A SIGN IS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS: JORDANIAN SHOP SIGNS IN VARIOUS LANGUAGES

Abstract

Language is a powerful tool for communication in a variety of fields all around the world. People sometimes communicate in a variety of fields by combining the official language with languages used in other nations. Education, health, business, commerce, and other fields are among them. In Jordan, the commercial sector demonstrates the importance of the native tongue, as well as the diversity of languages used in store signage. This research looks on the languages used on commercial store signage in Irbid. According to the findings of this study, 36 percent of commercial store signs are monolingual English, which indicates that they are written entirely in English. Furthermore, 36% of store signs are bilingual English – Arabic, meaning they are written in both English and Arabic. Other foreign languages, such as French, are written on 18% of store signs, whereas Arabic, the official language of Jordanians, is inscribed on 9%. In conclusion, this study shows that English is widely utilized in the business sector in Irbid, as opposed to other foreign languages, which are infrequently used. It also highlights the strong use of English and Arabic, indicating that Irbid is a moderate and conservative city that values the use of the native tongue alongside English as a foreign language.