61 ISSN 1712-8358[Print] ISSN 1923-6700[Online] www.cscanada.net www.cscanada.org Cross-Cultural Communication Vol. 10, No. 1, 2014, pp. 61-68 DOI:10.3968/j.ccc.1923670020141001.2795 The Linguistic Variants of Allah Expressions in Jordanian Arabic Abdullah A. Jaradat [a],* [a] Ph.D.. Department of English Language & Literature, Hashemite University, Zarqa, Jordan. * Corresponding author. Received 15 October 2013; accepted 12 January 2014 Abstract This paper is bifocal. Its first purpose is to shed some light on the widespread use of Allah expressions in Jordanian Arabic as well as other dialects of Arabic. These are expressions that are used repeatedly by Muslims on a daily manner in different venues refecting their belief that Allah alone is the One who has infuence over every aspect of their lives. The second purpose is to draw the attention to some expressions containing the word Allah. In some of these expressions, the word Allah has disappeared as a result of being blended into other particles as in the case of jalla meaning “let” and jaallah meaning “barley”. However, in other expression, the word Allah is still witnessed but used in totally new meanings as in expressing astonishment and seeking protection and guidance. Key words: Allah; Islam; Arabic; Pragmatic functions; Variants Abdullah A. Jaradat (2014). The Linguistic Variants of Allah Expressions in Jordanian Arabic. Cross-Cultural Communication, 10(1), 61-68. Available from: http//www.cscanada. net/index.php/ccc/article/view/j.ccc.1923670020141001.2795 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3968/j.ccc.1923670020141001.2795 INTRODUCTION This study attempts to introduce the morphological and semantic changes that may occur to the term /al-laah “Allah” as reflected in some expressions in Jordanian Arabic, henceforth JA, as well as the pragmatic meanings the terms may carry. The study will examine the changes that may occur to the term when used alone or combined with some particles such as ja “oh”, which is a particle of supplication or vocative, and bI “by”, which is a particle of making an oath. What is really interesting about these changes is that some of the resulting expressions sound drastically or even completely different from the original term i.e., Allah at the meaning level; and in some cases, the part of speech of the derived expressions may become different from the part of speech of the original term. Some of the resulting expressions are verbs or adverbs that are not related the term Allah. The word Allah, alone or when used in different religious invocations, penetrates every aspect of a Muslim’s life, and is used unconsciously in nearly every situation; it is used on a daily basis in quite varied unrelated contexts for different purposes. Morrow and Castleton (2007) state that both Arabic language and the Muslim faith are the two major elements in the Arab Muslim identity. They continue to say that the widespread of Allah expressions in Arabic is one way through which Muslims assign Allah’s influence over every area of Muslim’s life. In this context, Cleft and Helani (2010) in their study about inshallah “God willing”, say “the widespread use of religious expressions in ordinary Arabic conversations, irrespective of the religious affiliation of the speaker has long been noted” (Gilesnan, 1983). Slackman (2006) says inshallah “is not the only religious term to infiltrate the lexicon of routine.” Morrow adds: Arabic language is saturated with a rich variety of expressions invoking Allah explicitly or implicitly and…. the name of Allah permeates both spoken and written Arabic to the point where we can speak of the omnipresence of Allah in the Arabic language. As a result, an Arabic speaker could scarcely conceive of a conversation where the name of God would not appear. (2006, p.45) Piamenta (1979) in his classic study “Islam in Everyday Arabic” provides the reader with an inclusive list of expressions including the term Allah “explicitly and implicitly”, as well as the appropriate context of usage