The State and Lingual/ Linguistic Conflict in Jordan: From Oral to Written Patterns / Types

Abstract

Objectives: This research aims to clarify the historical role that the presence of the state played in changing the dominant linguistic patterns used and adopted in interpersonal communication and in the management of various aspects of life in Jordan. The people of Jordan (formerly Eastern Jordan) used to rely exclusively on spoken colloquial dialects in all life situations, from the simplest to the most formal.

Method: The research employs a comparative analytical approach, drawing on tools from sociolinguistics in the field of discourse analysis. It compares traditional linguistic patterns (such as folk poetry, proverbs, maxims, tribal codes) with the new patterns that replaced them (such as formal poetry, newspapers and magazines, laws and regulations) in order to highlight the linguistic impact of the state's presence in the lives of the people in Jordan.

Results: The presence of the state (starting in the late Ottoman era and continuing with the Jordanian state) led to the dismantling of traditional linguistic patterns by stripping them of their importance and official status, and by imposing new linguistic forms, namely Standard Arabic and the institution of writing.

Conclusion: The research highlights the nature of the conflict between oral forms that represented the people of Eastern Jordan and their customs and traditions, and the institution of writing, which represented the new state and authority. It shows how the communicative forms produced by the institution of writing gradually imposed their dominance in the daily and official presence of the people, eventually leading to the decline of oral forms in official contexts.