Pragmatic Competency in Arabic: Potential for Cross-Cultural Understanding

Citation: Aboki M. SANI & Sumayyat I. GAMBO Ph.D (2025). Pragmatic Competency in Arabic: Potential for Cross-Cultural Understanding. Yobe Journal of Language, Literature and Culture (YOJOLLAC), Vol. 13, Number 1. Department of African Languages and Linguistics, Yobe State University, Damaturu, Nigeria. ISSN 2449-0660

PRAGMATIC COMPETENCY IN ARABIC: POTENTIAL FOR CROSS-CULTURAL UNDERSTANDING

BY

ABOKI M. SANI

SUMAYYAT I. GAMBO PH.D

Abstract

The focus of this paper is on pragmatic competence in Arabic vis-a-vis cross-cultural understanding. It has attempted to highlight how the meaning of some Arabic words and expressions is determined by cultural contexts in which they occur. It further asserts that, for proper understanding of the nuances of Arabic language. It is necessary to know the linguistic and social meanings of its words/expressions. The theoretical framework used in this research was social exchange theory propounded by Giles & Clair. The paper contends that some misconceptions and misconceptions surrounding Arabic language, often resulting in cultural stereotyping, are attributable to lack of such knowledge. In order to avoid wrong conclusions, the paper stresses the necessity to understand the underlying socio-cultural contexts of language, such that empathy towards the culture and ultimately proper cross-cultural understanding can be achieved. On that note, the paper emphasizes the relevance of pragmatic competence in Arabic to cross-cultural understanding. The methodology adopted during the course of this research work was participatory observation, where participants were fluent speakers of Arabic language that conveniently sampled across two levels the speakers and the learners of Arabic language. The first category was adults and they were all speakers of the mainstream of Arabic language; whereas, the second one, was the learners, who were the participants. They were sought based on two major criteria: (a) they acquired Arabic language as their first language and still use it in most of their daily interaction with other Arabic speakers, (b) they speak the mainstream Arabic dialect spoken in the various Arabic-speaking countries.

Keywords: Arabic, competence, cross-cultural, social-exchange and pragmatics

1.0 Introduction

Language is not seen as ‘‘an isolated phenomenon suspended in a vacuum but as an integral part of culture’’ (Snell-Hornby, 1988:39). A key aspect of language that gives prominence to culture is pragmatics. Mey (2001:6) posits that, pragmatics ‘‘studies the use of language in human communication as determined by the conditions of society’’.

Pragmatic competence, as an indicator of one’s pragmatic prowess, is the ability to understand and speak language(s) the target culture’s requirements. It is considered an essential part of communicative competence and represents a key element of cultural learning. Hence, pragmatic competence is a reflection of an individual’s awareness of the target culture which potentially paves the way for cross-cultural understanding.

Although Arabic is one of the international languages, recognized by almost all international organizations, and predates English language in Nigeria, is still grossly misunderstood and misconstrued. Consequently, the language is not only ignorantly equated with the religion of Islam, but some of its culturally-bound Arabic words and expressions ar wrongfully interpreted/translated-often literally- by the media. This unfortunately gives rise to cross-cultural misunderstanding, misconceptions and at times, unwarranted stereotyping.

Stereotyping, is identified as one of the social barriers to understanding and developing empathy towards other culture(s). It is particularly unfair if the behaviour of an individual or group of individuals from the target culture is generalized to encompass all of its people; a phenomenon that happens very often at cross-cultural encounters (Hadley, 2000:380).

The reason for such stereotype thinking, and by extension undue emphasis on linguistic/semantic approach over pragmatic/communicative approach in translating Arabic texts, may in part be attributed to cultural-gap, lack of pragmatic awareness, and inability to understand the nuances of the language.

To avoid or dispel such a negative attitude, people should realize the pluralism that exists in every culture, recognize the danger of overgeneralization, and try to develop empathy towards other culture(s) through pragmatic awareness. As Homeidi (2004:14) aptly observes, ‘‘Words only have meanings in terms of the culture in which they are used, and although languages do not determine culture, they certainly tend to reflect a society’s beliefs and practice’’.

This paper is therefore an attempt to highlight how language and culture are so intertwined that the meaning of some words and expressions are determined by cultural contexts in which they occur. The paper has identified some pragmatic instances in Arabic where social meanings of words/expressions are the base-lines for interpretation(s), rather than the linguistic meanings. It stresses the necessity of giving due consideration to text function, within situation, within culture, in the course of communication and translation. The paper further contends that pragmatic competence is indispensable if we want to have a fuller and deeper grasp of the linguistic complexity of Arabic language; develop empathy towards the culture; and ultimately ensure proper cross-cultural understanding.

1.1 Research Methodology

The methodology adopted during the course of this research work was participatory observation, where participants were fluent speakers of Arabic language that conveniently sampled across two levels the speakers and the learners of Arabic language. The first category was adults and they were all speakers of the mainstream Arabic language; whereas, the second one, was the learners, who were the participants. They were sought based on two major criteria: (a) that they acquired Arabic language as their first language and still use it in most of their daily interaction with other Arabic speakers, (b) that they speak the mainstream Arabic dialect spoken in the various Arabic- speaking countries.

The corpus consisted of different Arabic configurations collected over a period of year in the form of field notes taken when observing participants’ interactions with each other. The notes were recorded using Samsung Galaxy Note 11.2. The researcher used combination of participant and non-participant forms of observation. Concerning the former, each time we listen to participants involved in a conversation, we would look out for Arabic configurations in their speeches and how the participants handled them and then we would pull out a Samsung Note 11.2 and use the Pen to record descriptive and reflective field notes. Being, a fluent speaker of Arabic, we didn’t face any challenge identifying Arabic configurations in the speeches of the participants. About the latter form of observation, we quickly note any Arabic configurations in the speeches of the speakers we interacted with, and subsequently take them down in the field notes. After we had gathered a reasonable corpus, we verified the accuracy of the pronunciations of Arabic sequences with competent fluent speakers. This was done via grammaticality judgments as to whether the resulting structures were well-formed or ill-formed. Triangulating between these two data sources, as suggested in Keswell and Kreswell (2021) helped a lot in ensuring the accuracy of our interpretation of the data before the formal analysis.

1.3 Theoretical Framework (Social Exchange Theory)

This theory suggests that speakers and listeners share ‘‘a common set of interpretative procedures, which allow the speaker’s intentions to be (i) encoded by the speaker, and (ii) correctly interpreted by the listener’’ (Giles & Clair, 1979: 46-47). Besides, it presupposes that, ‘‘before acting, we attempt to assess the reward, and costs of alternate courses of action’’ (Homans, 1961, cited in Giles & Clair, 1979:48). Thus, engaging in speech convergence may incur more rewards than costs. For instance, in England ‘‘Received-Pronunciation’’ (RP) speakers are looked upon as more intelligent, serious and self-confident than regional accented speakers. In the same vein, there is empirical evidence that people react more favourably to those converting towards them, while it is almost always the case that the very same persons judged favourably in the first case will be denigrated as uneducated, uncouth and socially incompetent when using vernacular varieties, as the matched-guise technique developed by Wallace Lambert and his associates has shown (Fascold, 1987:149-150). Moreover, the act of convergence, upward and downward, may stand one in good stead.

1.3 Need for Building Cross-cultural Bridges

In a world that is increasingly becoming globalized and interdependent, the need for a strong commitment to cross-cultural understanding is clear. This is because, it is considered as a precursor for international peace, understanding, and cooperation. Nigeria, as an important member of the international community surely cannot afford to live in isolation, because of its global interest as partly represented through its bilateral relations with other countries, especially Arab countries. It should be stressed here that cross-cultural understanding is an essential element that enhances diplomatic ties and mutual cooperation among nations. The valuing of ethnic and cultural diversity, both at the national and international levels, should be given a top priority for us to learn to live harmoniously in an increasingly interdependent world.

The US, as noted by Taha (2007:2) has already considered Arabic as one of its critical-need languages because of ‘‘national security and economic/trade competitive reasons, but also for fostering global cultural understanding and dialogue essential to securing/maintaining conducive international environment for peace and prosperity’’.

1.4 Linguistic and Social Meanings in Arabic

In human interactions, language is usually interpreted concerning either its linguistic or social meanings. This is particularly discernable in the case of Arabic language. Social meaning simply refers to ‘‘the message that an act or speech act provokes and is conveyed to the listener or observer’’ (Taha, 2006:356). This type of meaning interprets an utterance or behaviour from contexts. Linguistic meaning, on the other hand, refers to the literal meaning of an utterance or behaviour, or simply the dictionary meaning.

Although the linguistic meaning helps to strengthen the import of thr message, it is invariably the social meaning that clarifies the cultural dimension of the world or expression. The social meaning consists of (a) the intended social meaning; and (b) the perceived social meaning. The former refers to the true intention of the speaker, and is conveyed by the culture and norms of a

specific society in a specific situation. The latter however, refers to the perception of and interpretation of the act or speech act that non-natives, or the pragmatically incompetent may hold. In the first type of social meaning, both speaker and hearer in the course of linguistic interaction, share the same socio-cultural background such that the hearer will be able to correctly interpret the speaker’s message both linguistically and culturally.

In the second type of social meaning however, the hearer may understand the linguistic meaning of the message, but will not fathom its cultural implications or its intended social meaning.

1.5 Social Meanings and Cross-Cultural Misconceptions

Tannen, (1983:194) posits that, ‘‘all communication is cross-cultural, and understanding cross-cultural communication is a means of understanding language’’. Thus, miscommunication or misunderstanding of intended linguistic message is often attributable to lack of understanding of the socio-cultural dimension of words and expressions.

In Arabic, it is common to find words whose real meanings are very difficult, not possible- to fathom without recourse to their social meanings. This is because, they are either culturally-bound, or have some social meanings which are only determined by the contexts of their occurrences. To be able to understand and perhaps correctly interpret the meanings of such words and expressions, pragmatic competence in Arabic language is absolutely necessary.

Native speakers of Arabic, for instance, often use the word Allah in different speech acts, at times concerning religious connotations, and at times not.

A look at the linguistic meaning of the word Allah reveals that it refers to ‘‘God, the One and Only.’’ However, at times the appropriate meanings and interpretations of the word in its different occurrences are only possible through the social meanings.

In the following instances, according to Taha (2006:357), the word Allah means more than just the linguistic meaning that it ordinarily conveys although that does not necessarily obviate its conventional linguistic meaning in certain contexts.

a) When an Arab looks at and/or admires something or someone else’s beauty or act, we hear ‘Allaah.

b) When one is surprised or dismayed or angry, we hear ‘‘Allaah’’. The voice is louder when the word is said angrily.

c) When one is praising someone or something, we hear ‘‘Alla-h-Alla-h-Allah’’.

d) When one is caught red-handed doing thing(s) one should not do, we hear ‘‘Allaaa-h-Allaah’’.

From the foregoing, it becomes clear that the word Allah does not always have religious undertone or reflect religious attitude or affinity.

1.6 Pragmatic Competence and Literal Translation

The danger of literal translation in cross-cultural communication is very enormous and often constitutes a huge barrier to the much-desired cross-cultural understanding. Pragmatic competence is therefore a very essential requirement for whoever wants to venture into such a thorny area. As might be deduced from the previous instances, one who is not conversant with the nuances of Arabic is likely to understand or even interpret the word (i.e Allah) based on its linguistic meaning without giving heed to its various contextual social meanings. Such a misunderstanding or attempt to translate the word literally in all its occurrences often lead to misconceptions, misperceptions, confusion, and even some unwarranted stereotyping.

As Taha (2006:358) aptly observes, the most influential American newspaper-unfortunately-translates the expression ‘‘Allahu akbar’’ literally, to mean ‘‘God is great’’, which does not always convey the appropriate meaning(s). Such a literal (linguistic) interpretation is to say the least, misleading; especially that the expression (‘‘Allahu akbar’’) has shades of meanings.

It is particularly noticeable that in the event of any Muslim/Arab demonstrations(s), people-who are not aware of its social meanings-not only keep on wondering, but end up making wrong conclusions.

Grammatically analyzed, the expression ‘‘Allahu akbar’’ consist of an elative form of the adjective kabiir (meaning: big, great) Such a comparative relative is invariably used in Arabic while referring to at least two parties. It is therefore discernable that there is a – supposedly- suppressed referent in comparison with the greatness of God.

The expression (i.e Allahu akbar), in its deep structure, is akin to saying ‘‘Allahu akbar minkum’’ (meaning: God is greater than all of you), or something similar. It is very easy for a native speaker or one who has a mastery of Arabic language to automatically understand the meaning from context.

While the conventional literary translation of the expression is (‘‘Allahu akbar’’, meaning ‘‘God is great’’), the ideal translation that will conform to the social meaning in the previous context could have been ‘‘Allahu akbar’’, ‘‘Justice shall prevail’’.

It is worth noting here that ordinarily, the expression ‘‘Allahu akbar’’ is used to express appreciation, congratulation and/or ward off evil eye. All these are facts to reckon with in the course of translating the expression and other similar culturally-bound words and expressions.

1.7 Relevance of Pragmatic Competence to Cross-Cultural Understanding

Generally speaking, lack of pragmatic competence in language(s), and in Arabic language particularly, has been a bane of cross-cultural understanding and national/international harmony. Cross-cultural understanding is possibly only when people become aware tat their own view of the world as represented in language(s) is culturally; and that the viewpoint of others from a different culture cannot be fully understood until one begins to appreciate the different cultural framework with which they perceive the world (Hadley, 2000:383).

It is therefore necessary to try and understand the underlying socio-cultural contexts of language, most especially Arabic, before embarking on its translation, to avoid being unnecessarily judgmental on other culture(s). Such a perceptibly negative attitude is not only detrimental to cross-cultural understanding but equally a threat to much-needed global peace and sustainable development.

Highlighting the necessity of consolidating the teaching/learning of foreign languages across all levels, with particular allusion to the importance of pragmatic competence, the US Commission on Foreign Language and International Studies had its policy document, as cited in (Taha, 2007:150), lamented that:

‘‘Our vital interests are impaired by the fatuous notion that our competence in other languages is irrelevant.

Understandably, cross-cultural understanding and sensitivity vide pragmatic competence in Arabic can play a vital role in the security, defense and economic well-being of our dear country. Hence, global understanding through language education, ought to be a mandatory component of our basic education.

1.8 Conclusion

This paper has so far attempted to address a grossly misunderstood area of pragmatics. It has explained how language and culture are so intertwined that the meaning of some words and expressions in Arabic particularly, are determined by cultural contexts in which they occur. To this, some instances in Arabic where social meanings of words/expressions are given prominence over linguistic meanings were identified. Stressing the danger of literal translation in cross-cultural communication, it contends that pragmatic competence is necessary develop empathy towards-other-culture(s), for proper cross-cultural understanding.

1.9 Recommendations

This paper will not be complete without giving some recommendations, few among which are:

a) the inclusion of at least some aspects of pragmatics in our language curriculum, so that cross-cultural awareness and understanding can be achieved.

b) the federal government should allot a certain quota for employment to language specialists, with proven pragmatic competence especially in Arabic language, in such sensitive areas as security, defense, diplomacy and internal affairs of this country. That is because, Nigeria has already lost too much in the name of ‘‘image-laundering’’, in its continuous efforts to garner both internal/external peace, and to secure its porous borders without which nation- building will remain a mirage.

c) the media should in the interest of cross-cultural understanding, employ only competent language specialists to report on/edit culture-related issues, so that literal translations that further magnify the clash of civilizations especially between the East and the West can be reduced.

d) individually, people should try to enhance their pragmatic awareness and cross-cultural sensitivity; such that they do not perceive others with wrongful notions and become and unnecessary judgmental.

Domestically, cross-cultural harmony among Nigerian citizens can only be achieved through understanding the intercultural variations and their representations of the world-views. This way, we can be potentially sure of cross-cultural understanding and nation-building.

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