Proverbs as Argumentative Strategy in Egyptian Arabic: A Sociopragmatic Study.
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| Title: | Proverbs as Argumentative Strategy in Egyptian Arabic: A Sociopragmatic Study. |
|---|---|
| Authors: | Mahfouz, Adel Refaat1 adelrefaat56@mu.edu.eg |
| Source: | Journal of Language Teaching & Research. Sep2026, Vol. 17 Issue 5, p1550-1560. 11p. |
| Subject Terms: | *Interpersonal communication, Proverbs, Social factors, Speech act theory (Communication), Face-to-face communication, Sociolinguistics, Rhetorical analysis, Arabic language |
| People: | Searle, John R., 1932-2025 |
| Abstract: | This study examines the argumentative function of proverbs in the daily communication of Egyptians via a sociopragmatic perspective. The proverbs were pragmatically analyzed to reveal their implicature and to evaluate their communicative efficacy as an argumentative strategy. Moreover, the proverbs were socially analyzed to determine whether social variables such as age, gender, education, and place of residence influence their frequency. To conduct this study, fifty-two common proverbs were collected through close observation, note-taking, TV soap operas, films, social media, and the repertoire. Leech’s (1983) Interpersonal Rhetoric Model, Austin’s (1975), and Searle’s (1969, 1976) Speech Act Theory were used to analyze the pragmatic import of each proverb. The study showed that older people, particularly women, villagers, slum dwellers, and laypersons, frequently use proverbs because they are simple, ready-made, and authoritative argumentative strategies. In contrast, youth, highly educated people, and residents of upscale districts rarely use proverbs for social reasons. Although frequent use prevents proverbs and the folklore they represent from fading, it results in a slight communication gap among the various social classes and generations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
| Copyright of Journal of Language Teaching & Research is the property of Academy Publication Co., LTD and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) | |
| Database: | Education Research Complete |
| FullText | Links: – Type: pdflink Text: Availability: 0 |
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| Header | DbId: ehh DbLabel: Education Research Complete An: 197083616 AccessLevel: 6 PubType: Academic Journal PubTypeId: academicJournal PreciseRelevancyScore: 0 |
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| Items | – Name: Title Label: Title Group: Ti Data: Proverbs as Argumentative Strategy in Egyptian Arabic: A Sociopragmatic Study. – Name: Author Label: Authors Group: Au Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Mahfouz%2C+Adel+Refaat%22">Mahfouz, Adel Refaat</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo><i> adelrefaat56@mu.edu.eg</i> – Name: TitleSource Label: Source Group: Src Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Journal+of+Language+Teaching+%26+Research%22">Journal of Language Teaching & Research</searchLink>. Sep2026, Vol. 17 Issue 5, p1550-1560. 11p. – Name: Subject Label: Subject Terms Group: Su Data: *<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Interpersonal+communication%22">Interpersonal communication</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Proverbs%22">Proverbs</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Social+factors%22">Social factors</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Speech+act+theory+%28Communication%29%22">Speech act theory (Communication)</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Face-to-face+communication%22">Face-to-face communication</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Sociolinguistics%22">Sociolinguistics</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Rhetorical+analysis%22">Rhetorical analysis</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Arabic+language%22">Arabic language</searchLink> – Name: SubjectPerson Label: People Group: Su Data: <searchLink fieldCode="PE" term="%22Searle%2C+John+R%2E%2C+1932-2025%22">Searle, John R., 1932-2025</searchLink> – Name: Abstract Label: Abstract Group: Ab Data: This study examines the argumentative function of proverbs in the daily communication of Egyptians via a sociopragmatic perspective. The proverbs were pragmatically analyzed to reveal their implicature and to evaluate their communicative efficacy as an argumentative strategy. Moreover, the proverbs were socially analyzed to determine whether social variables such as age, gender, education, and place of residence influence their frequency. To conduct this study, fifty-two common proverbs were collected through close observation, note-taking, TV soap operas, films, social media, and the repertoire. Leech’s (1983) Interpersonal Rhetoric Model, Austin’s (1975), and Searle’s (1969, 1976) Speech Act Theory were used to analyze the pragmatic import of each proverb. The study showed that older people, particularly women, villagers, slum dwellers, and laypersons, frequently use proverbs because they are simple, ready-made, and authoritative argumentative strategies. In contrast, youth, highly educated people, and residents of upscale districts rarely use proverbs for social reasons. Although frequent use prevents proverbs and the folklore they represent from fading, it results in a slight communication gap among the various social classes and generations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] – Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright Label: Group: Ab Data: <i>Copyright of Journal of Language Teaching & Research is the property of Academy Publication Co., LTD and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) |
| PLink | https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=ehh&AN=197083616 |
| RecordInfo | BibRecord: BibEntity: Identifiers: – Type: doi Value: 10.17507/jltr.1705.02 Languages: – Code: eng Text: English PhysicalDescription: Pagination: PageCount: 11 StartPage: 1550 Subjects: – SubjectFull: Interpersonal communication Type: general – SubjectFull: Proverbs Type: general – SubjectFull: Social factors Type: general – SubjectFull: Speech act theory (Communication) Type: general – SubjectFull: Face-to-face communication Type: general – SubjectFull: Sociolinguistics Type: general – SubjectFull: Rhetorical analysis Type: general – SubjectFull: Arabic language Type: general – SubjectFull: Searle, John R., 1932-2025 Type: general Titles: – TitleFull: Proverbs as Argumentative Strategy in Egyptian Arabic: A Sociopragmatic Study. Type: main BibRelationships: HasContributorRelationships: – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Mahfouz, Adel Refaat IsPartOfRelationships: – BibEntity: Dates: – D: 01 M: 09 Text: Sep2026 Type: published Y: 2026 Identifiers: – Type: issn-print Value: 17984769 Numbering: – Type: volume Value: 17 – Type: issue Value: 5 Titles: – TitleFull: Journal of Language Teaching & Research Type: main |
| ResultId | 1 |
