Abstract

Binomials, or contrastive lexical couples, in both Iraqi and Jordanian Arabic colloquials, are formulaic expressions comprising of two lexical items, A and B, whereby the presence of 'and' is optional in some cases and obligatory in the majority of the 150 collected binomials. A and B belong to the same grammatical category. The most frequent grammatical pattern is found out to be a noun plus a noun (75.33%). Contrary to the claim made by Bakir (1999), formal principles pertaining to syllabic structure are not seen to govern word order preferences. Rather, pragmatic, and to a lesser degree semantic, constraints determine order. An in-depth analysis has revealed that direction of fit, viz. word-to-world, provides the most viable explanation for why item A ought to be ordered before item B. This we call 'naturalness' condition or a 'replica' which, in addition to accounting for natural sequences, including spatio-temporality phenomenon, can resolve some ordering paradoxes. Semantic criteria, e.g. positiveness, proximity, oppositeness, etc. are not given much credit. Only 'markedness' is semantically capable of accounting for ordering A before B, especially in case of neutralization, i.e. the more A spreads along a scale, the more unmarked it is. Differences between Iraqi Arabic and Jordanian Arabic are mainly formal. Cultural harmony is crystal clear. The only difference is manifest in the availability of a restricted set of binomials peculiar to each sub-culture. This conclusion does not lend support to Sapir-Whorf hypothesis, but the question whether Arabic grammar determines our worldview remains debatable. Equally so, Cooper and Ross's (1975) 'ME - First Orientation Principle' cannot be generalized; for if we did apply it, the Arabs would be described as a people who take more than they give, for example, because 'take' has precedence over 'give' in Arabic.