The The Pragmatic Functions of the Discourse Marker He:k in Jordanian Spoken Arabic

This study investigates the pragmatic functions of the discourse marker he:k in Jordanian Spoken Arabic. To achieve this, a list of 22 situations featuring he:k is developed, drawing on its familiarity and multiple contexts in Jordanian society. Each situation is analyzed to determine these functions, which are then reviewed and validated by a panel of jurors who suggest amendments to certain situations and functions. The acceptability of the amended version is tested against the intuition of 110 BA students at the Faculty of Educational Sciences and Arts, UNRWA. Twenty-two pragmatic functions are revealed: expressing doubt, seeking confirmation, expressing excitement and joy, showing vagueness, avoiding repetition, showing indecisiveness, showing approval, expressing despair, exaggerating a situation, hinting, minimizing a situation, insulting, expressing uneasiness, expressing shock and displeasure, expressing admiration, ending a conversation, asking for tolerance, wishing, reassuring, mitigating an assertion, marking threats, and filling a gap.