Toward an Understanding of Arabic Persuasion: A Western Perspective

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Authors
Suchan, Jim
Subjects
Arabic persuasion
intercultural communication
rhetoric
Advisors
Date of Issue
2014-03-31
Date
Publisher
International Journal of Business Communication
Language
Abstract
Despite the political and economic importance of Arabic-speaking countries in the Middle East and Northern Africa, limited published research exists about how Arabic culture and language shape regional communication practices, particularly persuasion. This research describes key characteristics of Arabic persuasion by reviewing the extant research and analyzing the persuasion dynamics between a U.S. organization and a Jordanian organization attempting to form a service partnership. Both the literature and results from the case study indicate that Arabic persuasion strategies differ in fundamental ways from U.S. and Western strategies. Various forms of repetition, highly metaphoric language, and strong emotion characterize Arabic persuasion norms when using Arabic and English. These norms are created by the linguistic characteristics of Classical Arabic, the close connection between the Arabic language and Islam, and the social and political hierarchies that shape Arabic interaction.
Type
Article
Description
The article of record as published may be found at http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/2329488414525401
Series/Report No
Department
Graduate School of Business and Public Policy (GSBPP)
Organization
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.)
Identifiers
NPS Report Number
Sponsors
Funder
Format
25 p.
Citation
Suchan, Jim. "Toward an understanding of Arabic persuasion: A western perspective." International Journal of Business Communication 51.3 (2014): 279-303.
Distribution Statement
Rights
This publication is a work of the U.S. Government as defined in Title 17, United States Code, Section 101. Copyright protection is not available for this work in the United States.
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