A Comparative Study of the French Pronoun On and Its Equivalents in Jordanian Arabic

This study examines the French pronoun on and its functional equivalents in Jordanian Arabic, exploring linguistic strategies used to achieve equivalence. The pronoun on conveys versatile meanings, including generic, indefinite, and universal agency, often expressing collective or unspecified action. Jordanian Arabic, lacking a direct equivalent, relies on alternative strategies such as reflexive verbs, passive forms, and explicit or indefinite subjects like إحنا /iḥna/ (we), الناس /al-nās/ (people) and الواحد /al-wāḥed/ (one). A bilingual corpus of 200 French sentences with on and their 400 Jordanian Arabic equivalents is analyzed to categorize syntactic structures and pragmatic functions. Findings reveal distinct preferences in Jordanian Arabic: explicit plural subjects with verbs (35%) for inclusivity, first-person plural affix marking with non-reflexive verbs (25%) for generic actions, reflexive affix marking (15%) for reflexive actions, passive constructions (10%) for indefinite agency, and singular subjects (15%) for collective and abstract meanings. These differences reflect a semantic shift where French emphasizes agency, while Jordanian Arabic prioritizes outcomes. The study also highlights the pragmatic functions of on in French—deictic, anaphoric, and presentative—and Jordanian Arabic’s use of explicit markers, verb conjugations, and indefinite expressions to achieve equivalence. By addressing these cross-linguistic differences, this research advances translation studies, second-language acquisition, and contrastive linguistics, providing practical insights for educators, translators, and researchers. It underscores the influence of linguistic and cultural norms on strategies for expressing abstract and indeterminate meanings.