Abstract

This is a study in conversation analysis focusing on the analysis of the discourse marker /jacni/ in Egyptian Arabic. Markers are defined as discourse deictic expressions that link together, and signal boundaries between, discourse structures. They operate on all three levels of discourse proposed by Halliday (1970) - textual, ideational and interpersonal. Using direct observation techniques, the distribution, form and function of the marker /jacni/ were examined in the language of educated Egyptian subjects on radio and television interviews. Two variables were taken into account - speaker gender and topic type. Using syntactic position and phonological form as guidelines for interpretation, seven categories of functions were identified for /jacni/ in a 20,000 word corpus. Using a two-tailed 'z-test', function frequencies across counterparts of each independent variable proved statistically significant. The findings were interpreted within the framework of 'deixis' and 'Interpersonal Rhetoric' (Leech, 1983).

School

School of Humanities and Social Sciences

Degree Name

MA in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages

Date of Award

6-1-1992

Online Submission Date

6-1-1992

First Advisor

Stevens, Paul

Committee Member 1

Saad, Gamal

Committee Member 2

Farghaly, Ali

Document Type

Thesis

Extent

55 leaves

Library of Congress Subject Heading 1

Discourse Markers

Library of Congress Subject Heading 2

deixis

Rights

The author retains all rights with regard to copyright. The author certifies that written permission from the owner(s) of third-party copyrighted matter included in the thesis, dissertation, paper, or record of study has been obtained. The author further certifies that IRB approval has been obtained for this thesis, or that IRB approval is not necessary for this thesis. Insofar as this thesis, dissertation, paper, or record of study is an educational record as defined in the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) (20 USC 1232g), the author has granted consent to disclosure of it to anyone who requests a copy. The author has granted the American University in Cairo or its agents a non-exclusive license to archive this thesis, dissertation, paper, or record of study, and to make it accessible, in whole or in part, in all forms of media, now or hereafter known.

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