Pragmatic Study of Swearing in Arabic with Reference to English
Omar Ahmed Shihab
Tikrit University, College of Arts
DOI: https://doi.org/10.25130/jls.1.2.3
Keywords: - pragmatics -speech act theory -performative act -illocutionary act - felicity condition - Gricean maxims
Abstract
The current study is concerned with the
analytic pragmatic level of swearing in Arabic with
reference to English .It tests the behavior of oath in
both languages. The analysis of swearing aligns with
the speech act theory developed firstly by Austin
(1962) and developed later by Searle (1975). Giving
oath is about giving a promise or a commitment by
which the speaker obliges to a future action. The
performative act of swearing in both English and
Arabic is illocutionary with maintaining the
locutionary and the perlocutionary acts. The study
also proves that the felicity condition is satisfied
through having a happy utterance in terms of
swearing. In addition, as long as the cooperative
principle is met, the Gricean maxims are wellestablished
throughout this study.
