THE USE OF DISCOURSE MARKER “MAʕ NAFSAK” IN SAUDI ARABIC: A PRAGMATIC PERSPECTIVE

Abstract

The present study examines the use of the discourse marker maʕ nafsak in Saudi Spoken Arabic. Specifically, it explores the pragmatic functions of ma3 nafsak in the online conversations of young Saudis. The data, which were collected from 17 young Saudi students through user-diaries, consisted of 262 natural online conversations in which 132 cases of maʕ nafsak occurred. The data were analyzed with regard to the pragmatic functions of the discourse marker. The study reveals that maʕ nafsak serves 12 different pragmatic functions based on the context in which it is used. Furthermore, this study emphasizes the importance of the context in the interpretation of discourse markers. Future research is recommended in this study.

Keywords: Discourse Marker, Saudi Arabic, Pragmatic Perspective