The Pragmatic Functions of ‘Mashi’ in Modern Arabic Language

Abstract

The discourse marker "mashi", literally means "walking", has gained a variety of pragmatic (i.e. contextual) meanings over time; and has become one of the most common discourse markers in daily interactions among Arabs. Data has been collected from the website Arabicorpus where more than 400 instances of the DM "mashi" were found. The study enumerates 28 different functions of the DM "mashi" depending on its contextual realizations: threatening, approval, walking, end the speech, etc. The sample of the study consists of all 65 English language Ph.D students in two divisions in The University of Jordan, 47 questionnaires data were tested. The results indicated that the use of the word Mashi was understood to 87.9% by the sample of the study.This study is an examination of the use of the Discourse Marker "Mashi" in Modern Arabic language (Henceforth DM). DM is a linguistic type that is mostly utilized in oral conversations to connect speech units to each other (e.g. well, but, still, oh, hmm, okay, and, however, I mean, you know, so, etc.). It is a significant element that shares the coherence of the spoken discourse and plays a main role in its interpretation. It is also significant in explaining the communication intentions of the interlocutors. DM can be localized, and relate to contiguous units immediately to talk to each other or to the world. According to Piurko (2015) despite the role of DM in the production of texts, it is believed that the signs of speech are empty and grammatically optional. However, instead of seeing those as one of the easiest and most meaningful, speech signs meet a variety of pragmatic functions at the scriptural level and interpersonal relationships. It is claimed that speech marks, which refer to different types of boundaries, help to alter the spoken speech or mark a loop in written speech, perform textual tasks.Language contains an invaluable treasure of linguistic and social terms that serve many functions and purposes, regardless of its type and family. These terms are often spoken rather than written, which explains why they are often ignored. Marmorstein (2016) stated that among linguists concerned with the natural structure and dynamics of language, DM remains a constant concern. Although it can generally be dispensed with to construct well-formed sentences, the signs of discourse are virtually indispensable for producing any stretch of unscheduled natural discourse, thus providing a salient expression of its structural distinction. However, DM is not only a means of promoting coherent speech, but also indicators that teach the listener mental processes and interactive movements performed by the speaker. The analysis of DM therefore provides a promising way to unravel the workings of natural discourse at a number of interrelated sentences."Mashi" is also pragmatic and problematic in nature and seems to serve as a unit of language with a wide scope of context-dependent references. As it will be exemplified in different contexts, this marker draws attention and focus on the pro...

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