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The main theme of this study is to explore the preferred strategies used by a sample of 100 University students in Assiut University to inquire about health in different situations. Moreover, the current study seeks to answer the questions raised by this study.
Throughout the analysis of the collected data of this study, the following patterns can be established:
1. As for the preferred strategies used by the informants of this study to inquire about health, as is seen in table (1), these strategies can be categorized into:
a) Formal strategies. The percentage for these strategies recorded 80% (42% for male, and 38% for female group) consider these example:
"keef ill hal?". Translation (How are you?).
b) Informal strategies. These strategies recorded 75% (34% for male group, and 41% for female group) consider the examples:
• )Keefek ya Çammona). Translation "How are you uncle?"
• )Keef ?l?ẋbar(. Translation ""How is the news?"
c) Terms associated with religious and social beliefs. This strategy recorded 90% (44% for male group and 46% for female group). Consider this example :
(?nʃallah tukunu bi xir(. Translation "May Allah you are OK?"
d) Using terms of address with the inquiry. The percentage of this strategy is 92% (45% for male group and 47% for female group respectively consider:
(keef haalak ostazna). Translation:"How are you sir?"
e) Kin terms. This strategy recorded 83% (39% for male group, and 44% for female group). Consider this example:
(Çamla ?eih ya mama?). Translation: "How are you dear?"
f) Using euphemistic strategies. These strategies recorded 88% (45% for male group, and 43% for female group. Consider these examples:
(keef sihit ?lmadam). Translation: "How are your wife?"
Il hamdulillah bixir. Translation: "praise to Allah, fine"
Discussion:
In addition, it has been found that, most of the male informants of this study are prone to using the formal and traditional forms of inquiries about other people health consider these examples:
a) Keef ilHaal?. Translation (How are you?)
b) Keef aHwaalak?. Translation (How are you?)
These forms are considered the most polite and common ones among young males. Also, the results of this study manifest that, the educated young females are prone to using the urban dialect due to the fact that it is more prestigious. Consider the following example:
Keef Haalak u keef ilmadaam?. Translation "How are you? And how is your wife?"
It has been argued that, age and sex are influential factors in the social interaction of any society, for example: age is often determines superiority of the interlocutors. Throughout the analysis of the data collected for this study, it has been noticed that, the younger speakers "the inferiors" ought to initiate inquiries about the older addresses' "old speakers" health as a sign of showing respect to them, and the old speakers usually ask about the youngers family health than about the younger himself. The reason may be that, superiors want to show a concern for the well-being of the inferior's family. Consider the following two examples:
– (izzayi hallak wi awladak?). "How are you and your sons?"
– (izzayi haal elhag wi ilhagga?) "How are your father and mother?"
Also, it has been noticed throughout the analysis of the data collected for this study that there are similarity in using the same forms of inquiries about other people's health between male and female speakers in the sample of this study. Holmes (2002:176) states: "women and men don not use completely different forms. They use different quantities or frequencies of the same forms". Women ask questions about the health of the addresses families as a part of conversational maintenance but men may ask just to get information. Consider:
(il-issihah tamam) "is your health good?"
(mashallaah wishak mnawwir) "God bless you, your face is radiant today".
On the above-mentioned example (mashallaah) the speaker uses religious expressions accompanying the remarks, this expression is more polite than the first one socially.
The results of this study also revealed that, in some cases, the informants of this study do not use the direct terms in their asking about other people's health. They avoid talking in a direct way, to be able not to embarrass the addresses. They usually use euphemistic terms in order to avoid mentioning of matters pertaining to parts of the body or bodily function. Yankah (2002:45) states that:
Euphemistic acts are "rhetorical filter that aims at decorum and politeness", for example asking about a sick female health is necessary but it may threaten the addressee's face, therefore, the speaker must use very proper terms in asking about this, otherwise, he may be considered socially incompetent. Consider the following example:
(izzai ssihat elmadaam, inshallah ilguruh ihassan) "How is your wife? I wish it got better".
In addition it has been noticed that, the informants of the current study use some terms of address in their inquiries about other people's health, the use of these address terms are either relational (depend upon the relationship between the speakers such as "Çammuho –uncle-" or absolute such as -reserved for authorized recipients- such as "ustaaz". In addition, the informants of this study are found to use these address terms to show intimacy or respect to the hearer in addition to show that he is a cultured and polite person. Other social titles such as "hagg –pilgrim-" is used when the hearer is superior in terms of age even when the level of intimacy and rapport is high consider the following example: "keef halak wi hagg" –how are you pilgrim?-.
Using such kind of address terms may cause awkwardness to non-native speakers because in some cases mothers' address their sons, and their sons address them with the same term "uammah – mother-", this term is used to show closeness and solidarity between the addressors and addresses.
Conclusion:
In the current study, an attempt has been made to shed light on the main strategies and the linguistic forms used by a 100 of educated informants (undergraduate students) in Assiut University faculties.
In addition, an attempt has been made in this study to explore the crucial conventions, which determine the use of these strategies in this concerned society. The results of this study show that there are varieties of formal and informal linguistic forms and strategies used by the informants participated in this study such as: (Terms associated with religion and social beliefs, terms of address with the inquiry, euphemistic strategies, and Kin terms). The results of this study also show the fundamental impact of some social as well as religious factors, which determine the choice of the strategies of inquiring about health among the informants of this study such as age, gender of the speakers and their solidarity.
It is worth mentioning t that the results of this study cannot be generalized because of the sociolinguistic nature of the area in question. Moreover, the sample of this study is small and taken from one sector of the concerned society i.e. the undergraduate students of some faculties in Assiut university.