how age and gender affect the use and interpretation of food metaphors. Data were collected from 60 native speakers of Jordanian Arabic through a structured questionnaire and semi-structured interviews to examine their use and interpretation of common food metaphors. The study found that food metaphors in Jordanian Arabic are grounded in embodied experience and shaped by sociolinguistic variables such as age, gender, and context. Quantitative analysis showed a significant difference in food metaphor usage across age groups, with older speakers using them more often than younger ones. Women used food metaphors to convey emotions and describe appearances, while men used them for humor and criticism, though these differences were not statistically significant. These findings highlight the role of metaphor as a linguistic resource for constructing social meaning and navigating interpersonal relationships in Jordanian society. The main meaning focus of these metaphors is not fixed but is interpreted based on the specific cultural context, reflecting and reinforcing cultural values.

Aim. The present research explores the cognitive principles that underlie the selection of negation types in Jordanian Arabic (JA) while expressing futurity. Methods. Data was collected by asking speakers of Jordanian Arabic to perform an acceptability judgement task by rating according to a 5-point Likert scale the three negation types: preverbal (*mā*), postverbal (*…š*), and bipartite (*mā…š*). Results. Findings have shown a strong preference for preverbal negation with the proclitic mā, as opposed to the discontinuous (bipartite) negation construction with mā …… š which was consistently rated as the least acceptable, particularly when combined with the lexical future marker bedd- Postverbal negation with the enclitic …š was slightly less acceptable, while the discontinuous (bipartite) negation construction with mā …… š was least favored by the participants. Analysis of participants’ responses indicated that this preference is driven by verbal and cognitive economy; speakers favored forms that offer better processing efficiency and articulatory simplicity. This, in turn, challenges the phonologically based explanation for negation preference, as the preference forpreverbal negation was high even with labial initial verbs. Conclusions. The study provides evidence that the choice among negation types in Jordanian Arabic (JA) is neither arbitrary nor purely pragmatic; instead, it is governed by cognitive constraints of economy and processing efficiency. A significant preference for preverbal negation over bipartite negation was identified. It was established that the use of preverbal structures ensures early polarity identification and reduces working memory load, whereas bipartite structures increase processing complexity. These findings align with the Uniform Information Density (UID) hypothesis, confirming the influence of cognitive principles on syntactic choice across typologically diverse languages. The research demonstrates that processing efficiency principles are fundamental to speech production and take priority over phonological constraints. An exception occurs when bipartite negation is utilized to fulfill the pragmatic function of emphasis. Regarding language change, it is substantiated that preverbal negation is more resistant to transformation, while more complex bipartite structures are vulnerable to reduction. The author concludes that cycles of language change reflect underlying cognitive preferences for structures optimal for cognitive processing.

Proverbs are often regarded as condensed expressions of cultural knowledge and values. Drawing on Conceptual Metaphor Theory as based on Main Meaning Focus (Kovecses, Z. (2010). Metaphor: a practical introduction . Oxford University Press), this study investigates conceptual metaphors in a corpus of 100 Korean proverbs. The study argues that these Korean proverbs are structured by a relatively small set of recurrent source domains – such as animals, food, body, artefacts and the natural environment – through which abstract target domains including social relations, hierarchy, diligence, prudence and fate are conceptualised. For each source domain, the specific aspect highlighted in Korean (its main meaning focus) is identified. Comparison with earlier work on Chinese, Hakka, Japanese, Romanian and Malay proverbs indicates that Korean proverbs share many higher-order conceptual metaphors with other traditions, but elaborate them in ways shaped by Confucian relational ethics and collectivist norms. The study illustrates how main meaning focus refines proverb analysis beyond simple source–target mappings and proposes a set of organising metaphors for Korean proverbial cognition, with implications for research on culture and for Korean language/culture pedagogy.

This study investigates the influence of English proficiency on the comprehension of referential types, namely anaphoric, cataphoric, exophoric, and homophoric among Jordanian EFL students. 30 participants, divided into intermediate and advanced proficiency levels, completed tasks designed to assess their ability to interpret these references in reading texts. The results indicated that advanced students demonstrated greater overall comprehension; however, both groups encountered significant challenges with exophoric and homophoric references. Adopting Halliday and Hasan’s Cohesion Theory (1976) alongside schema theory, the findings indicated that higher proficiency alone does not ensure the ability to understand culturally and situationally embedded references. This suggests the need for language instruction to include culturally enriched and contextually different materials. Additionally, teaching strategies and raising awareness of different referential types can help improve students’ comprehension. The findings have practical implications for curriculum design, emphasizing tasks that enhance cultural awareness and contextual inference. The study also contributes to the understanding of how students process references in a second language. Future research could examine the influence of proficiency on other linguistic phenomena, such as figurative language, pragmatic inference, or textual cohesion, to gain insights into how proficiency shapes language comprehension and processing.