Negation in Ammani Arabic: A Sociolinguistic Study

Abstract

This study explores how three sociolinguistic factors—age, gender, and region—affect the use of negative particles in Jordanian Arabic (JA) across different areas of Amman: Hay Al Yasmeen, Hay Nazzal, and Shafa Badran. Using Labov’s variationist sociolinguistic approach, the researchers analyzed negation variation in a collection of vernacular JA recorded in Amman Governorate in 2020. The analysis involved 1,684 tokens collected from 83 participants who answered 40 questions and were asked to negate 30 sentences. These tokens were analyzed using the SPSS/Chi-square test. The results show that region, age, and gender all play a role in the choice of negative particles in JA. Younger speakers tend to favor ma, while females in certain areas exclusively use ma for prohibitions. Some less common negative particles also reflect similar social influences, occasionally diverging from expected developmental patterns. While some negation patterns consistently show social influences, others do not seem to be significantly affected by age or gender. This analysis emphasizes how social factors interact to shape language variation and change, suggesting that changes are ongoing and that previously observed trends in JA negation could potentially reverse.

Highlights

1. Variationist analysis of negation patterns in Jordanian Arabic speech.
2. Age, gender, and region significantly shape negative particle choice.
3. Younger speakers favor ma, indicating ongoing linguistic change.
4. Gender and regional differences affect prohibitive negation use.
5. Negation patterns show dynamic change and possible trend reversal.