The language situation among the Assyrians of Jordan : a sociolinguistic study

Other Title(s)

الوضع اللغوي لدى السريان الأردنيين : دراسة لغوية اجتماعية

Dissertant

al-Rifai, Tariq Jamal

Thesis advisor

al-Duwayk, Badr Said

Comitee Members

Abu Shihab, Ibrahim Muhammad
Husayn, Riyad Fayiz Isa

University

Middle East University

Faculty

Faculty of Arts and Sciences

Department

Department of English

University Country

Jordan

Degree

Master

Degree Date

2013

English Abstract

This study aimed at investigating the language situation among the Assyrians of Jordan.

The study attempted to explore the domains of use of Syriac and Arabic.

It also probed the attitudes of the Assyrians of Jordan towards both languages and it investigated the factors that supported the use of Syriac and Arabic.

In order to achieve the objectives of the study, a purposive sample of 56 respondents, covering different age ranges, gender and educational backgrounds, was chosen to fill out the linguistic questionnaire.

The instruments of the study were; a community profile, open-ended interviews and a sociolinguistic questionnaire.

Results showed that the Assyrians of Jordan are witnessing a shift towards the majority language "Arabic".

They use Arabic in almost all domains.

Syriac is still minimally used in the church and home domains.

The results also revealed that the Assyrians of Jordan have positive attitudes towards Syriac and Arabic.

However, these attitudes towards Syriac do not play a role in preserving it.

The study proved that social, political and economic factors played a major role in shifting from Syriac into Arabic.

The study suggested several ideas for further research like conducting similar studies on the Assyrians in different regions such as Palestine and Syria.

Main Subjects

Languages & Comparative Literature

No. of Pages

119

Table of Contents

• APA
• MLA
• AMA

Language

English

Data Type

Arab Theses

Record ID

BIM-692828