Linguistic etiquette at Jordanian shops

Abstract EN

The language of buying and selling at Jordanian shops exhibits patterns of verbal behaviour informed by an underlying system of linguistic etiquette.

In this study, a corpus of eleven audiocassettes recorded at shops in different parts of the country is used to establish the most outstanding patterns of linguistic etiquette as reflected in: (i) greetings on arrival, (ii) enquiring about the availability of goods, (iii) ordering (and paying), and (iv) leave-taking.

The evidence adduced in this study shows that the verbal patterns in question are far from arbitrary; in fact, they tend to conform to certain socio-cultura! norms of linguistic etiquette shared by the collocutors.

Both customer and shopkeeper endeavour to show politeness and courtesy to each other; thus the shopping encounter becomes a rewarding and felicitous experience.

This is an interesting socio-linguistic area which calls for further research to determine the quantificationaN cum-variable nature of the patterns involved.