Taxi Drivers’ Gestures in Jordan: A Sociolinguistic Approach

Abstract

Taxi drivers in Jordan employ many strategies to communicate while driving using both verbal and nonverbal systems of communication. Nonverbal communication may involve the use of blinkers, headlights, eye gaze, head and hand gestures. The present study examined an aspect of taxi drivers’ interpersonal communicative behaviour while driving , namely, use of gestures providing a sociolinguistic analysis of these gestures and taking into consideration the sociolinguistic factors and dimensions that determine their choice. The study was conducted on a random sample consisting of 100 male taxi drivers in Amman, the capital city of Jordan. During the first phase, informants were asked to fill in a questionnaire on the gestures they use while driving or during their breaks. The second phase involved interviews with ten informants. Finally, three informants were videotaped during their breaks. The drivers’ responses were then classified into groups according to age, education and experience in taxi driving. Interviews were then transcribed and analyzed in light of the questions of the study and the gestures used by the videotaped drivers were analyzed. The study revealed that age and education of taxi drivers affected the type and frequency of gestures used. Young drivers tended to gesture more while old drivers considered gesturing as an immature linguistic behavior. Old drivers with university education gestured less while drivers with limited school education gestured more. Further research is recommended on identifying the role gender plays in the use of gestures as well as other verbal and nonverbal communicative features of this slice of society DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2016.v7n3s1p312