An Analysis of Jordanian Bedouin Riddles from the Badia Region

INTERNATIONAL DOCTORAL
SCHOOL OF THE USC
ABDULATEEF SULEIMAN
SALAMEH ALMARAYEH
PhD Thesis
AN ANALYSIS OF JORDANIAN
BEDOUIN RIDDLES FROM
THE BADIA REGION
San iago de Compos ela, 2023
Doc o al P og amme in Ad anced English S udies: Linguis ic, Li e a u e and Cul u e
PHD THESIS
AN ANALYSIS OF
JORDANIAN BEDOUIN
RIDDLES FROM THE
BADIA REGION
ABDULATEEF SULEIMAN
SALAMEH ALMARAYEH
Di ec o : JoDee Ande son McGui e
Di ec o : Jesús Va ela Zapa a
PHD PROGRAMME IN ADVANCED ENGLISH STUDIES:
LINGUISTICS, LITERATURE & CULTURE
INTERNATIONAL PHD SCHOOL OF
THE UNIVERSITY OF SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA
SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA
2023
ii
AUTORIZACIÓN D0 DIRECTOR/TITOR DA TESE
Dna. JoDee Ande son McGui e
En condición de: Ti o a e di ec o a
Tí ulo da ese:
AN ANALYSIS OF JORDANIAN BEDOUIN RIDDLES FROM THE BADIA REGION
INFORMA:
Que a p esen e ese, co espóndase co aballo ealizado po D.
ABDULATEEF SULEIMAN SALAMEH ALMARAYEH, baixo a miña di ección e
i o ización, e au o izo a súa p esen ación, conside ando que eúne os
equisi os esixidos no Regulamen o de Es udos de Dou o amen o da USC, e
que como di ec o a e i o a des a non inco e nas causes de abs ención
es ablecidas na Lei 40/2015.
En Lugo, 15 de No emb o de 2023
Sina u a elec ónica
iii
AUTORIZACIÓN D0 DIRECTOR/TITOR DA TESE
D. Jesús Va ela Zapa a
En condición de: Di ec o
Tí ulo da ese:
AN ANALYSIS OF JORDANIAN BEDOUIN RIDDLES FROM THE BADIA REGION
INFORMA:
Que a p esen e ese, co espóndase co aballo ealizado po D.
ABDULATEEF SULEIMAN SALAMEH ALMARAYEH, baixo a miña di ección e
i o ización, e au o izo a súa p esen ación, conside ando que eúne os
equisi os esixidos no Regulamen o de Es udos de Dou o amen o da USC, e
que como di ec o a e i o a des a non inco e nas causes de abs ención
es ablecidas na Lei 40/2015.
En Lugo, 15 de No emb o de 2023
Sina u a elec ónica

1
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Fi s o all, I hank Almigh y Allah o he s eng h and guidance
he has p o ided me du ing he en i e ime ha I ha e been p epa ing
his disse a ion and o he people whom he has p o ided o s and as
guides and suppo e s along he jou ney as we we e ca ying ou his
p ojec .
A doc o al hesis is always a wo k o a unique na u e ha comes
abou as he esul o a leng hy ime o de o ion, s uggle, wo k, ai h,
deligh , and likewise, su e ing. The e a e many who ha e se ed as
suppo e s in encou aging me along he way, so I would like o
pe sonally exp ess my con inuous app ecia ion o hem; none heless,
se e al o hem, due o hei suppo and in ended o unin ended
pa icipa ion, will always dese e my g ea es hank ulness o hei
de e mina ion in he pe ec ion o his wo k.
My i s since e app ecia ion and g a i ude will always go o my
disse a ion supe iso , D . JoDee Ande son McGui e, o he momen s
o mo i a ion and inspi a ion ha I ha e gained om he company by
my side du ing my esea ch p ojec . She is exempla y o me, he one
who dedica es all he knowledge, scien i ic expe ience, p iceless
sugges ions, ca e ully selec ed exp essions, and chosen wo ds o he
sake o ou esea ch success. She le no ad ice o hesi a ion in
p o iding educa ional and e hical esou ces o me h oughou hese las
2
yea s o dedica ion o his p ojec . Thank you o you con inuous help
and o encou aging me o make successi e imp o emen s ill he las
momen o ou wo k—wha a g ea hono o me o be one o you
s uden s.
I would lo e o aise my hea el g a i ude o my second
disse a ion di ec o D . Jesús Va ela Zapa a o his wonde ul
con ibu ion and enhancemen in he co ec ion phase. His unique
p o essionalism is app ecia ed e y much, as well as his in-dep h
knowledge o ma e s dealing wi h all hings li e a y, his dedica ion,
and accu acy. You we e my c i ical ool h ough which I mus s and o
any linguis ical and li e a y in es iga ion. Thank you e y much o
you help and supe ision and hank you o p esen ing new ideas o
he in es iga ion so as o ob ain he inal esul s o his s udy. I ha e
lea ned a lo om you abou c i ical hinking and esea ch. I would also
like o hank you o you exp essions o encou agemen and suppo as
I conduc ed his p ojec .
To my belo ed uni e si y o San iago de Compos ela, wo ds o
lo e and app ecia ion a e ew o you. This deep- oo ed uni e si y will
always be emembe ed o he ou s anding academic a mosphe e a he
Facul y o Philology, and he In e na ional PhD School (EDIUS), and
my special hanks goes o he adminis a i e s a and lib a y eam who
we e always he e o help wi h encou agemen .
To San iago de Compos ela Ci y, he Kind ci y wi h beau i ul
iews, s unning sigh s, and cha ming na u e, whe e I spen he ha des
and bes imes o my li e, may peace be upon i and i s good ci izens.
To he S a e o Spain and he Eu opean Union, I ha e seen jus ice,
equali y, and eedom; I also ha e seen people's lo e, simplici y, and
dedica ion o hei wo k o he sake o hei coun ies' de elopmen ,
my peace, and lo e o you.
Special hanks o e e y pe son who has had a a o able in luence
on me, pe sonally, and on my jou ney du ing his in es iga ion; i is
ha d o men ion hem all he e. I hank my wi e, Eman, and my amily,
3
Tayem, Mohammad, and he li le one, “Anas”, o hei ole ance wi h
me du ing he c ucial imes ha I was no he e when hey missed me.
The p esen hesis would no ha e been achie able wi hou he
collabo a ion o some essen ial people who made help ul con ibu ions
o he hesis du ing he iddle collec ion phase. Many hanks o he poe s
and elde ly people who supplied me wi h he needed da a. I do no
o ge my a he , Sulieman Al-Ma ayeh, and my b o he s and sis e s,
who, h ough hei p aye s, encou agemen , and inancial suppo ha e
been a p ima y ac o in his success “you suppo imme sed me o a
g ea ex en ”. My con inuing app ecia ion o all my companions in
San iago who mo i a ed me o comple e his wo k.
In addi ion, I would also like o asse ha concluding he jou ney
o w i ing a Ph.D. disse a ion has been a ema kable expe ience. I was
de ini ely momen ous a imes, bu ou de e mina ion was g ea e ; in
his way, he impac was inc edible and bene icial o me as a human
as well as a esea che .
Las bu no leas , I would like o conclude his exp ession o
g a i ude by e e ing o he human being whose soul esides in me; he
hea bea s, he ende ness, and he spa kling eyes a e in my hea and
imagina ion. To my mo he , he sou ce o my ambi ion and he eason
o my exis ence, I would say, Mum, o you pu e soul ha es s in
peace in my hea be o e i s inal des ina ion place, my mo he , wi hou
you and you p aye s, you son would no ha e eached his
achie emen despi e he yea s o sepa a ion. Peace be upon you soul
o e e . I will be indeb ed o you o my en i e li e.
4
DEDICATION
To my li e coaches, my la e belo ed mo he , my a he , b o he s,
sis e s, wi e, child en, and ela i es; because I owe i all o you.
My ecogni ion, g a i ude, and app ecia ion o you all.
Ex ended Summa y In English
11
impossible, o ind a iddle ha does no con ain a opic and a eply.
Ano he meaning ul conside a ion is ha he s uc u al de ini ion is
lexible and can be adjus ed o di e en iddle ca ego ies. Finally, his
s udy p esen s a mo e mode n de ini ion o be ha a iddle is an o al o
w i en gen e ha has di e en unc ions. I usually consis s o one o
mo e opposi ional o non-opposi ional desc ip i e elemen s o one o
mo e s a ed o uns a ed opics. I may appea in poe ic o p ose
o mulas, and he e e en is mean o be deciphe ed.
Ce ain classi ica ions o he iddle ha e been p esen ed and
include, he ue iddle, o al iddle, isual iddle, simple iddle o
child en, pa ody iddle, iddle ha ha e been geog aphically classi ied,
he neck iddle, he cle e ques ion, he a i hme ic puzzle, he
conund um, he pic o ial iddle, and he wisdom iddle among o he s.
I has been ound ha he classi ica ion o he iddle is based on he
con en , he o m (p ose o poe ic), he ques ion, and he answe o eply
o ma .
Nex , he di e en unc ions o he iddle a e p esen ed and
discussed. The unc ions o he iddle ha e been desc ibed o be a ied,
in en ional, and non-in en ional o all he pa icipan s who pa icipa e
in he iddling p ocess, i.e., he iddle and he iddlee(s). The idea ha
iddles may ha e a social, cul u al, cogni i e, educa ional, ec ea ional,
challenge, o e en i ualis ic unc ion. A he same ime, some iddles
migh unc ion in di e en , almos con adic o y, ways. Tha is o say,
wha is in ended by he iddle may be ea ed as unin ended by he
iddlee. An example o his migh occu when an “educa ional”
unc ion is posed om he side o he iddle as an a emp o know who
is he cle e es in a ce ain g oup. The iddlee(s) will mos likely sol e
he iddle as hey ac i ely pa icipa e in wha , o hem, is he
“challenge” unc ion. Mo eo e , iddles may p o ide good
ci cums ances o hose in e es ed in s udying he social, cul u al,
psychological, and e en poli ical si ua ion o a gi en coun y o a
speci ic socie y, e en hough he “ ec ea ional” unc ion is he mos
ob ious and amilia o many a ound he wo ld.
Se e al in e na ional and A ab s udies ha deal speci ically wi h
he s udy o A abic iddles ha e been iden i ied; he mos impo an
s udies we e concen a ed in he geog aphical a ea o Alge ia and

Abdula ee Suleiman Salameh Alma ayeh
12
Tunisia, whe e some o hem we e ansla ed in o o he languages such
as F ench and English. As pe in e na ional s udies w i en in A abic,
Alge ia has been demons a ed o be he A ab coun y ha in es s he
mos in w i ing abou he subjec o iddles when compa ed o o he
A ab coun ies.
I was ound ha his a ea o esea ch has no been aken in o
conside a ion as much in he Jo dan, especially as ega ds o m,
linguis ic composi ion, o a s uc u al classi ica ion o he Jo danian
iddle. These s udies dealing wi h iddles ha ha e plays on wo ds, and
how iddles a e used as an in insic sou ce o A abic humo , o as o
Jo danians o ind common g ound and be able o empa hize wi h
people who do no sha e hei opinion a e e e enced.
Nex , his s udy speci ically conside s he JRBR. Fi s some
backg ound on he olklo e o his geog aphical a ea is p o ided.
E idence o how iddles may be p esen ed as poems and how hey a e
used a ga he ings as a means o popula en e ainmen , whe e he each
iddle pa icipa ing may a emp o p oduce mo e complica ed iddles
han he o he iddle s p esen ing hei s.
A e ha , he s udy a hand analyzes he signi ican co pus o
JRBRs p esen ed so as o demons a e ha hey con ain he main
elemen s o he na a i e s uc u e. Like any o he na a ion, he JRBRs
a e in eg a ed wo ks ha may con ain he six essen ial elemen s in
na a i e s uc u es. The na a o is he iddle ; he audience, o he
iddlees, ecei e his na a ion (by hea ing o eading i ). The e en is
he ac ion being desc ibed, and i may include he cha ac e s, he place,
and he ime. Howe e , while he i s wo elemen s a e, wi hou he
sligh es doub , comple ely necessa y since he e is no iddle wi hou a
iddle and a iddlee, hey a e conside ed cons an in any iddling
p ocess ha akes place o achie e he goal o he iddle, which is o
ind a solu ion. The e en is also necessa y o p o ide con ex .
Howe e , he es o he elemen s a e wha he iddle uses o build he
ambigui y on which he/she c ea es he iddle. Tha is o say, wha he
iddle in en ionally dele es om he iddle ex o simply does no
p esen o he audience makes he agueness o unce ain y in meaning
necessa y o he iddlees o come up wi h an app op ia e solu ion.
Then, when he solu ion o he iddle has been p o ided, he elemen s
Ex ended Summa y In English
13
o he na a i e discou se a e again comple e so ha he meaning is
clea and in ac . In his way, he na a i e elemen s included o no in
he JRBRs p esen ed he e may also be deemed in e es ing o ou
desc ip i e s udy. Howe e , a mo e in-dep h analysis o a la ge co pus
is pe haps s ill needed o p opose mo e o mal inal conside a ions.
Nex his s udy analyzes ce ain cul u al aspec s ha appea in his
co pus in o de o p o ide a mo e comple e ep esen a ion o JRBR.
The key elemen s ha appea ha e been desc ibed, he ypes o space
included in he iddles ha e been analyzed and he mos common
elemen s e e enced in he JRBRs ha e been p o ided. The au ho has
also con i med ha JRBRs make up a majo componen o non-ma e ial
Jo danian olklo e, since he h ee condi ions ha A ab c i ics adhe e o
we e ound o apply, i.e., olk li e a u e should be imi a ional o al
li e a u e, he au ho should be unknown, and i should be passed down
o a ce ain deg ee om gene a ion o he nex .
Finally, he linguis ic pe spec i e o he s uc u al heo y p oposed
has been applied o he JRBRs ha o m pa o ou co pus and which
appea i s in hei o iginal A abic Bedouin dialec and hen wi h he
English ansla ions p o ided as a way o pe mi non-A abic eade s o
obse e he cha ac e is ics ound and analyzed. The s udy has poin ed
ou many o he cha ac e is ics o he JRBR, which we e a mains ay o
en e ing in o he analysis o he iddles u ilizing he s uc u al heo y
adop ed o do so. The au ho belie es ha analyzing he iddles
cul u ally and socially g ea ly acili a es unde s anding o hose
in e es ed in JRBR, whe he A abs o non-A abs. When Geo ges and
Dundes (1963) s uc u al heo y was applied o JRBRs i was ound ha
Jo danian Bedouin iddles ypically ma ched hei use o his heo y,
and also he ela ed ex ensions se ou by Chye (1988). The co pus has
been cha ac e ized as being ei he p ose o poe y. This was especially
ue o p ose JRBRs which had a be e i han poe ic JRBRs. On he
o he hand, samples o poe ic JRBRS we e ound o ep esen he casual
con adic i e, in e se p i a ional con adic i e, and mul iple
desc ip i e elemen s.
In his way, he new o mulas o JRBRs ha we e p esen ed based
on Chye ’s me hod a e: he Con as i e Opposi ional Fo mula o he
JRBR; he Gene al Poe ic Riddle Fo mula o he JRBR, he Riddle
Abdula ee Suleiman Salameh Alma ayeh
14
Inside a Riddle Fo mula; and he Mul iple Topic Fo mula. In addi ion,
a new ca ego y has been posi ed; his ca ego y is made up o p ose
iddles ha a e di e en ia ed acco ding o he numbe o co e opics in
each iddle. The JRBRs in he co pus conside ed he e ha e p o ided
examples o iddles wi h no opic, iddles wi h a single opic, and
iddles ha ing wo, h ee, and e en ou opics.
The main a ea o in es iga ion in his s udy was he iddle which
was ini ially aken as a common ea u e in all languages and socie ies,
since he use o he iddle is di ec ly ela ed o bo h he language and
he cul u e o he socie y i sel . An idea o he impo ance o iddles, in
gene al, o he a ea o olklo e has been es ablished wi h he example
o JRBRs; his p oposal has been ound o ele an and, in he u u e,
may be applied o his adi ion in li e a u e s udies ca ied ou on
iddles w i en in o he languages and om o he geog aphical a eas.
Fu he mo e, his s udy has p esen ed a signi ican co pus o JRBRs as
well as hei ansla ion, as appea s in he Appendix o his s udy, which
may be published as in book o ma as a esul o he ansla ion s udy
in English p o ided he e, and his edi ion may be used o u he
esea ch. An ini ial and s aigh o wa d idea o he capabili ies and
con ibu ions ha he A abic language and i s dialec s can make o any
global heo y ela ed o language and i s cha ac e is ics has also been
p oposed. Fu he mo e, due o hei some imes e y speci ic cul u al
weigh , iddles a e closely ela ed o how indi iduals in hese socie ies
beha e and in e ac . As such, i is posi ed ha iddles should no be seen
as me ely a cul u al luxu y, some hing ha is only mean o be enjoyed
in e ms o how well a iddle uses his o he imagina ion, o as lee ing
en e ainmen bu ha hey should be ecognized o wha hey a e:
signs o deepe meaning in a gi en socie y ha ep esen i s his o y and
how ha cul u e was passed on o he nex gene a ions.
Mo e speci ically, his s udy has in oduced he JRBR sys em
based on he s uc u alis heo y o a co pus o local iddles. In his way,
i has shown ha JRBR ea u es can accoun o new ca ego ies o he
iddle as an ex ension o he uni e sali y o he iddle occu ing in all
na ions. In addi ion, his s udy has shown sa is ac o y esul s since new
ypes o s uc u al iddle o mula ha e been de eloped as well as new
classi ica ions based on he numbe o opic p esen in JRBRs.
Ex ended Summa y In English
15
To conclude, he ideas included in he s udy a hand may help o
o m a ansi ional iew o iddle aspec s ha could lead o new
comp ehensi e esea ch p ojec s in es iga ing in a mo e gene al sense,
iddles om he English-speaking wo ld, as well as, in a mo e pa icula
one, o he A abic iddles o a ious sub-e hnici ies in Jo dan and he
su ounding na ions. This, in u n, migh lead o he emapping o iddle
g oups wi h pa icula in e es s in colloquial Bedouin poe y. The
Bedouins ha e hei own me hods when i comes o exp essing
hemsel es. They depend on olde communi y membe s knowledge o
de e mine how he iddle will be c ea ed and who will pa icipa e in he
iddle exchange. Despi e he d as ic li e changes hey ha e unde gone
la ely and, mo e o en han no , wi hou he same echnology ha o he s
ha e g own accus omed o in oday’s wo ld, hei adi ional way o
doing hings is s ill o g ea in e es o many schola s. Since he e do
no seem o be enough s udies published on he local, social knowledge
o he Bedouin people om he Sou h-eas Badia egion, i can be
con i med ha he logical con inua ion o he s udy a hand is o
esea ch his subjec . Fu he mo e, u u e in es iga ions ca ied ou
would do well o ocus on he local-li e a y gen es, as well as ce ain
ac o s ela ed o he Bedouins’ ecogni ion o he a iabili y o
language.

EXTENDED SUMMARY IN GALICIAN
RESUMO EN GALEGO
O p opósi o do p esen e es udo, ealizado no ma co do P og ama de
Dou o amen o en Ad anced English S udies: Linguis ics, Li e a u e &
Cul u e, da Uni e sidade de San iago de Compos ela, é da con a de e
desc ibi a adi iña, ou enigma beduíno, al e como se a opa en
Xo dania. Pa a iso, u ilízanse como base pa a o desen ol emen o do
apa ello c í ico, ce as pe spec i as eó icas que p incipalmen e seguen
as p opos as de in es igado es anglosaxóns nos campos da lingüís ica,
dos es udos cul u ais, dos es udos li e a ios pos-coloniais, , e do es udo
do enigma. Ademais, ou os aballos de in es igación publicados en
inglés e á abe amén se u iliza on pa a lanza máis luz sob e a con o na
cul u al e li e a ia de Xo dania e, máis conc e amen e, o da exión
xo dana de Badia. Dou a banda, p esén ase e abó dase un co pus de
enigmas beduínos xo danos da á ea xeog á ica da exión de Badia. A
an axe signi ica i a des e co pus é que inclúe exemplos de máis dunha
xe ación e, po an o, p opo ciona un ínculo máis p óximo con aqueles
que expe imen a on unha in e acción eal e pe soal na adición o al.
Es a ese dou o al di ídese en dúas seccións. Na p imei a pa e
esbózanse ce as especi icacións cul u ais que se i e on en con a, así
como as bases eó icas sob e as que se sus en a o es udo. O capí ulo 1
desc ibe a exión xeog á ica máis especí ica que é obxec o de es udo, e
amén p opo ciona an eceden es sob e moi os dos aspec os cul u ais
des a exión. O capí ulo 2 p opo ciona un ma co eó ico sob e as
Abdula ee Suleiman Salameh Alma ayeh
18
in es igacións p e ias dedicadas aos enigmas e, ademais, p opo ciona
un econ o dos es udos p e ios ealizados sob e enigmas no mundo
á abe. A con inuación, p esen a algúns an eceden es sob e es udos
p e ios ealizados en Xo dania e o ece a p esen ación do enigma
beduíno xo dano da exión de Badia, ou JRBR. Logo le a a cabo unha
discusión das ca ac e ís icas es u u ais o mais dos JRBR. As
obse acións inais o ecen algúns comen a ios sob e a conclusión do
es udo en cues ión, así como as posibilidades de in es igación pa a o
u u o.
Máis especi icamen e, a p imei a sección do p esen e es udo ai
uso de ce os concep os p esen ados nos campos da lingüís ica, dos
es udos cul u ais, dos es udos li e a ios e pos-coloniais pa a
p opo ciona unha desc ición xeog á ica e his ó ica de Xo dania, ou
como se lle chama o icialmen e, o Reino Haxemi a de Xo dania, como
un compoñen e impo an e do mundo islámico-á abe de O ien e Medio.
O á abe é o idioma o icial en Xo dania onde se ala o chamado dialec o
do Le an e e onde a elixión islámica considé ase a máis es endida xa
que máis do 97% da poboación oi clasi icada como musulmá sunni a.
Relá anse os momen os his ó icos máis signi ica i os que
a ec a on a Xo dania an es do xu dimen o do es ado ac ual, así como
as di e en es e apas que ma ca on o seu desen ol emen o mode no
desde mediados do século pasado a a a época ac ual, xa que Xo dania
ca ac e ízase pola súa di e sa con o na xeog á ica que con ibuíu a
de e mina a na u eza da poboación e o es ilo de ida en cada exión.
Ao e e i se especi icamen e ao dese o, a maio ía dos
in es igado es es án de aco do en que o e mo beduíno e í ese ao pobo
á abe nómade que his o icamen e habi ou as á eas desé icas iaxando
cos seus abaños en busca das á eas de pas o eo de pas ei os no no e
de Á ica, a Península A ábiga, I aq e o es o da exión coñecida como
Le an e. En á abe, badawī signi ica o “habi an e do dese o”, e
adicionalmen e oponse a ḥāḍi ou o e mo pa a pe soas seden a ias.
Concó dase coa idea expos a po Tamplin de que, ac ualmen e, en
Xo dania, a maio ía dos á abes que se de inen como beduínos
descenden dos beduínos nómades e p e i en como luga de esidencia
unha exión conc e a. A imaxe dos beduínos como habi an es nómades
Ex ended Summa y in Galician
19
do dese o emón ase a séculos a ás; con odo, non hai moi as ibos
que aínda man eñan p opiedades.
Na segunda pa e da p imei a sección, p esén ase e desc ibe o
es ilo de ida en sociedade dos beduínos. Ao analiza o seu es ilo de
ida e a adi iña xo dana da exión de Badia (JRBR), pódese lanza luz
sob e moi os dos aspec os máis signi ica i os da ida dia ia pa a
b inda unha imaxe men al ealis a e de allada aos non beduínos, así
como pa a iden i ica unha g an pa e do su imen o que acompaña ao
beduíno ao longo da súa ida. Nes a sección explícanse os seguin es
concep os, as súas ca ac e ís icas e como son u ilizados ou emp egados
polos beduínos: a enda beduína, a es imen a, os animais domés icos
e o gando, os animais sal axes, a cha la ag adable, a hon a, a
hospi alidade e a xene osidade, e ce as condicións e p o ocolos sociais
especiais.
Es as desc icións coinciden con ou os aballos de in es igación
publicados po o ien alis as occiden ais e c ese que con ibuí on a
cambia o pa ón de pensamen o occiden al de manei a posi i a en
elación cos á abes e os beduínos, en pa icula en e mos dos de ei os
das mulle es e como os homes beduínos a an ás mulle es que os
odean. Tamén é ce o que os beduínos gozan des a o ma de
elaciona se como pa e da súa ida co iá e es án o gullosos diso e do
seu pa imonio cul u al en moi os aspec os, ales como a xene osidade
e a hon a, xun o coas adicións cul u ais e mo ais cen ena ias aos que
aínda se adhi en hoxe en día. Es e é un pa imonio ma e ial e cul u al
do que eles c en que xu di on a maio ía das cul u as das sociedades en
odo o mundo á abe.
Como calque a sociedade, a sociedade beduína es á es u u ada
cun sis ema que adminis a os seus asun os de modo que cada
indi iduo, home ou mulle , coñeza os seus debe es e de ei os. Es e
sis ema social xun o cos concep os de amilia, o papel da mulle , o
papel do home, o clan, a ibo, o sheikh ou “xe e”, a lei ibal, o pode
xudicial ibal, a mas, as elacións sociais den o da ibo, o olclo e
beduíno, e as súas his o ias p esén anse en ce os usos e mani es acións
dos p o e bios, a poesía, a música e a danza. Finalmen e, i é onse en
con a as di icul ades que su i on os beduínos desde mediados do
século XX a a o de ago a, como as iaxes, as on ei as polí icas despois
Abdula ee Suleiman Salameh Alma ayeh
20
da Segunda Gue a Mundial e o c ecen e papel polí ico do éxime
ac ual que domina á sociedade xo dana.
A con inuación, no segundo capí ulo, es e es udo eco e
no amen e á base eó ica anglosaxoa desde os es udos cul u ais mais a
pe spec i a lingüís ica como base pa a a his o ia, ca ac e ización e
de inición do enigma. Nesa liña, p esen ase a impo ancia da adición
li e a ia o al do enigma anglosaxón. Nes e apa ado obse ouse que os
enigmas xu di on como unha elegan e o ma de a e e in e acción social
que se u iliza pa a comunica unha g an can idade de signi icado en
poucas palab as; como al, os enigmas xogan un papel i al nas
adicións de ala e con e sación de calque a sociedade. Como
p egun as, a i macións ou ases, e mesmo, ás eces, como e sos
poé icos, os enigmas edác anse in encionalmen e de manei a
desconce an e ou enganosa. Tenden a se decla acións de dob e
sen ido ou de sen ido elado en o ma de desc icións que se
compuxe on pa a ace que unha pe soa emp egue o seu enxeño
imaxina i o pa a chega á espos a co ec a.
Ademais, dado que con a lle un enigma a ou a pe soa é unha
o ma de xoga coa linguaxe, é bas an e común que os nenos ap endan
como uncionan os enigmas a unha idade empe á, a a o pun o de que
os enigmas es án incluídos nos plans de es udo dos sis emas educa i os
de odo o mundo. Como e amen a lingüís ica única, o enigma pode
aumen a o a ac i o do idioma u ilizado e, po an o, o alece o seu
e ec o comunica i o. Des a o ma, en ón, os enigmas ep esen an un
elemen o sociocul u al do coñecemen o cul u al xene al que unha
sociedade ansmi e aos seus memb os, especialmen e á súa mocidade.
Dou a banda, desc ibiuse o momen o de con a un enigma, e como
es e in oluc a ao “ iddle ” ou a pe soa que na a ou ealiza o enigma.
O enigma en si pode apo a con ido di e so na medida en que os
“ iddle s”, ou na ado es, deben es a ben e sados na cul u a e o
coñecemen o xe al dos elemen os que compoñen a súa con o na e do
mundo en xe al. O e cei o elemen o é o “ iddlee”, ou a pe soa que en a
esponde o enigma, quen amén debe compa i es e coñecemen o
común pa a esponde adecuadamen e.
A apa ición e de inición do enigma como elemen o uni e sal
elacionouse con e e encia a un dos modelos máis an igos, o enigma
EXTENDED SUMMARY IN SPANISH
RESUMEN EN ESPAÑOL
El p opósi o de es e es udio, ealizado en el ma co del P og ama de
Doc o ado en Ad anced English S udies: Linguis ics, Li e a u e &
Cul u e, de la Uni e sidade de San iago de Compos ela, es da cuen a
de y desc ibi la adi inanza o el ace ijo beduino al como se encuen a
en Jo dania. Pa a ello, se u ilizan como base pa a el desa ollo del
apa a o c í ico, cie as pe spec i as eó icas que p incipalmen e siguen
las p opues as de in es igado es anglosajones en los campos de la
lingüís ica, los es udios cul u ales, los es udios li e a ios y
poscoloniales, y del es udio del enigma. Además, o os abajos de
in es igación publicados en inglés y á abe ambién se han u ilizado pa a
a oja más luz sob e el en o no cul u al y li e a io de Jo dania y, más
conc e amen e, el de la egión jo dana de Badia. Po o o lado, se
p esen a y se abo da un co pus de ace ijos beduinos jo danos del á ea
geog á ica de la egión de Badia. La en aja signi ica i a de es e co pus
es que incluye ejemplos de más de una gene ación y, po lo an o,
p opo ciona un ínculo más ce cano con aquellos que expe imen a on
una in e acción eal y pe sonal en la adición o al.
Es a esis doc o al se di ide en dos secciones. En la p ime a pa e
se esbozan cie as especi icaciones cul u ales que se han enido en
cuen a, así como las bases eó icas sob e las que se sus en a el es udio.
El capí ulo 1 desc ibe la egión geog á ica más especí ica que se a a
y ambién p opo ciona an eceden es sob e muchos aspec os cul u ales
de es a egión. El capí ulo 2 p opo ciona un ma co eó ico sob e
in es igaciones p e ias dedicadas a los ace ijos y, además,
p opo ciona un ecuen o de es udios p e ios ealizados sob e ace ijos

Abdula ee Suleiman Salameh Alma ayeh
28
en el mundo á abe. A con inuación, p esen a algunos an eceden es
sob e es udios p e ios ealizados en Jo dania y o ece la p esen ación
del ace ijo beduino jo dano de la egión de Badia, o JRBR. Luego se
lle a a cabo una discusión de las ca ac e ís icas es uc u ales o males
de los JRBR. Las obse aciones inales o ecen algunos comen a ios
sob e el inal del es udio en cues ión, así como las posibilidades de
in es igación pa a el u u o.
Más especí icamen e, la p ime a sección del p esen e es udio hace
uso de los concep os p esen ados en los campos de la lingüís ica, los
es udios cul u ales, los es udios li e a ios y poscoloniales pa a
p opo ciona una desc ipción geog á ica e his ó ica de Jo dania, o
como se le llama o icialmen e, el Reino Hachemi a de Jo dania, como
un componen e impo an e del mundo islámico-á abe de O ien e
Medio. El á abe es el idioma o icial en Jo dania donde se habla el
llamado dialec o del Le an e y donde la eligión islámica se conside a
la más ex endida ya que más del 97% de la población ha sido clasi icada
como musulmana suni a.
Se ela an los momen os his ó icos más signi ica i os que
a ec a on a Jo dania an es del su gimien o del es ado ac ual, así como
las di e en es e apas que ma ca on su desa ollo mode no desde
mediados del siglo pasado has a la época ac ual, ya que Jo dania se
ca ac e iza po su di e so en o no geog á ico que ha con ibuido a
de e mina la na u aleza de la población y el es ilo de ida en cada
egión.
Al e e i se especí icamen e al desie o, la mayo ía de los
in es igado es es án de acue do en que el é mino beduino se e ie e al
pueblo á abe nómada que his ó icamen e ha habi ado las á eas
desé icas iajando con sus ebaños en busca de las á eas de pas o eo
de pas izales en el no e de Á ica, la Península A ábiga, I ak y el es o
de la egión conocida como Le an e. En á abe, badawī signi ica el
“habi an e del desie o”, y adicionalmen e se opone a ḥāḍi o el
é mino pa a pe sonas seden a ias. Concue da con la idea plan eada po
Tamplin de que, ac ualmen e, en Jo dania, la mayo ía de los á abes que
se de inen como beduinos descienden de los beduinos nómadas y
p e ie en i i en una sola egión. La imagen de los beduinos como
Ex ended Summa y in Spanish
29
habi an es nómadas del desie o se emon a a siglos a ás; sin emba go,
no hay muchas ibus que aún man engan p opiedades.
En la segunda pa e de la p ime a sección, se p esen a y desc ibe
el es ilo de ida en sociedad de los beduinos. Al analiza su es ilo de
ida y los JRBR, se puede a oja luz sob e muchos de los aspec os más
signi ica i os de la ida dia ia pa a b inda una imagen men al ealis a
y de allada a los no beduinos, así como pa a iden i ica una g an pa e
del su imien o. que acompaña al beduino a lo la go de su ida. En es a
sección se explican los siguien es concep os, sus ca ac e ís icas y cómo
son u ilizados o implemen ados po los beduinos: la ienda beduina, la
es imen a, los animales domés icos y el ganado, los animales sal ajes,
la cha la ag adable, el hono , la hospi alidad y la gene osidad, y cie as
condiciones y p o ocolos sociales especiales.
Es as desc ipciones coinciden con o a li e a u a publicada po
o ien alis as occiden ales y se c ee que han con ibuido a cambia el
pa ón de pensamien o occiden al de mane a posi i a en elación con
los á abes y los beduinos, en pa icula en é minos de los de echos de
las muje es y cómo los homb es beduinos a an a las muje es que los
odean. También es cie o que los beduinos dis u an de es a o ma de
elaciona se como pa e de su ida co idiana y es án o gullosos de ello
y de su pa imonio cul u al en muchos aspec os, ales como la
gene osidad y el hono , jun o con las adiciones cul u ales y mo ales
cen ena ias a los que aún se adhie en hoy en día. Es e es un pa imonio
ma e ial y cul u al del que ellos c een que han su gido la mayo ía de las
cul u as de las sociedades á abes en odo el mundo á abe.
Como cualquie sociedad, la sociedad beduina es á es uc u ada
con un sis ema que adminis a sus asun os de modo que cada indi iduo,
homb e o muje , conozca sus debe es y de echos. Es e sis ema social
jun o con los concep os de amilia, el papel de la muje , el papel del
homb e, el clan, la ibu, el jeque o “je e”, la ley ibal, el pode judicial
ibal, a mas, las elaciones sociales den o de la ibu, el olclo e
beduino, y sus his o ias se p esen an en cie os usos de los p o e bios,
la poesía, la música y la danza. Finalmen e, se han enido en cuen a las
di icul ades que han su ido los beduinos desde mediados del siglo XX
has a aho a, como los iajes, las on e as polí icas después de la
Abdula ee Suleiman Salameh Alma ayeh
30
Segunda Gue a Mundial y el c ecien e papel polí ico del égimen
ac ual que domina la sociedad jo dana.
A con inuación, en el segundo capí ulo, es e es udio ecu e
nue amen e a la base eó ica anglosajona desde los es udios cul u ales,
la pe spec i a lingüís ica como base pa a la his o ia, ca ac e ización y
de inición del enigma. En esa línea, se ha p esen ado la impo ancia de
la adición li e a ia o al del enigma anglosajón. En es e apa ado se ha
obse ado que los ace ijos han su gido como una elegan e o ma de
a e e in e acción social que se u iliza pa a comunica una g an can idad
de signi icado en pocas palab as; como al, los ace ijos juegan un papel
i al en las adiciones de habla y con e sación de cualquie sociedad.
Como p egun as, a i maciones o ases, e incluso, a eces, como e sos
poé icos, los ace ijos se edac an in encionalmen e de mane a
desconce an e o engañosa. Tienden a se decla aciones de doble
sen ido o de sen ido elado en o ma de desc ipciones que se han
compues o pa a hace que una pe sona emplee su ingenio imagina i o
pa a llega a la espues a co ec a.
Además, dado que con a le un ace ijo a o a pe sona es una o ma
de juga con el lenguaje, es bas an e común que los niños ap endan
cómo uncionan los ace ijos a una edad emp ana, has a el pun o de
que los ace ijos es án incluidos en los planes de es udio de los sis emas
educa i os de odo el mundo. Como he amien a lingüís ica única, el
ace ijo puede aumen a el a ac i o del idioma u ilizado y, po lo an o,
o alece su e ec o comunica i o. De es a o ma, en onces, los ace ijos
ep esen an un elemen o sociocul u al del conocimien o cul u al
gene al que una sociedad ansmi e a sus miemb os, especialmen e a su
ju en ud.
Po o o lado, se ha desc i o el momen o de con a un ace ijo, y
como és e in oluc a al “ iddle ” o la pe sona que na a o ealiza el
ace ijo. El ace ijo en sí puede con ene con enido di e so en la medida
en que los “ iddle s”, o na ado es, deben es a bien e sados en la
cul u a y el conocimien o gene al de los elemen os que componen su
en o no y del mundo en gene al. El e ce elemen o es el “ iddlee”, o la
pe sona que in en a esponde el ace ijo, quien ambién debe compa i
es e conocimien o común pa a esponde adecuadamen e.
Ex ended Summa y in Spanish
31
La apa ición y de inición del ace ijo como elemen o uni e sal se
ha elacionado con e e encia a uno de los modelos más an iguos, el
ace ijo de la Es inge, del que se ha documen ado su exis encia en
Mesopo amia, el An iguo Egip o, G ecia e incluso en las Islas Ma shall
occiden ales: así como a la idea de que aún hoy en día se an o mando
egula men e nue os ace ijos como cualquie o o ipo de ob a
li e a ia. En cuan o a la de inición plan eada en el es udio que nos
ocupa, se plan ea que la de inición es uc u al es más signi ica i a que
la de inición cogni i a o la de inición basada en el con enido y el es ilo.
Se ha demos ado que la pe spec i a es uc u al p opo ciona una
de inición más uni e sal que puede acomoda odos los ace ijos de
di e en es egiones y sociedades; además, es muy ano mal, quizás casi
imposible, encon a un ace ijo que no con enga un ema y una
espues a. O a conside ación impo an e es que la de inición
es uc u al es lexible y se puede ajus a a di e en es ca ego ías de
ace ijos. Finalmen e, es e es udio p esen a una de inición más
mode na: un ace ijo es un géne o o al o esc i o que iene di e en es
unciones. Po lo gene al, cons a de uno o más elemen os desc ip i os
opues os o no opues os pa a uno o más emas decla ados o no
decla ados. Puede apa ece en ó mulas poé icas o en p osa, y el
e e en e es á des inado a se desci ado.
Se han p esen ado cie as clasi icaciones del ace ijo e incluyen, el
ace ijo e dade o, el ace ijo o al, el ace ijo isual, el ace ijo simple
pa a niños, el ace ijo de pa odia, el ace ijo clasi icado
geog á icamen e, el ace ijo del cuello, la p egun a as u a, el ace ijo
a i mé ico, el ace ijo mis e io, el ace ijo pic ó ico, y el ace ijo de
sabidu ía, en e o os. Se ha encon ado que la clasi icación del ace ijo
se basa en el con enido, la o ma (p osa o poé ica), la p egun a, y la
espues a, o el o ma o de espues a. A con inuación, se p esen an y
discu en las di e en es unciones de la adi inanza. Se ha desc i o que
las unciones del ace ijo son a iadas, in encionales y no in encionales
pa a odos los pa icipan es que pa icipan en el p oceso de ace ijo, es
deci , el “ iddle ” (na ado ) y el(los) “ iddlee(s)” (adi inado es). Se
expone la idea de que los ace ijos pueden ene una unción social,
cul u al, cogni i a, educa i a, ec ea i a, desa ian e o incluso i ual.
Abdula ee Suleiman Salameh Alma ayeh
32
Al mismo iempo, se ha is o cómo algunos ace ijos pueden
unciona de modos di e en es, casi con adic o ios. Es deci , lo que
p e ende el “ iddle ” (na ado ) puede se a ado como acciden al po
el “ iddlee”, o pe sona que adi ina. Un ejemplo de es o pod ía ocu i
cuando se plan ea una unción "educa i a" desde el lado del ace ijo
como un in en o de sabe quién es el más sagaz en un de e minado
g upo. Lo más p obable es que los “ iddlee(s)”, o adi inado es,
esuel an el ace ijo mien as pa icipan ac i amen e en lo que, pa a
ellos, es la unción de “desa ío”. Además, los ace ijos pueden
p opo ciona buenas ci cuns ancias pa a aquellos in e esados en
es udia la si uación social, cul u al, psicológica e incluso polí ica de un
país de e minado o una sociedad especí ica, aunque la unción
“ ec ea i a” es la más ob ia y amilia pa a muchas pe sonas en odo el
mundo.
Se han iden i icado cie os es udios in e nacionales y á abes que se
ocupan especí icamen e del es udio de los ace ijos á abes. Den o de
es e g upo, los es udios más impo an es se concen a on en el á ea
geog á ica de A gelia y Túnez, donde algunos de ellos ue on
aducidos a o os idiomas como el ancés y el inglés. Según es udios
in e nacionales esc i os en á abe, A gelia ha demos ado se el país
á abe que más se ocupa de esc ibi sob e el ema de las adi inanzas en
compa ación con o os países á abes. Se encon ó que es a á ea de
in es igación no se ha enido an o en cuen a en Jo dania,
especialmen e en lo que espec a a la o ma, la composición lingüís ica
o la clasi icación es uc u al del ace ijo jo dano. Se hace e e encia a
es os es udios que a an sob e ace ijos que ienen juegos de palab as,
y cómo los ace ijos se u ilizan como una uen e in ínseca del humo
á abe, o de modo que los jo danos encuen en pun os en común y
puedan empa iza con pe sonas que no compa en del odo la misma
opinión.
A con inuación, es e es udio conside a especí icamen e el JRBR.
En p ime luga , se p opo cionan algunos an eceden es sob e el olclo e
de es a zona geog á ica. Se p esen a e idencia de cómo los ace ijos
pueden na a se en o ma de poesía, y cómo se u ilizan en euniones
como un medio de en e enimien o popula , donde cada “ iddle ”, o

Ex ended Summa y in Spanish
33
na ado , que pa icipa puede in en a p oduci ace ijos más
complicados que los o os na ado es pa icipan es.
Pos e io men e, el es udio que nos ocupa analiza el alioso co pus
de JRBR p esen ados pa a demos a que con ienen los elemen os
p incipales de la es uc u a na a i a. Como cualquie o a na ación,
los JRBR son ob as in eg adas que pueden con ene los seis elemen os
esenciales en las es uc u as na a i as. El na ado es el “ iddle ”, la
audiencia, o los “ iddlees”, eciben es a na ación (oyéndola o
leyéndola). El e en o es la ac uación que se desc ibe, y és a puede
inclui los pe sonajes, el luga y el iempo. Sin emba go, si bien los dos
p ime os elemen os son, sin la meno duda, comple amen e necesa ios
ya que no hay ace ijo sin “ iddle ”, o na ado , y “ iddlee”, o
adi inado , se conside an cons an es en cualquie p oceso de ace ijo
que se lle e a cabo pa a log a el obje i o del ace ijo: encon a la
solución más adecuada. El e en o ambién es necesa io pa a
p opo ciona con ex o. Sin emba go, el es o de los elemen os son los
que u iliza el “ iddle ” na ado pa a cons ui la ambigüedad sob e la
que c ea el ace ijo. Es deci , lo que el “ iddle ”, o na ado , elimina
in encionalmen e del ex o del ace ijo, o simplemen e no p esen a a su
público, aumen a la aguedad o la ince idumb e en el signi icado que
son necesa ias pa a que los “ iddlees”, o adi inado es, engan que
emplea se pa a encon a la solución adecuada. Luego, cuando se ha
p opo cionado la solución al ace ijo, los elemen os del discu so
na a i o se uel en a comple a pa a que el signi icado quede cla o e
in ac o. De es a o ma, los elemen os na a i os incluidos o no en los
JRBR aquí ecogidos ambién pueden esul a de in e és pa a nues o
es udio desc ip i o. Sin emba go, al ez aún se necesi e un análisis más
p o undo de un co pus más amplio pa a p opone conside aciones
inales más o males.
A con inuación, es e es udio analiza cie os aspec os cul u ales que
apa ecen en es e co pus con el in de p opo ciona una ep esen ación
más comple a de JRBR. Se han desc i o los elemen os cla e que
apa ecen, se han analizado los ipos de espacio incluidos en las
adi inanzas y se ha apo ado una desc ipción de los elemen os más
comunes e e enciados en los JRBR. El au o ambién ha con i mado
que los JRBR cons i uyen un componen e impo an e del olclo e
Abdula ee Suleiman Salameh Alma ayeh
34
jo dano no ma e ial, ya que se ha demos ado que se aplican las es
condiciones a las que se adhie en los c í icos á abes, es deci : la
li e a u a popula debe se li e a u a o al de imi ación, el au o debe se
desconocido y debe ansmi i se has a cie o pun o de gene ación en
gene ación.
Finalmen e, la eo ía lingüís ica es uc u al p opues a se ha
aplicado a los JRBR que o man pa e de nues o co pus y que apa ecen
p ime o en su dialec o beduino á abe o iginal y luego con las
aducciones al inglés p opo cionadas como una o ma de pe mi i a los
lec o es no á abes obse a las ca ac e ís icas encon adas. El es udio
ha señalado muchas de las ca ac e ís icas del JRBR, que ue on un pila
pa a en a en el análisis de los ace ijos u ilizando la eo ía es uc u al
adop ada. El au o c ee que analiza los ace ijos cul u al y socialmen e
acili a eno memen e la comp ensión pa a los que se in e esan po los
JRBR, ya sean á abes o no.
Cuando se aplicó la eo ía es uc u al de Geo ges y Dundes (1963)
a los JRBR, se encon ó que los ace ijos beduinos jo danos
gene almen e coincidían con el uso de es a eo ía, y ambién con las
ex ensiones elacionadas que es ableció Chye (1988). El co pus se ha
ca ac e izado po se p osa o poesía, y el cumplimien o de es as
condiciones ue especialmen e mani ies o en el caso de los JRBR en
p osa que enían un mejo ajus e que los JRBR poé icos. Po o o lado,
se ha p obado que las mues as de JRBRS poé icas ep esen an el
con adic o io casual, el con adic o io p i ado in e so, y los elemen os
desc ip i os múl iples.
De es e modo, en base al mé odo de Chye , se plan ean cua o
nue as ó mulas pa a los JRBR del co pus de es e es udio, que son: la
Con as i e Opposi ional Fo mula o he JRBR, la Gene al Poe ic
Riddle Fo mula o he JRBR, la Riddle Inside a Riddle Fo mula y la
Mul iple Topic Fo mula. A ello se suma una nue a p opues a de
ca ego ía que se compone de ace ijos en p osa que son di e enciables
según la can idad de emas cen ales en cada ace ijo. Los JRBR del
co pus ecogido aquí han p opo cionado ejemplos de ace ijos sin ema,
ace ijos con un solo ema, y ace ijos con dos, es e incluso cua o
emas.
Ex ended Summa y in Spanish
35
El p incipal campo de es udio ue el ace ijo que inicialmen e se
omó como un asgo común en odas las lenguas y sociedades ya que el
uso del ace ijo se elaciona di ec amen e an o con la lengua como con
la cul u a de la p opia sociedad. De ahí, el ejemplo de los JRBR ha
se ido pa a demons a la impo ancia de las adi inanzas pa a el á ea
del olclo e. Es a p opues a ha esul ado pe inen e y, en el u u o, pod á
aplica se a es a adición en los es udios li e a ios ealizados sob e
adi inanzas esc i as en o as lenguas, y de o as zonas geog á icas.
Además, es e es udio ha p esen ado un alioso co pus signi ica i o de
JRBRs, así como su aducción, como apa ece en el Apéndice de es e
es udio, que puede publica se en o ma o de lib o como esul ado del
es udio de aducción al inglés que se p opo ciona aquí, y es a edición
puede se u ilizada pa a u u as in es igaciones.
Asimismo, se ha p opues a la idea inicial y sencilla de demos a las
capacidades y con ibuciones que la lengua á abe, y sus dialec os,
log an hace con cualquie eo ía global elacionada con la lengua y sus
ca ac e ís icas. De hecho, debido a su peso cul u al a eces muy
especí ico, los ace ijos es án es echamen e elacionados con la o ma
en que los indi iduos de es as sociedades se compo an e in e ac úan.
Como al, se pos ula que los ace ijos no deben e se como un me o
lujo cul u al, algo que solo debe dis u a se en é minos de lo bien que
un “ iddle ”, o na ado , u iliza su imaginación, o como un
en e enimien o ugaz, pe o que deben se econocidos po lo que son:
signos de un signi icado más p o undo de una sociedad de e minada
que ep esen an su his o ia y cómo esa cul u a se ansmi ió a las
siguien es gene aciones.
Más conc e amen e, es e es udio ha in oducido el sis ema JRBR
basado en la eo ía del es uc u alismo en un co pus de ace ijos locales.
Además, ha mos ado que las ca ac e ís icas de JRBR pueden da
cuen a de nue as ca ego ías del ace ijo como una ex ensión de la
uni e salidad del ace ijo que ocu e en odas las naciones. Po o o
lado, es e es udio ha p esen ado esul ados sa is ac o ios ya que se han
desa ollado nue os ipos de ó mulas de ace ijos es uc u ales y
nue as clasi icaciones basadas en el núme o de emas p esen es en los
JRBR.
Abdula ee Suleiman Salameh Alma ayeh
36
Pa a conclui , las ideas incluidas en el es udio en cues ión pueden
ayuda a o ma una isión de ansición de los aspec os de los ace ijos
que al ez conduzcan a nue os p oyec os de in es igación in eg ales
que es udien, en un sen ido más gene al, los ace ijos de o os países,
(po ejemplo, del mundo de habla inglesa), así como, en uno más
pa icula , o os ace ijos á abes de di e sas sub-e nias en Jo dania, o
en las naciones ecinas, lo que pod ía conduci a la emapeo de g upos
de ace ijos con in e eses pa icula es en la poesía coloquial beduina ya
que los beduinos ienen sus p opios mé odos a la ho a de exp esa se.
Dependen del conocimien o de los miemb os mayo es de la comunidad
pa a de e mina cómo se c ea á el ace ijo y quién pa icipa á en el
in e cambio de ace ijos. A pesa de los d ás icos cambios de ida que
han su ido úl imamen e y, la mayo ía de las eces, sin la misma
ecnología a la que o os se han acos umb ado en el mundo ac ual, su
o ma adicional de hace las cosas sigue siendo de g an in e és pa a
muchos académicos. Dado que no pa ece habe su icien es es udios
publicados sob e el conocimien o social local del pueblo beduino de la
egión del su es e de Badia, se debe a i ma que es e es udio end ía una
con inuación lógica desa ollando una indagación sob e es a á ea an es
mencionada. En un u u o abajo de in es igación, se ha ía hincapié en
los géne os li e a ios locales, así como en los ac o es elacionados con
el econocimien o de los beduinos de la a iabilidad del idioma.
In oduc ion
43
I is ue ha in he ea ly s ages o he de elopmen o his esea ch
a ea, he discipline was mo e ocused on collec ing and p ese ing
adi ional cul u al p ac ices, s o ies, and belie s. Folklo is s we e
mainly in e es ed in he idea ha p o ec ing o al li e a u e and he
pe o mances o songs, dances, games, and o he cul u al p ac ices
ca ied ou in a ce ain communi y was a posi i e s ep o e ain and, in
his way, keep ali e he cul u al ac i i ies ha we e an in eg al pa o
he communi ies hey obse ed. Hence, he s udy o olklo e began wi h
a gene al conce n o he p ese a ion o adi ional cul u es and
concen a ed i s in e es on all aspec s o olk cul u e, i.e., song, dance,
social cus oms, language, eligion, and adi ions a he same ime ha
i conside ed hei his o ical an eceden s and, e en, hei con empo a y
mani es a ions.
Schola s also seem o ag ee ha many o hese ea ly olklo is s
belie ed ha he main alue o olklo e esided in how i was so di ec ly
ela ed o he adi ional cul u es o people g oups and hei
wo ld iews. This was impo an o hese esea che s since hey also
el ha he o ces o mode niza ion and globaliza ion could well be a
h ea o hese con en ional and es ablished cul u al p ac ices. O e
ime, he s udy o olklo e became a espec ed and dis inc academic
discipline ha was conside ed o be pa o a mul idisciplina y ield o
s udy including an h opology, his o y, sociology, li e a u e, linguis ics,
psychology, e hnog aphy, and e hnomusicology. Fu he mo e, he
s udy o olklo e has been inc easingly in e es ed in he eco ding o
olklo e da a and he use o echnology o a chi e and dissemina e his
da a, p omo ing public awa eness and unde s anding o cul u al
cus oms and belie s. In his s udy, using he pe spec i es se ou by
hese esea che s, he iddles in he co pus included he e ha e also been
eco ded and p ese ed o he u u e. Thus, his ich a ea o knowledge
becomes one ha can be used by schola s who wan o examine hem,
and e en o compa e hem wi h ce ain ex s om o he a eas a ound
he wo ld.
An impo an pa o he esea ch in he a ea o olklo e was ca ied
ou on o ms o o al li e a u e, o ancien o ms o li e a u e ha we e
no eco ded in w i ing, bu ha we e ansmi ed o ally om one
gene a ion o ano he . Indeed, hese o al adi ions p eda e he w i en

Abdula ee Suleiman Salameh Alma ayeh
44
wo d in many socie ies. None heless, despi e i s impo ance, o al
li e a u e has been somewha ma ginalized in academic ci cles un il
ecen ly. In ac , i has ecei ed mo e a en ion, o a ce ain ex en , in
he las ew yea s, pa icula ly due o a o emen ioned ield o cul u al
s udies as men ioned abo e. The esea ch ca ied ou in his a ea has
enabled schola s o unde s and o al li e a u e as a dynamic, in e ac i e,
and e ol ing phenomenon. This ield has ecognized ha o al li e a u e
is no ixed, bu ha i a ies ac oss ime and space, depending on he
cul u al con ex in which i is c ea ed and consumed. Fu he mo e, he
pe spec i e o cul u al s udies also acknowledges ha o al li e a u e
does no unde go a unidi ec ional p ocess, bu ha i is shaped and
molded by he social, poli ical, and economical dynamics o he
socie ies ha p oduce i .
Pa icipa ing in he ac i i y o s o y elling was, adi ionally
speaking, one o he main ways in which people en e ained hemsel es,
augh hei child en abou hei his o y, and passed on hei cul u al
alues; while doing all o his, hey c ea ed hei own cul u al iden i y.
Thus, s o y elling ep esen s an essen ial aspec o he o al li e a y
adi ion. A common way o make hese s o ies mo e engaging is o use
iddles. The e exis many o ms o iddles, i.e., puzzles, conund ums,
o b ain ease s and hey may be cons uc ed as c yp ic s a emen s,
ques ions, o ph ases. The iddle is o en p esen ed in a poe ic o ma
ha employs imagina i e and o en su ealis ic language, which is used
in en ionally in o de o pose a challenge o he audience who is
supposed o deciphe and sol e he iddle.
One o he main ways ha he ield o cul u al s udies has
con ibu ed o he s udy o o al li e a u e is by analyzing he unc ion
ha o al li e a u e has in socie y. Many academics ag ee ha o al
li e a u e se es a ious unc ions, depending on whe e i o igina es.
One can illus a e his wi h he example o iddles. The unc ion ha a
iddle has in a u al communi y in A ica migh no coincide wi h he
unc ion o a iddle in an u ban Eu opean se ing. Cul u al s udies has
also explo ed he meaning and symbolism o o al li e a u e, he social
con ex in which hese ex s eme ge, and he social iden i ies o he
ela ionships ha hey c ea e and uphold in communi ies.
Unde s anding he implica ions o his has allowed p e ious esea che s
In oduc ion
45
o demons a e ha iddles a e no only play ul wo d games bu a e
commonly illed wi h cul u al signi icance and alue and ha when a
people g oup om a ce ain cul u e pa icipa es in he iddling p ocess,
ce ain social iden i ies and ela ionships a e ein o ced.
Riddles ha e been used since ancien imes as a way o en e ain,
challenge, and educa e. In many cul u es, iddles we e conside ed an
impo an pa o social in e ac ion which has cap u ed he a en ion o
linguis s, an h opologis s, and olklo is s. The e exis many e e ences
o iddles in Ancien G eek li e a u e. Indeed, o e he cen u ies,
schola s om a ious ields ha e de eloped heo ies abou iddles,
a emp ing o explain hei cul u al signi icance and he cogni i e
p ocesses in ol ed in sol ing hem. Many schola s ha e commen ed on
one o he ea lies heo ies, pu o h by A is o le, who saw iddles as a
o m o me apho , equi ing he lis ene o make a connec ion be ween
seemingly un ela ed hings. In addi ion, i has been demons a ed ha
in medie al Eu ope, iddles we e o en used as a o m o cou ly
en e ainmen , and collec ions o iddles we e compiled and ci cula ed
among he nobili y. Pe haps one o he mos amous o hese collec ions
is he Exe e Book, a manusc ip da ed o he 10 h cen u y, which
con ains o e 90 iddles in Old English and ep esen s he Anglo-Saxon
cul u e. An ancien manusc ip , he Exe e Book, is conside ed o be
one o he ou majo codices o Old English li e a u e, and con ains a
weal h o di e se ma e ial, including eligious and secula poems,
elegies, na a i e ex s, and a collec ion o iddles. Hence, his
an hology o w i ings ep esen s o he mos impo an manusc ip s in
Anglo-Saxon s udies. The Anglo-Saxon iddles included in his book
a e enigma ic li e a y de ices used o desc ibe e e yday objec s as well
as na u al phenomena and a e exp essed in me apho ical and
desc ip i e language.
In Anglo-Saxon England, iddles we e a popula o m o
en e ainmen . I is belie ed ha in his socie y, iddling e en s o en
ook place du ing social ga he ings like eas s held in Mead halls, a ype
o longhouse used o ga he ings. These iddles o e insigh s in o hei
li es and belie s and ep esen a no able aspec o Anglo-Saxon
olklo e. I seems ha he base o s udying he iddle in English s ems
om hese ex s. Fo his s udy, a sho in oduc ion abou he iddles
Abdula ee Suleiman Salameh Alma ayeh
46
in he Exe e book helps o lay ou a ce ain ounda ion o he iddles
in ou co pus and how hey, in u n, p o ide in o ma ion abou he li es
and social ac i i ies o he people in he Jo danian Badia egion.
The heo e ical pe spec i e om he a ea o s uc u alism is also
signi ican o he wo k a hand. This heo y ocuses on pe cei ing and
in e p e ing he unde lying s uc u es o human socie y and cul u e.
O igina ing in he ields o linguis ics and an h opology, his concep
has been applied in a ious o he disciplines, i.e., li e a y heo y,
sociology, and psychology. The undamen al p emise o s uc u alism
is ha e e y aspec o cul u e, including language and social
ins i u ions, has a basic s uc u e ha can be singled ou , analyzed, and
assessed. Once hese s uc u es a e unde s ood, one can be e
comp ehend he unc ioning o cul u e as a whole.
S uc u alism was i s in oduced by he Swiss linguis Fe dinand
de Saussu e in he la e 19 h cen u y. Saussu e’s ideas deal mainly wi h
language and on how he s uc u e o language shapes a people’s
unde s anding o he wo ld a ound hem. He claimed ha language is
no a simple collec ion o wo ds and meanings, bu ha i is a complex
sys em o signs ha a e in e connec ed and ha only ha e meaning in
ela ion o each o he . To Saussu e, his in e connec i i y ep esen s he
s uc u e o language. Thus, one o he signi ican concep s o
s uc u alism is he belie ha a people’s beha io and ac ions a e
shaped by social s uc u es and cul u al pa e ns. In 1969, he F ench
an h opologis Clause Lé i S auss applied his idea in his analysis o
social s uc u es and cul u al p ac ices. S auss analyzed kinship
sys ems o be e g asp how g oups s uc u ed hei idea o kinship and
concluded ha all socie ies a e s uc u ed a ound a se o bina y
opposi ions, i.e., male s. emale, o na u e s. cul u e. S auss claimed
ha hese opposi ions a e uni e sal o he human being and e lec he
ing ained s uc u e o he human b ain.
The idea o bina y opposi ions has con inued o be a opic o g ea
conside a ion. Nowadays some esea che s s ill belie e ha hey a e
undamen al s uc u es o human hough , and as such a e e lec ed in
all aspec s o cul u e, i.e., good s. e il, and li e s. dea h. Se e al
s udies ha e sugges ed ha bina y opposi ions a e no me ely simple
dicho omies, bu ha hey po ay complex sys ems o meaning ha
In oduc ion
47
de ine how human beings unde s and he wo ld a ound hem. O he
schola s ha e sugges ed ha bina y opposi ions a e no uni e sal, bu
ha hey a e cul u ally speci ic and, as such, e lec di e en cul u al
alues and belie s.
Ano he a ea o s uc u alism ha is signi ican o his s udy has
o do wi h he ield o linguis ics. S uc u al linguis ics comp ises an
app oach o language ha highligh s he unde lying s uc u es o
language a he han indi idual wo ds and hei meanings. In his way,
s uc u al linguis ics s esses he impo ance o he ules ha go e n he
use o language, o g amma , o e indi idual wo ds. An illus a ion o
his can easily be seen in he di e ence be ween he ph ases “he is
w i ing” and “he w o e” in which he same e bs ha e been conjuga ed
in he p esen con inuous and he pas simple e b enses in o de o
exp ess e y di e en meanings. This clea ly shows ha he ules
which go e n how people use language a e mo e impo an han he
indi idual meaning o he wo ds hemsel es. One o he schola s
in ol ed in e hinking s uc u al linguis ics was Michel Foucaul who
ejec ed he mo e simplis ic idea o language and highligh ed ha social
s uc u es ein o ce and main ain powe ela ions o he ex en ha hey
a e o en disguised as language and cul u al p ac ices. This c i ique o
s uc u alism as well as o he s, led o he eme gence o pos -
s uc u alism, an a ea ha conside s he e is a need o mo e complex
analyses ha ake in o accoun he idea o indi iduals and indi idual
subjec i i y and how hey help o shape cul u al and social phenomena.
In his disse a ion, his s uc u al linguis ic poin o iew has been
applied o he co pus o JRBRs p esen ed; simila i ies be ween hem
and iddles om o he a eas has been ound, as well as ce ain
di e ences ha help o es ablish hei own s uc u al and linguis ic
desc ip ion.
Apa om g amma , s uc u alism was also applied o li e a u e
heo y in he mid-20 h cen u y. Resea che s who applied his
pe spec i e concen a ed on he unde lying s uc u e o li e a y ex s as
well as on how hese ex s e lec deepe s uc u es o cul u e. Many o
hem claim ha li e a y ex s a e no simple ep esen a ions o eali y,
bu ins ead a e complex sys ems o meaning ha demons a e deepe
s uc u es o cul u e. An illus a ion o his can be obse ed in a li e a y
Abdula ee Suleiman Salameh Alma ayeh
48
ex ha employs bina y opposi ions such as good s. e il o exempli y
mo e p o ound cul u al belie s and alues. This idea has also been
u ilized in he s udy o iddles since hey can be analyzed as a sys em
o meaning ha ep esen s deepe s uc u es o a cul u al sys em.
Riddles use language o c ea e meaning and ha e a speci ic s uc u e
ha consis s o a ques ion o s a emen ollowed by a clue o hin and
hen he solu ion o answe is gi en. The i s pa se s up he p oblem
o be sol ed, while he second pa poin s he way o he co ec answe .
The answe is he solu ion o he p oblem ha he iddle p esen s. The
idea o p oblem s. solu ion is in i sel an example o a bina y
opposi ion. Mo eo e , he me apho s and igu a i e speech ha appea
in iddles is ano he example o opposi ion, i.e., li e al s igu a i e
language. Fu he mo e, he iddle commonly in ol es a ce ain ype o
wo dplay o pun, which can also be explained in he bina y opposi ion
o li e al meaning s. mul iple meanings. In he s udy a hand he
concep o he s uc u alis heo e ical pe spec i e emphasizing he
unde lying s uc u es o human socie y and cul u e is applied o he
co pus o JRBRs p esen ed he e. In his applica ion, e idence o how
he iddle e lec s a deepe cul u al unde s anding o he people g oup
om his egion is clea ly obse ed.
Finally, his disse a ion con ibu es o he ield o pos colonial
s udies, since i s ocus is on non-Eu ocen ic cul u es so as o ma k hei
space in Wes e n academia. Whe he in No h A ica, Mesopo amia,
A abia, o he Le an , he Bedouin expe ienced colonial dominance
e en hough his cul u e in ac supe seded ha o he Eu opeans. In
ce ain ins ances, Wes e n cul u al hegemony was based on li e acy
e ms, i.e., well es ablished Eu opean w i en adi ions ha ended o
displace adi ional na i e o al o ms o exp ession. Al hough A abic is
a ich li e a y language and did no su e he cons ain s o mos
A ican languages ha we e s ic ly enclosed in he o al adi ion, he
ac is ha li e acy a es among he Bedouin ha e pe haps no been as
high as in o he people g oups and his has elega ed hem in schola ly
p oduc ion.
In his sense, he ield o pos colonial s udies has eadd essed
ce ain biases om he pas . They ha e o ien ed Wes e n philology
owa ds cul u al o ms o non-Wes e n egions. The e o e, al hough

In oduc ion
49
his disse a ion is w i en in English as a global language o cul u e
ha , along wi h F ench, is s ill la gely used by schola s in A abic
ins i u ions, i u he mo e simul aneously add esses A abic cul u al
adi ion as well as A abic i sel .
In his sense, he A ab wo ld owes much o p ima y sou ces such
as he Qu an ( he Islamic Holy Book) and o documen ed his o ical
A abic manusc ip s ha ha e helped o p ese e he classical w i en
and o al s uc u e o adi ional A abic. One speci ic example o his is
he Al iyya o Ibn Malik a book o A abic g amma w i en in hyme;
his summa y, as p oposed by Jamal Al-Din Muhammad bin Abdullah
bin Malik Al Taei Al-Jayani in he 13 h cen u y AD, consis s o one
housand poe ic e ses abou he syn ax and mo phology o he A abic
language. Un il he cu en ime, he impac o he high es eem
bes owed upon Classical A abic is s ill dominan in mos w i en wo k
and is s ill widely used in o icial speeches as well. Fu he mo e, due
o he wide a ia ion be ween A abic dialec s, i is also he only way
o A abic speake s o communica e wi h people who do no sha e he
same egional dialec o A abic. Nowadays, since he ields o
pos colonial s udies and cul u al s udies ha e os e ed plu ali y and
espec o na i e cul u al mani es a ions, esea ch p ojec s like he one
a hand a e indeed me i ed.
By nu u ing his p ojec , he PhD p og am in Ad anced English
S udies: Linguis ics, Li e a u e & Cul u e a he Uni e sidade de
San iago de Compos ela pa icipa es in he wake o o he p es igious
ins i u ions, such as he London School o O ien al and A ican S udies
and hei coun e pa s in Be lin o Pa is. I seems only i ing ha in
ins i u ions like hese which we e once ounded o each membe s o
he colonial adminis a ion and hei amilies now play an ac i e ole
p omo ing he cul u es o he o me impe ial e i o ies. This
disse a ion has a mul icul u al ambi ion; by using English as he
medium o exp ession i ca e s o an in e na ional audience while i
p o ides access o esea ch published in A abic. A he same ime, i is
a base poin o in e cul u al compa a i e s udies.
Abdula ee Suleiman Salameh Alma ayeh
50
OBJECTIVES
Nex , he objec i es o his s udy, and he esea ch ques ions a e laid
ou wi h e e ence o he speci ic opic o his disse a ion: he Jo danian
Bedouin Riddle o he Badia Region, o JRBR. Taking in o
conside a ion he p e ious discussions ela ed o he s udy o he iddle
wi h e e ence o cul u al s udies, olklo e and s uc u alism, his
doc o al disse a ion seeks o ill a gap no ye accoun ed o by
p eceding s udies, as well as o allow o a deepe unde s anding o he
opic, since i is conduc ed on he speci ic A abic-speaking communi y
o he Bedouin o he Jo danian Badia egion.
In i , one seeks o:
1) p ese e he ex s in he co pus p esen ed he e as elemen s o
olklo e ha ha e g ea signi icance in he unde s anding o he
belie s and wo ld iews o his people g oup;
2) demons a e ha JRBRs a e sys ema ic and ule-go e ned, and
ha hey ha e uni e sal co ela ions and speci ic pa e ns ha can
be success ully explained by in e na ional heo ies p oposed by
p e ious schola s.;
3) publish his co pus as a way o p o ide an English ansla ion o
he iddles so ha hey can be mo e easily accessed by o he
esea che s in he u u e;
4) d aw a en ion o he JRBR as an o al li e a y and aes he ic
gen e. Much like pa icipa ing in iddling exchanges in Bedouin
socie ies, his gen e i sel is ex emely popula , and, as such,
ep esen s a sou ce o linguis ic ea u es gene a ed du ing a human
ac i i y ha has ye o be adequa ely s udied;
5) e eal he uni e sal link be ween di e en socie ies by applying
he well-known heo ies om he s uc u alis pe spec i e
men ioned abo e o he Jo danian Bedouin Riddle o he Badia
egion, o JRBR;
In oduc ion
51
6) se e as a e e en o u u e analyses on he unc ions, o m,
and con en o iddles in li e a y adi ions in English-speaking and
also in o he non-English speaking coun ies; and
7) p o ide e idence o he a ia ion be ween p ose and poe ic
iddles which is ca ied ou by applying he heo e ical amewo k
om a s uc u alis poin o iew.
Making use o his empi ical pe spec i e will help o answe he
ollowing esea ch ques ions abou he cul u al implica ions on he
le el o cul u al aspec s and he linguis ic s uc u e p esen in JRBRs.
1. Wha cul u al aspec s and elemen s o m pa o JRBRs?
2. Using he s uc u alis amewo k, wha ea u es a e ound o
exis in he widesp ead gen e o JRBRs?
3. A e JRBRs uni e sally linked o o he iddles a ound he wo ld?
4. Wha a ia ions does he s uc u alis heo y yield o JRBR
p ose and poe y iddles?
METHODOLOGY
Fo he pu pose o his doc o al disse a ion, a co pus o da a was
ga he ed om Jo danian Bedouins li ing in he Badia egion in he
sou heas Jo dan. Na i e A abic speaking emales and males we e
asked o supply JRBRs ha we e amilia o hem, especially hose ha
would be bene icial o a cul u al s udy, and hose ha we e mos
ela ed o he mo e adi ional s yle o o he people hei age, and hei
ances o s. Al hough he age o he pa icipan s was no limi ed, all o
hem we e adul s wi h expe ience in he iddling p ocess; some we e
e en mo e expe ienced poe s who a e accus omed o in e ac ing as
pa icipan s in he mo e di icul le el o iddle challenges.
Abdula ee Suleiman Salameh Alma ayeh
52
The collec ion o iddles ha was ga he ed and p esen ed in he
s udy a hand is o pa icula in e es o wo easons. The i s esides
in he ime ame i sel since i is likely ha he in o man s we e able
e oke iddles going back o as a as he wen ie h cen u y o ea lie .
Secondly, and possibly e en mo e c ucially, hese iddles a e ac i e
a i ac s o he speake s’ p e-li e a e o al cul u e, and, in o he wo ds,
ep esen o al-li e a y knowledge as obse ed om his o al
componen . They appea as an abundan quan i y o li e a y di e si y
ha o igina ed om an illi e a e people; u he mo e, hey a e o special
signi icance o he au ho since hey a e a i ac s o his ances o s.
Once he iddles we e collec ed, hey we e ansc ibed in o A abic.
The s uc u e o each example was s udied o asce ain he componen s
and o de o each iddle. The opics and cul u al elemen s p esen in he
iddle we e also analyzed and desc ibed. These ex s we e also
ansla ed in o English.
One o he main di icul ies in p esen ing his s udy was being able
o p o ide an app op ia e and adequa e English ansla ion o he
o iginal A abic co pus. Due o he ex eme linguis ic, s ylis ic, and
cul u al gap be ween A abic and English, one o he linguis ic obs acles
is achie ing equi alence when in e p e ing he iddles be ween he wo
languages. Gene ally speaking, cul u al and linguis ic di e ences a e
conside ed o be he mos p oblema ic issues o ansla ion, which is
why he ansla o mus be comple ely awa e o he o he cul u e, and,
hus, able o unde s and he meaning o a speci ic cul u al exp essions.
Mo eo e , when ansla ing local idioms associa ed wi h a
pa icula socie y, he e a e cul u al conno a ions ha a ise om he
unique ecology ound he e, as well as he mo e cha ac e is ic eligious
adi ions, social habi s, concep s, and belie s. To pu i blun ly, o a
g ea ex en , he linguis ic s uc u e o JRBRs canno be ansla ed in
an exac way in o English. Since he local dialec o A abic and he
cul u al ci cums ances o his a ea co ela e qui e i mly wi h he
linguis ic s uc u es used, ansla ing om one language o ano he
while e aining all o he ele an linguis ic ea u es p o es di icul .
The e o e, i is he ansla o who mus come up wi h an accu a e
ende ing o he iddle and he eply. To do his he/she mus be
accus omed o many ea u es o his speci ic social eali y, bo h na u al
Chap e One: The Bedouin in Jo dan & Bedouin Cul u e
59
ha es, jackals, oxes, wildca s, hyenas, wol es, gazelles, mongoose,
oden s, and e en a ew leopa ds. Golden eagles, ul u es, pigeons, and
pa idges can be ound as can liza ds, cen ipedes, and sco pions.
As a as he human popula ion is conce ned, mos o he people in
Jo dan a e A abs, mainly Jo danians and Pales inians, mos likely
because Jo dan may be he only A ab na ion ha au oma ically g an s
ci izenship o Pales inian e ugees. The e is also a no able mino i y o
Bedouin. The la e g oup, also known as Bedu in Jo dan, made up he
la ges indigenous people be o e he mass a i al o he Pales inians
a e he wa s wi h Is ael in 1948 and 1967. To da e, he Jo danian
Bedouin ibal sys em emains ai h ul o he Hashemi e kingdom,
which has uled he coun y since he A ab e ol in 1923. The e a e
also mino i y g oups o Sy ians who a e e ugees om he Sy ian Ci il
Wa and I aqis who ook e uge in Jo dan a e he Pe sian Gul and he
I aq Wa espec i ely. Finally, he e a e a small numbe o Ci cassians
li ing in A menian communi ies and Tu kmen as well.
As pe eligion, he majo i y o he popula ion, o e 97% a e Sunni
Muslim. The es o he popula ion is mos ly Ch is ian. O he la e ,
mos con o m o he G eek O hodox doc ine, al hough he e a e also
G eek Ca holics, Ca holics o he Byzan ine i ual, Roman Ca holics, a
small g oup o Sy ian O hodox Pa ia cha es o An ioch and an e en
smalle g oup o P o es an s. Mos o he non-A ab Ch is ians a e
A menians and belong o ei he he O hodox o he Ca holic Chu ch.
The e a e also small g oups o D uze and Baha’i ollowe s.
A abic is he o icial language in Jo dan. The egional dialec s
which occu he e a e ela ed o he Le an ine a ie y o A abic spoken
in pa s o Sy ia, Pales ine, and Lebanon and, hus, mu ually
unde s andable. The educa ional sys em includes Mode n S anda d
A abic, e y simila o Classical A abic, which is no ably di e en om
he mo e colloquial, spoken language used in e e yday li e as happens
all o e he A ab wo ld.
Wi h espec o he cul u al he i age o he A abic language, he
A ab wo ld owes much o p ima y sou ces such as he Qu an ( he
Islamic Holy Book) and o documen ed his o ical A abic manusc ip s
ha ha e helped o p ese e he classical w i en and o al s uc u e o
adi ional A abic. One speci ic example o his is he Al iyya o Ibn

Abdula ee Suleiman Salameh Alma ayeh
60
Malik a book o A abic g amma w i en in hyme; his summa y, as
p oposed by Jamal Al-Din Muhammad bin Abdullah bin Malik Al Taei
Al-Jayani in he 13 h cen u y AD, consis s o one housand poe ic
e ses abou he syn ax and mo phology o he A abic language. Un il
he cu en ime, he impac o he high es eem bes owed upon Classical
A abic is s ill dominan in mos w i en wo k and is s ill widely used in
o icial speeches as well. Fu he mo e, due o he wide a ia ion
be ween A abic dialec s, i is also he only way o A abic speake s o
communica e wi h people who do no sha e he same egional dialec
o A abic. Hence, i is easy o see why, o many gene a ions,
esea che s and schola s ocused mainly on wha Wes e n schola s
denomina ed Mode n S anda d A abic (MSA) o Mode n W i en
A abic (MWA). These esea che s soon ealized how ich in olklo e
and cul u e li e a y ex s in o he dialec s o Classical A abic we e.
Unlike o he A ab coun ies such as Egyp , he in e es o Jo danian
schola s in documen ing hei own cul u al he i age and local li e a y
ex s seems o ha e been spa ked somewha la e in he las decades o
he 20 h cen u y. Al hough many easons caused his delay, he mos
impo an one is mos likely he o e all poo , local economic
condi ions, as well as he esul ing social ins abili y, ha de eloped
because o he wa s ha a aged he whole egion, (i.e., WWI and he
A ab-Is aeli Wa s).
Fi s as a pa o he O oman Empi e, and hen as a manda e o he
Uni ed Kingdom, Jo dan did no become an independen kingdom un il
1946. The li e a y mo emen s p esen in Jo dan can be obse ed in
h ee s ages ha e lec his his o ical ansi ion: om 1921, he ime o
he Eas e n Emi a e, un il he independence o 1946, om 1947 du ing
he pos -independence and he Jo danian-Pales inian in e dependence
phase un il he six-day wa in 1967, and om he Al-Naksa se back in
1967 o he p esen ime.
The na u e o Jo dan’s associa ion wi h he Le an un il he end o
he O oman ule coupled wi h he powe ha he ibal conques s had
on he ela ions be ween he ibes and he u al popula ion in ha a ea
esul ed in an absence o newspape s and magazines, and also in
insu icien means o p omo e educa ion o schools o each A abic.
Hence, educa ion was limi ed o he eligious schools o Sheikhs whose
Chap e One: The Bedouin in Jo dan & Bedouin Cul u e
61
cul u e and cu icula ocused only on unde s anding ma hema ical
calcula ions, memo izing he Qu an, and w i ing A abic callig aphy.
The i s Jo danian seconda y school was es ablished in 1923, wo yea s
a e he a i al o P ince Abdullah I bin Al-Hussein and p oduced i s
i s g adua es in 1928. Ne e heless, he middle o his pe iod saw an
imp o emen in he de elopmen o li e a y wo ks which ocused
mainly on A ab na ionalism as ega ded h ough he eyes o se e al
well-known poe s and w i e s, such as Mus a a Wahbi Al-Tal, known
locally as A a , Muhammad Abu Qhanema, and Husni Fa eez among
o he s.
The ime a e 1948, known as he pos -Nakba pe iod, which
b ough o e 70,000 Pales inian e ugees in o he Hashemi e Kingdom
o Jo dan, may pe haps also ma k a ce ain u ning poin in Jo danian
li e a u e. The explosion in popula ion igge ed he addi ion o new
schools which esul ed in highe numbe s o educa ed people, and,
consequen ly, o uni e si y g adua es. Mos o he li e a y wo ks a his
ime no iceably e ol ed a ound he Pales inian issue. Va ious
academic and in ellec ual ends conce ned wi h he cha ac e is ic
mix u e o Jo danian-Pales inian o igina ed, and, in u n, con ibu ed o
he eme gence o many w i e s, c i ics, and poe s in he ields o he
sho s o y, no el, adi ional poe y, and ee e se. In his conclusion,
Abdual hman Abu Hani, e e ences how he w i e s du ing his pe iod
signi ican ly in luenced he cu icula o schools and uni e si ies and
con inued o do so un il he beginning o he cu en cen u y. Thei
li e a y wo ks abounded in au hen ic A ab cul u e which combined he
glo ies o he pas wi h he spi i o he u u e (1979: 202-204). Du ing
he hi d s age, by ocusing on g oups o poe ic and p ose gen es ha
belonged o di e en egions, e.g., Jo danian s yle o Pales inian
cha ac e , schola s began o in es iga e a ce ain amoun o li e a y
wo ks om he p e ious phase. In doing so, a new and mo e local
in e es in esea ching Jo danian o ms o li e a u e and he use o he
A abic language su aced (Ya'qoob 2009: Vol.1: 1045-1317).
This wo ld o schola ship migh seem o be ou side he ealm o
he Bedu, who by na u e, li e a simple li e, and, gene ally speaking,
a oid complica ions, since hey a e mos ly in e es ed in hei li es ock
li ing a away in he dese , and may o may no know how o ead and
Abdula ee Suleiman Salameh Alma ayeh
62
w i e. Howe e , he Bedouin en i onmen was a ich ield o s udies
o o ien alis s and some local esea che s who paid g ea a en ion o
he Bedu dialec s, cul u e, and cus oms ha , acco ding o many
schola s, migh ep esen he li es yle o human beings who ha e no
been a ec ed by he p ocesses o mode n ci iliza ion. These p e ious
in es iga ions s udied Bedouin colloquial dialec s, as well as hei
poe y, p ose, p o e bs, and olk ales. Fo ins ance, among he
p oduc i e w i e s who became well known h ough he Jo danian
media one can ind he poe s: Hekma An-Nawasiyah, Habib Al-
Zeyoudi, Ali Shanina , Muhammad Al-Qaisi, and Ib ahim Nas allah.
As ega ds he Bedu s o y, one mus e e o: Jamal Naji, Moas Al-
Razzaz, Salem Al-Nahhas, Jalal Ba jas, Hazza Al-Ba a i, Ma leh Al-
Adwan, Samiha Kh eis, Hashem Gha aibeh, Uday Madana , and
Mukhlid Ba aka . In he ield o he i age s udies on Jo danian Bedouin
li e a u e, Rocks Al-Azizi, Yaqoub Al-Awda ( he masked Bedouin),
and Abdel Halim Abbas s and ou . While, inally, some o he schola s
dedica ed o s udying he Bedouin dialec a e: Fakh i Kawa , Mahmoud
Al-Rihawi, and Bad Abdel-Haq (as e e enced in Same Qu ami 1981:
6-8).
Due o he a o emen ioned clima ic and geog aphical di e ences,
he Jo danian landscape is di ided in o wo basic a eas, he dese
egion and he cul i a ed egion, and each a ea enables a di e en
li es yle. Hence, Jo danians ha e adi ionally se led in h ee majo
g oups: Bedouin, o Bedu, nomadic en -dwelle s, u al esiden s, and
u ban esiden s. The Bedu nomadic en -dwelle s comp ise a ound 10%
o he popula ion, and make hei li ing in he dese , ce ain a eas o
he plains and in he moun ainous highland a ea. This pe cen age used
o be highe , bu many ha e mo ed o u ban a eas. Indeed, i is said ha
a ound 30% o u ban Jo danian esiden s can ace hei ances y o his
nomadic Bedu g oup. O he Bedouin nomadic en -dwelling g oup, he
eas e n Bedu a e mos ly camel b eede s and he de s, while he Bedu in
he wes he d sheep and goa s. Ano he pa o hem a e semi-nomads,
o people who adop a nomadic exis ence du ing he summe mon hs
bu e u n o hei homes and lands when school is in session and c ops
need o be plan ed. Ru al ci izens, including small numbe s o Bedu,
o m abou 20% o he popula ion. A no mal li ing si ua ion o hem
Chap e One: The Bedouin in Jo dan & Bedouin Cul u e
63
consis s o a g oup o houses wi h o he essen ial buildings like a
mosque and p ima y school and pas u eland nea by. Depending on he
size o he illage he e may also be a medical clinic, pos o ice, a
adi ional a me ’s ma ke space and e en a ca é. In hese illages, he
amilies end o be closely ela ed. This pa ia chal sys em also depends
on ex ended- amily ies ha help o go e n hei social ela ionships
and ibal sys ems.
A ound 70% o Jo danians eside in u ban egions.1 The main
popula ion cen e s a e Amman, I bid, and Al-Za qāʾ, al hough he e a e
many smalle ci ies and owns which ha e hund eds o housands o
inhabi an s. Unlike he illages, mos owns ha e go e nmen and
p i a e schools, lib a ies, hospi als, banks, mosques, chu ches, as well
as en e ainmen acili ies. The capi al ci y, Amman, and Al-Za qāʾ,
and o a ce ain ex en , I bid, ha e mo e ad anced u ban cha ac e is ics
han do he smalle owns.
Mos schola s ag ee ha he e m Bedouin e e s o he nomadic
A ab people who ha e his o ically inhabi ed he dese a eas a eling
wi h hei he ds in sea ch o he meadow in No h A ica, he A abian
Peninsula, I aq, and he Le an .2 In A abic, badawī means he “dese
dwelle ”, and is adi ionally opposed wi h ḥāḍi o he e m o
seden a y people. As e e enced in Tamplin, cu en ly, he majo i y o
A abs who de ine hemsel es as Bedu descend om he nomadic
Bedouins and p e e o li e in one egion (2018:3). The image o he
Bedouin being nomadic dese dwelle s da es back cen u ies; howe e ,
he e a e no many ibes ha s ill main ain p ope y. As will be seen in
he nex sec ion, he unique cul u e o he Bedu esul ed om he
ag icul u e sho age and he c uel ci cums ances unde aken o be able
o inhabi he dese .
The Bedouin, o Bedu, a e o ganized no only wi h a ibal
s uc u e, bu also acco ding o a mo e poli ical and economic aspec
ha a ec s he social and cul u al ac i i ies ha ake place bo h wi hin
he ibe’s in e ac ions as well as ou side he ibe's a ai s. Leybou ne
poin s ou ha al hough he Bedouins compose jus a small pe cen age,
1 See Donald P. Cole, 2003:251.
2 C oss e e ence: Wal e Dos al: 1967.
Abdula ee Suleiman Salameh Alma ayeh
64
pe haps less han 10%, o he o al popula ion o Jo dan, hey ha e
con inued o play an essen ial ole in he cu en a ai s o his coun y
(1993:34). The Bedu ha e p esen ed hei dis inc oles in Jo dan in an
especially a ac i e model, and, consequen ly, hei cul u e has also
been emb aced, o he ex en ha many Bedouin adi ions and cus oms
ha e sp ead widely h oughou he Jo danian communi y. The Bedu o
Jo dan conside hemsel es o be he o iginal sou ce o Jo danian
he i age and, hus, he backbone o Jo danian cul u e. The e o e, hey
a e commonly ecognized as being he “pu eblooded” ci izens o
Jo dan. The s anda d language o he Bedu in Jo dan is usually A abic;
howe e , many non-Bedouins may ha e ouble unde s anding hem
because hey no only ha e a dis inc dialec , bu hey also end o
employ lexicon and ce ain ph ases which o m a pa o hei cul u al
backg ound. In addi ion, many Bedu end o d ess in a s yle ha is
di e en om he social no ms o he es o socie y since hese mo e
adi ional ways o d essing a e be e sui ed o hei li e in he dese .
I is gene ally unde s ood ha he Bedouins we e he sole use s and
mas e s o all o he dese a eas, be o e mode n Jo dan was es ablished,
and hei s ong emo ional a achmen o he dese can easily be
obse ed. H.R.H. P ince Ghazi bin Muhammad bin Talal quo es a
popula saying abou he Bedu when he a i ms ha whe he hey a e
se led, semi-nomadic, o among he ew emaining ue Bedouins o
Jo dan, he dese ep esen s who hey a e (1999:20). In desc ibing his
a achmen , H.R.H P ince Ghazi bin Muhammad used he well-known
saying, “ ﻊﯿﻄﺘﺴﺗ ﺐﻠﻗ ﻦﻣ ءاﺮﺤﺼﻟا جاﺮﺧا ﻚﻨﻜﻤﯾ ﻻ ﻦﻜﻟ ءاﺮﺤﺼﻟا ﻦﻣ يوﺪﺒﻟا جﺮﺨُﺗ نا
يوﺪﺒﻟا” o , you can ake he A ab ou o he dese , bu you canno ake
he dese ou o he A ab2F
3.
Indeed, mos ag ee ha he dese is he home o many Jo danians
who descend om a pu e Bedu he i age. Some o hem e en claim ha
he cu en s a e is bu a empo a y coun y, o med o “ ence in” he
li e and libe y o he Bedouin people. Du ing he ime his s udy was
unde aken, some o he Bedu we e li ing in Badia, in he eas e n, Al
3 T ansla ion by he au ho .

Chap e One: The Bedouin in Jo dan & Bedouin Cul u e
65
Raqnb sec o o Jo dan. As a Bedu se lemen , Badia has been
cha ac e ized o be ibal, sel -sus aining land ha was ecei ed om
he s a e as a means o suppo . This a ea is p edominan ly made up o
a id and semia id clima es because o he lack o ain all. Ye , in spi e
o he low le els o ain all in Badia, i is s ill an impo an sou ce o
g azing o li es ock b eede s.
Pe haps since Badia is no close o me opoli an a eas, he Bedu
ha e been capable o main aining hei unique social alues and no ms.
Howe e , some say ha se e al o he mos p ominen ea u es in A ab
socie y as a whole, and in pa icula , in Jo dan, can be seen in hei
s onges o m in he Bedu li es yle. Fo ins ance, Bedouins a e
celeb a ed o hei gene osi y and hospi ali y. In ac , an essen ial pa
o hei c eed, oo ed in he c uel y o li e in he dese , is ha no isi o
be u ned away. Ano he example is he ibal s uc u e o A ab socie y
ha is easily obse ed amongs he Bedu, whe e he clan is he cen e
o hei social li e. In Bedu cul u e, a collec ion o small amilies
oge he cons i u es a clan (qawm), hen a numbe o hese clans make
up a ibe o (qabila). In hese clans and ibes, Bedouin alues a e
passed down om one gene a ion o he nex based on hei ancien
code o hono which insis s on absolu e loyal y o he clan and ibe in
o de o wa an he su i al o ce ain g oups. Since he Bedu ha e
emained in hese a eas, and hus li ed o so long ou side he dominan
au ho i y o he kingdom, hey ha e adop ed se e al speci ic social
ibal laws o main ain o de in hei communi y. These laws include
expulsion om he ibe and he necessi y o s and i m in suppo o
ce ain issues ha a e impo an o hei su i al and well-being.
Un il he beginning o he 20 h cen u y, he Bedu in Jo dan we e
nomadic, al hough ce ain ibes held he igh o selec i e g azing
egions. In he ea ly 1940s, many ac o s, such as he inc eased con ols
implemen ed by he mode n go e nmen , caused no a small numbe o
young Bedu o en e he Jo danian a my. In he las 40 yea s, hose Bedu
ha e become mo e se led, o “seden a y” and, a mos , semi-nomadic.
As a way o acili a e classi ica ion, mo emen wi h he ds has become
a ac o in dis inguishing nomads om seden a y people. Li ings one
Abdula ee Suleiman Salameh Alma ayeh
66
add esses he egula i y o mos Bedouin mo emen as being based on
dis ance, which migh p o ide an ambiguous a e age o classi ica ion
(1985:3-4). Howe e , he e y concep o mo emen is mo e
complica ed han i seems because i can mean he in ol emen o only
he s onges amily membe s, o i can also mean he in ol emen o
he en i e amily. I is qui e common o he younge amily o clan
membe s o o m pa o he g oup who ca y ou he mo emen , ei he
in he p epa a ions o he necessa y a angemen s o hose who will
ollow, o in he p epa a ions o he he d ha will be in ansi wi h a
es ic ed numbe o shephe ds.
Today, i is challenging o dis inguish be ween nomadic and se led
Bedu and i is e en mo e complica ed o d aw he line be ween he
se led Bedu and hose who a e mo e mobile in Jo dan. Some schola s
ha e sugges ed ha physical condi ions a e wha ma ks he di e ence
be ween he se led and he nomadic g oups. In any case, he Bedu used
o beha e di e en ly, bu oday mos o hem no longe wande om
place o place. Ins ead, hey ha e ended o associa e and mix wi h
se led communi ies and, consequen ly, ha e adap ed o his change. An
example can be seen in he li es yle o some nomadic Bedu women.
T adi ionally, hese women would spend mos o he day in and a ound
hei en s ca ying ou he speci ic du ies and cho es in ol ed in ca ing
o hei homes, child en, and he ds. Pa o hese ac i i ies included
collec ing i ewood and wa e which mean hey in e ac ed wi h he
o he women who li ed nea by, which, in u n, helped o p omo e hei
social ela ionships. Once hey le hei nomadic li es yle behind, many
o hese women no longe ha e o lea e hei homes, so hey s ay
indoo s o longe pe iods o ime and do no en e in o as much social
in e ac ion. This is said o ha e esul ed in a educ ion in social
ela ionships and communi y ies.
A mo e gene al desc ip ion o hese changes was p o ided by
Jabbū and Con ad who iden i ied and p oposed h ee ypes o Bedu
li es yle oday (1995:30-31). The i s ype is ep esen a i e o he
classical, pu e, o mainly unmixed, g oup who a e s ill mobile. Those
who p ac ice mobili y wande h ough he Badia a ea sea ching o
g azing land and wa e supplies o hei he ds. The second ype, he
semi-nomads, ep esen s a g oup whose ac i i ies a e hal -way be ween
Chap e One: The Bedouin in Jo dan & Bedouin Cul u e
67
he o iginal and mo e au hen ic nomadic li es yle and he se led g oup.
In Badia, he semi-nomads plan c ops, especially ba ley and whea ,
and ake hei he ds o sheep and goa s a and deep in o he dese
be o e u ning back o hei illages. Howe e , his g oup o Bedu also
conside hemsel es o be pu e Bedu. Apa om he c ops hey plan ,
hei mos aluable inancial ac i i y is animal husband y. The e o e,
wi h pas o alism cen e ed on sheep and goa s, and some cul i a ion
c ops, e en hough hey a e semi-nomadic, hei way o li e is
compa able o ha o he nomadic Bedu. Ob iously, he e is also some
a ia ion in his g oup and a ce ain numbe o hem a e mo e se led,
bu he common ac o seems o be ha hey ha e inc easingly ocused
hei a en ion on plan ing c ops such as ba ley, ye hey may s ill end
o some sheep and goa s. The hi d ype is he g oup who ha e s opped
aising animals and ha e se led down comple ely; in ac , many o
hem ha e mo ed o u ban a eas.
While hese h ee g oups only a y in e ms o how mobile hey
a e and he numbe o animals in hei he ds, hey all sha e simila
habi s in cul u al alues and adi ions. Hence, he ibal associa ion is
s ill essen ial o all h ee g oups since i p o ides hem wi h se e al
igh s and ad an ages o e he s a egic esou ces ound in hei a eas
like land and p o essional oppo uni ies.
Abdula ee Suleiman Salameh Alma ayeh
68
1.1 LIFE IN THE DESERT
A e p esen ing his ini ial idea o who he Jo danian Bedouin a e, i is
also necessa y o discuss some o he mo e impo an aspec s o hei
cul u e. Since hese cul u e ep esen a ions e lec he cul u al he i age
passed down om p e ious gene a ions, in he case a hand, i has much
o do wi h he nomadic li es yle o he ibal g oups in he geog aphical
a ea e e ed o abo e. Indeed, making a li ing in he dese has esul ed
in many o he cul u al aspec s ha a e called o when humans mus
su i e in such a hos ile en i onmen . One o he mos impo an
elemen s necessa y o an i ine an communi y is hei home which, in
his case, is he Bedu en .
The Qu an desc ibes he homes o he Bedouins, hei u ni u e,
and hei belongings wi h he e se: “ ﷲو ﻞﻌﺟ ﻢﻜﻟ ﻦﻣ دﻮﻠﺟ مﺎﻌﻧﻷا
ًﺎﺗﻮﯿﺑ
ﺎﮭﻧﻮﱡﻔِ
ﺨَﺘْﺴَﺗ
َمﻮﯾ ﻢﻜﻨﻌَظ مﻮﯾو ﻢﻜﺘﻣﺎﻗإ ﻦﻣو ﺎﮭﻓاﻮﺻأ ﺎھرﺎﺑوأو ﺎھرﺎﻌﺷأو ثﺎﺛأ
ًﺎﻋﺎﺘﻣو ﻰﻟإ ﻦﯿﺣ ”,
which has been ansla ed as:
I is Allah Who made you habi a ions homes o es and quie o you;
and made o you, ou o he skins o animals, ( en s o ) dwellings,
which ye ind so ligh (and handy) when ye a el and when ye s op (in
you a els); and ou o hei wool, and hei so ibe s (be ween wool
and hai ), and hei hai , ich s u and a icles o con enience ( o se e
you) o a ime (Alnahil Su ah, e se 80).
A ia explains ha he homes o he Bedu a e en s which a e ho
in he summe and cold in he win e , and do no p o ec hose who li e
inside agains mois u e and ain as hey should (2004:1). In ac , hea y
winds, which a e no uncommon a ce ain imes o he yea , may hi
he en s ha d enough o shake hem and e en cause hem o all in on
he heads o hei owne s. Ne e heless, despi e hei disad an ages, o
housands o yea s hese en s ha e been he Bedouins’ dwelling place
and shel e . Thei main u ili y is ha hey may be simply olded up
when i becomes ime o a el o a new place, and hen, a e jus as
easily ins alled when he amily se les in. An en i onmen al p oduc
imposed by he condi ions in which he Bedu li es, hese en s a e made
o camel and sheep wool, and in many cases, a e u nished wi h
handic a s p oduced om hese wools as well. These cons uc ions a e
Chap e One: The Bedouin in Jo dan & Bedouin Cul u e
75
ha e pa aken o ood o d ink; in his way, hey may e en ind sa e y
in he den o hei enemy (1985:31).
This means ha he socially app op ia e gene osi y displayed by
he Bedu is s ill one o he noble ai s ha hey cling o and che ish. In
hese ci cums ances, no ma e how la e he hou , ood is se ed o he
gues as soon as possible; hus, he Bedouin a e always eady o such
isi s. In hono ing his gues wi h ood and d ink, he Bedu always
apologizes o he amoun and he kind o ood se ed, e en when he e
is mo e han enough ood, and i is o high quali y. No mally, camel
milk and lamb o mu on a e p o ided. I is socially app op ia e o
Bedouins o show humili y in on o hei gues s; so, hey will say
hings like, “excuse us o he sho comings”. The apology
complemen ed hospi ali y e ique e is expec ed so as o no emba ass
he gues s and o make su e ha e e yone’s beha io while ea ing is
adequa e. No mally, he gues s a e p esen ed o hose asked o si a he
able wi h he olde amily membe s. Noone will s a ea ing un il hey
a e allowed o do so by he hos who will men ion Allah’s name, by
saying “in he name o God” and will also welcome he gues and hose
in a endance.
Ano he p o ocol ypical o Bedu hospi ali y is o alk wi h gues s
abou wha hey like a e unde s anding wha ha is. Sowayan epo s
ha “ ailu e o en e ain gues s is a shame ul ac " (1985:114). Se e al
o he beha io s a e conside ed o be unaccep able in on o gues s. In
his way, g umbling abou ime, po e y, o e en disease, aising a
pe son’s oice, ge ing ang y, and e en yawning o alling asleep a e
conside ed o be impoli e beha io while gues s a e p esen .
The e exis s one speci ic symbol o gene osi y ha is essen ially
always p esen when Bedu men ge oge he : se ing co ee. In ac , he
Bedouin ha e special ga he ings o majlis, also known as diwaniya, o
d ink co ee and exchange cu en news (Yamani, 2020:150). When
gues s a e p esen , co ee is conside ed o be a symbol o gene osi y;
while Alsa han has a i med ha men seem o ake p ide in
pa icipa ing in hese co ee i uals by d inking he co ee o mani es
hei masculini y since hei pa icipa ion indica es ha hey a e awa e
and ac i e in hei ole as membe s o he ibe and i s cul u al adi ions
(2017: 34).

Abdula ee Suleiman Salameh Alma ayeh
76
Hence, p epa ing and se ing co ee o gues s is a highly espec ed
social cus om o he Bedouin. Fu he mo e, he p o ocols ha a e
in ol ed a e gene ally simila among he di e en ibes. In his co ee
ce emony, he e a e speci ic p ocedu es o he unique co ee po s. The
mos impo an one is called dallah, o he co ee po , and some hos s
p e e o use special, mo e cos ly co ee po s ha ha e been acqui ed
ab oad. Du ing his ce emony, i is cus oma y o he pe son who se es
o pou he co ee o he gues s while s anding up. Be o e se ing, he
se e will look o see who he gues o he eldes pe son is and s a
wi h ha pe son since he should be he i s o d ink. The co ee po
should be secu ed in he le hand, while he co ee cup is held in he
igh hand. The se e should no si down un il e e yone has inished
d inking hei co ee. A imes, he se e will p o ide an addi ional cup
o co ee o a gues who has no e en inished d inking so as o help a
gues who is oo ashamed o ask o mo e and his is ano he illus a ion
o how gene ous he dese people a e. When a pe son shakes he co ee
cup a e d inking, i means ha hey ha e had enough. Finally, i is
also cus oma y o a pe son no o accep mo e han h ee cups o co ee
(Hanaue ,1905:259-261).
This adi ional co ee ce emony is e y much p esen in e e yday
li e since people engage in i as a way o ca ying ou many o he ypes
o social in e ac ion in Bedu socie y. Asking o help, coming o an
ag eemen on who will ma y whom, eques ing p o ec ion, and such,
all s a by pu ing he co ee cup on he g ound and no d inking i un il
he ibal sheikh, o he hos , ag ees o he gues ’s demands. Hanaue
has epo ed ha inishing he co ee ep esen s he gues ’s sa is ac ion.
On he con a y, igno ing he gues ’s eques is conside ed o be a g ea
de ec on he pa o he hos and one ha he does no wan o bea in
on o his ibe (1905: 259-261). Ye , since hei social in e ac ion and
su i al depend on i , Bedouins no mally espec all hei cul u al
adi ions so ha impossible demands a e no made in he i s place.
I emains o be said ha he sensi i i y wi h which he Bedu deal
wi h gues s has been ansmi ed om gene a ion o gene a ion and his
wisdom encou ages hem o do e e y hing hey can o se e hei gues s
in he bes possible way. Indeed, on many occasions, when mee ing
wi h olde ibe membe s, he au ho has o en hea d his exp ession,
Chap e One: The Bedouin in Jo dan & Bedouin Cul u e
77
“I a gues comes, he is a p ince. I he si s, he is a p isone ; and i he
lea es, he is a poe ”.5 In his cul u al saying, he e a e h ee s ages o
dealing wi h gues s. Fi s , when gues s a i e, a wa m welcome is
equi ed. This welcome should include exp essions o joy and
app op ia e clo hing when he gues s a e ecei ed, much like wha
would happen a he ecep ion o a pe son as impo an as a p ince.
Secondly, he gues s mus si wi h hei hos s. In his way, he gues s
show hei espec o hei place by paying a en ion o wha hei hos
says, and by pa icipa ing in a sea ed posi ion, since he gues s will need
o assume hei place as eques ed by hei hos . And, a he same ime,
he gues s mus ge pe mission om hei hos o ask o any hing ha
hey need, and, in his way, hey a e like p isone s. Howe e , acco ding
o adi ion, hei hos should ul ill any eques , as long as i is possible
o do so. All o his oge he means ha he Bedu y o p o ide he bes
ea men o hei gues s. This may also be due o he ac ha when
he gues s lea e, no one can p e en hem om alking abou he
ecep ion hey ha e ecei ed a hei hos home, and he e o e, hey a e
conside ed o be poe s when hey e e back o he ea men ha hey
ha e been gi en.
5 T ansla ion by he au ho .
Abdula ee Suleiman Salameh Alma ayeh
78
1.2 SOCIAL ORGANIZATION
These s ongly oo ed cul u al adi ions also ha e o do wi h how he
Bedu o ganize hei social s uc u e. Much like o he people g oups, he
Bedouin socie y consis s o in e nal sub-di isions ha de e mine he
na u e o he ibal ela ionship be ween communi y membe s;
mo eo e , hey a ange hei a ai s so ha he e a e ce ain e e ences
wi h specializa ions ha a y acco ding o he di e en issues ha
occu wi hin he communi y.
The amily makes up he nucleus o Bedouin social o ma ion like
all o he human socie ies. The Bedu amily is a pa ia chal amily,
whe e he a he is he head o he amily, and, as such, his decisions
a e obeyed by all amily membe s who li e in he domes ic uni ,
dwelling in his en o en s. The amily consis s o he a he , his wi e,
o wi es, and hei child en. I is no mal o his amily g oup o consis
o a husband, h ee o ou wi es, and se en o wen y kids. Ma ied
sons gene ally li e nea hei pa en s, bu each son manages his own
household’s inances sepa a ely, and also ends o li e as an indi idual
domes ic uni , in his own en o en s. In con as , child en who ha e
no ma ied usually s ay wi h hei mo he s.
The posi ion ha each o hese domes ic uni s occupies in he ibe,
and he igh s ha hey e ain, depend on how much money is made and
how many men make up he amily. The Bedouin a e keen o ha e as
many males as possible because hey cus oma ily conside he o al
numbe o male membe s o be a c i ical ac o ha , in u n, a ec s he
p ide and s eng h o each amily wi hin a clan and o he en i e ibe
i sel when compa ed o o he ibes. (Na'amneh e al., 2008:156-157).
Due o polygamy and he ex emely la ge amilies ha esul om his
p ac ice, he popula ion o he Bedouin inc eases mo e han ha o o he
inhabi an s o Jo dan. In his way, Bedu amilies con inue o sus ain
wha hey belie e o be hei economic, educa ional, cul u al, and
eligious du ies.
Along hose lines, i is impo an o discuss he ole o he Bedu
woman. Al-Dajani says ha because o he na u e o Bedouin li e whe e
he ole o he man is dis inguished since he is he one who p o ec s he
clan, wa ds o in ade s o o he s who seek o ha m he clan, and
Chap e One: The Bedouin in Jo dan & Bedouin Cul u e
79
gene a es he amily’s li elihood, he ole o he woman is limi ed o
housewo k and childca e. None heless, she may pe o m p elimina y
economic wo k necessa y o help sus ain hei li es ock such as he ding
camels and sheep, milking hem, and e ching wa e (2001:70-71).
Mo eo e , in he dese condi ions whe e he Bedu li e, women a e as
impo an as men when i comes o cou esy and b a e y. In his way,
many o hem ca y he same mo al alues, seek e uge wi h men, hono
gues s when he men a e absen , bea he wo k, oubles, and ha dships,
and e en, i i becomes necessa y, women may ac i ely pa icipa e in
an in asion.
Hence, ollowing he Bedouin adi ion, he woman is a symbol o
hono and digni y. As men ioned abo e, women a e highly espec ed
and should ne e be ansg essed o dishono ed. Fu and Al-se han
discuss he Bedu “hono code”, whe eas he emale should no be
ouched, no encoun e any ha m wha soe e , no ma e how much
enmi y and ha ed exis s be ween clans (2008:29). The e is no s igma
a ached o a nobleman as appalling and d ead ul as insul ing,
humilia ing, o hi ing a woman. This idea o hono and digni y is su ely
also ela ed o he conse a i e iew o he ole o women cha ac e ized
in Islam, and which, o a ce ain ex en , con inues oday. Thus, Bedu
women end o adhe e o hei inhe i ed cus oms. Especially hose who
s ill inhabi he dese a eas whe e he adi ional d ess wi h i s loose
cloak and head co e ing ha only allows a pe son o see hei aces s ill
e lec s i s conse a i e oo s. This may con as wi h o he Bedouin
women, as well as men, li ing in u al and u ban a eas who ha e ended
o abandon his mo e adi ional s yle.
T a ele s om he Wes who ha e come in con ac wi h he
Bedouin ibes ha e also commen ed on he majo ole ha Bedu
women ha e in he poli ical, economic, and social a ai s o he ibe
(Richa d e al. (1996), Oppenheim (2007), Seab ook (2006), and Hess
(2010), among o he s). They ha e also made e e ence o how a Bedu
woman ca ies he s a us o ho mah, meaning ha she canno be
ouched e en i she is om an enemy ibe.
The Bedouin woman no mally akes pa in decisions ha a ec
he abou he ma iage, o di o ce, he a ai s o he household, and
hose o he people and clan. I she does decide o accep a ma iage
Abdula ee Suleiman Salameh Alma ayeh
80
o e ou side he ibe, she is awa e o how his ela ionship will
s eng hen he us ha membe s o hese ibes ha e o each o he , as
well as how alliances agains o he ibes may be o med as a esul .
The Bedouin man ega ds he woman as an asse who will help he
amily and ibe wi h inc easing he popula ion and, hus, wi h u u e
ibal wa io s. In his sense, she should no be dishono ed, bu mus be
kep sa e as a well es eemed and be his espec ed wi e a his le el o
he Bedu amily.
A he nex le el, one can ind he clan which, in Bedouin socie y,
is conside ed o be a mo e absolu e uni o social in eg a ion. I is said
ha he indi idual lea es he clan and hen e u ns back o i . As such,
i is almos he only social ins i u ion ha exe s social p essu e on
indi iduals. This has o do e y much wi h nomadic cul u e, he e y
na u e o he Bedu li e, which demands ha e e yone make an e o
and pi ch in o he su i al o he en i e clan.
Each clan has a boss, a sheikh who ules and manages i s a ai s.
The sheikh, o he leade o he ibe, ep esen s he highes ank o ci il
o de and as such, whe he in wa o peace, e e y membe o he ibe
mus ollow his di ec ion; hus, his igu e migh be simila o a head o
s a e oday. In his sense, wha he sheik manda es is diligen ly obeyed
by he o he membe s o his clan as long as he looks a e he clan’s
in e es s and heeds i s a ai s. The esul ing o ganiza ion wo ks well
because i is unde s ood ha he wel a e o each and e e y indi idual
bene i s he clan’s bes in e es and ice e sa (Fu & Al-Se han,
2008:3-22).
The ibe is a la ge social sys em han he clan and consis s o
se e al clans who sha e a blood ela ion as cousins and who ga he
oge he o o m a single ibe made up o a la ge numbe o clans.
Usually, he ibe a els and li es in a eas hese Bedouin clans know
well. This ga he ing o ibe membe s has i s ad an age in p o iding
aid and assis ance. In addi ion, i con ibu es o p ojec ing hei uni y
when seen by o he ibes, which, in u n, helps o es ablish hei
epu a ion and, a he same ime, demons a e ha hey a e eady o
de end hemsel es agains any dange o hei li es o p ope y. One o
he e y speci ic social si ua ions ha o en a ise om his ype o ibal
o ganiza ion is he s ong ela ions ha a e o med inside he ibe due

Chap e One: The Bedouin in Jo dan & Bedouin Cul u e
81
o consanguineous ma iage, o he union be ween wo indi iduals who
a e ela ed as second cousins o close . This ype o a angemen occu s
since a male cousin has he igh o ma y his own emale cousin, e en
some imes wi hou consul ing he i s , al hough his is by no means a
gene alized p ac ice and does no occu e y equen ly in Bedouin
socie y nowadays, as al eady men ioned abo e. Acco ding o hei
adi ion, consanguineous ma iage does no con adic he alue and
posi ion o a woman, because he Bedu belie e ha he male cousin
will bes p ese e he emale cousin’s digni y and he e is also he added
bene i ha he daugh e will con inue o li e close o he pa en s whe e
hey can isi he daily and bes ake ca e o he . I she we e o ma y a
membe o ano he ibe, his ype o daily con ac would mos likely
no be possible.
This could also be conside ed o be an example o assabeyah, o
ibalism. This e m implies he idea ha he human social g oup ha
makes up he ibe has a common conce n o he su i al o all o i s
membe s. Thus, he e exis “ endencies o be loyal o and a o able
owa d one's own ibe”, a he same ime ha hose ha make he ibe
a e “less a o able owa d o he ibes” (Cla k e al., 2019:5). When
i al ies ake place, ibalism is he eason why a man will be called o
suppo his clan o ibe, and also why he will s and by his clan o ibe
no ma e wha he ou come. This ype o comp ehensi e, coe ci e
o ce is a social phenomenon ha exe s a g ea deal o con ol o e he
membe s o each ibe since a ce ain so o ne ousness owa ds o he
ibes leads o ibal cohesion in he Bedouin socie y. On he one hand,
his ype o comple e uni y is bene icial since e e y indi idual eels
psychological and ma e ial secu i y; ye , on he o he , his beha io also
isola es he ibe socially, psychologically, geog aphically, and in o he
i al aspec s.
Apa om his ini ial coe ci e o ce, he e also exis s he
phenomenon o ibal law. In Jo dan, his ype o law is s ill accep ed
in Jo danian socie y; hence, i ca ies a ce ain amoun o powe and
s a us. This is pa ly due o he ac ha he his o y o his law goes back
o be o e Jo dan was ounded as a mode n s a e. Be o e his happened,
he Bedu we e able o c ea e a sys em o law ha helped no only o
egula e hei li es, bu also o esol e dispu es be ween hem. The
Abdula ee Suleiman Salameh Alma ayeh
82
cu en s a e has no changed he ibal law pa e n ha cha ac e izes
Jo dan, and he go e nmen au ho i ies ha e app o ed Bedu ibal law
and adop ed i s p o isions.
The Bedouin judicia y deals wi h many issues and p oblems ha
may occu in he Bedu socie y. Fu and Al-Se han s a e ha “ he ibal
legal sys em does no impose ei he p ison sen ences o he dea h
penal y” (2008:22). This is pe haps he main eason ha many p e e o
choose he Bedouin cou s o e he o he legal op ions. Mo eo e , he
ibal cou s end o hold ials e y soon a e an o ense is ca ied ou ;
he e o e, he uling is no delayed, as ulings end o be in he s anda d
cou s. The Bedouin cou s see hei cases and deal wi h hem in public;
hus, e e yone knows ha he igh s o he opp essed ha e aken in o
conside a ion, ha hey we e no subjec o insul o idicule, no
e e ed o as being weak membe s o hei social g oup. In all cases, i
is necessa y o a ange and coo dina e wi h he o icial secu i y
au ho i ies so ha he ial judge’s uling is e ec i e and no open o
discussion. The session is held in a Bedu en wi h he p esence o he
wo con lic ing pa ies and a g oup o people who ac as wi nesses. The
ela i es o he judge play he ole o he police in main aining secu i y
and p e en ing any expec ed p oblems du ing he session o p ese e
he p es ige o he judicial place (Fu , Ann, and Al-Se han, 2008:18).
The casewo k and cou decisions o iolen c imes (i.e., mu de )
a e o en ca ied ou in coo dina ion wi h he o icial au ho i ies, as long
as he ic im’s amily membe s accep he ibal p ocedu es and ulings.
The judicial judgmen is equi ed o ha e wi nesses as well as
ep esen a i es o he local, o icial au ho i ies. In many cases, hono
issues a e deal wi h in he ibal cou s due o he ea , as men ioned
ea lie , o wha o he people will say abou hose implica ed; in his
way, he ials a e ca ied ou in an expedi ious manne and esol ed
a he quickly. Cases o he , slande , insul s (such as ecalling pas
aul s), and accusa ions wi hou e idence a e also commonly uled on
by he ibal judges. These cases may end wi h a sen ence o cu ing o
pa o he o ende ’s ongue o a pa o he hie ’s hand (in he absence
o e idence, wi nesses, o i a case was al eady conside ed p e iously).
Howe e , nowadays, ibal judges no mally eplace he penal y o he
ampu a ion o any pa o he human body wi h a ee ha is cus oma y
Chap e One: The Bedouin in Jo dan & Bedouin Cul u e
83
among he membe s o he ibal judicia y. This is mo e han likely due
o he ac ha he Bedouins seek a ep isal on a mo e psychological, o
emo ional, le el han on a ma e ialis ic one. Hence, when he accused
is deemed innocen , i is also cus oma y o he ibal judge o p o ide
an addi ional legal cou o de ha he pe son who has accused he o he
unjus ly place a whi e lag in mo e han one place, o ins ance a well-
known house, o a public and highly equen ed comme cial o mee ing
place, as a symbol ha pa en ly ma ks he innocence o he accused so
ha i is p ominen ly seen by as many people as possible and, in his
way, his / he epu a ion can be es o ed.
While each clan has i s own sheikh as seen abo e, no all clans ha e
hei own judge. Judges mus ha e a good epu a ion and mus ha e
demons a ed e hical a i udes ha make people us hei judgmen .
Mo eo e , judges a e di ided in o se e al sec ions acco ding o he ype
o case: some o hem specialize in cases o mu de and hono (e.g.,
cases ela ed o women), and some specialize in cases o qua els and
inancial dispu es. The legal capaci y o he ibal judges has been
g an ed o hem wi h he p o ec ion o he au ho i ies; hey also ha e
he capaci y o judge as adi ionally accep ed in he clan, since his
igh is passed on om a he o son. Consequen ly, ibal judges a e
o icially ecognized as capable o ca ying ou hei judicia y du ies as
well as uling on cessa ion o spousal igh s. This adi ion goes back
many decades since he law o he ibal cou s was issued in 1924, and
hen modi ied 12 yea s la e . This law p o ided a lis o he “ ibes o
Jo dan which would submi o his ju isdic ion” and g an ed he
membe s o hese ibes “ he eedom o submi hei cases o hei
adi ional judges” in o de o a i e a solu ions o cases acco ding o
hei own legal adi ion (Sonbol, 2003:46-48).
A e discussing he social s uc u e o he Bedu, i is also
necessa y o p esen one o he sociologically in e es ing ou comes o
his o ganiza ion; ha is o say he unique and as olk cul u e ha
esul s om all o he ci cums ances in he ha sh en i onmen whe e
hey dwell deep in he dese , as desc ibed abo e. A p oud people, he
Bedouin a e awa e o he nomadic cus oms and adi ions hey ha e
inhe i ed om pas gene a ions and ha e e en compa ed hemsel es
wi h he se le s who a e “bound o hei mud houses, oiling
Abdula ee Suleiman Salameh Alma ayeh
84
con inually, like sla es”. In con as , unlike hose who ha e se led in
one place, he i ine an Bedu is said o li e by he swo d. While his
migh seem o be me ely a oman ic no ion, his concep goes much
u he , indeed i can be seen pa en ly in he ac ha , as indica ed by
Max F eihe on O enheim A ch-B unelich, a imes, Bedouins migh
seem o be a aid o go o he ci ies o ea ha hey will be o ced o
gi e up hei weapons, which a e a sou ce o p ide and digni y (2021:
80-83).
In dese condi ions, he Bedouin a ely goes ou doo s wi hou a
weapon. The e a e many easons o him o do so, bu he mos ob ious
eason is o p o ec himsel o his he d om p eda o s. Usually, he
Bedouin ca ies an alshibi iya, o a hand o ged Bedu dagge , known
as a sai badawi, which is small and can be easily concealed. When
shephe ding his he ds a g azing a eas, a Bedouin gene ally ca ies a
i ea m since he may spend se e al nigh s away om home. Thus,
keeping hei swo d6, o o he weapons wi h hem, is a way o
Bedouins o e ain hei hono .
As men ioned abo e when e e ing o Bedu T ibal Law, he
example o how cou sessions a e held o es o e hono and sol e issues
ha deal wi h e enge, also demons a es how aluable hei digni y is
o hem. Since hey a e a people who ha e a high le el o pe sonal p ide,
hey also demons a e a speci ic eac ion agains any ype o
humilia ion o sel -mo i ica ion, which, acco ding o hei social code
o conduc , mus no be ole a ed. Li ing in he dese p o ides
Bedouins wi h an easy means o escape any si ua ion in which hey eel
insul ed, o example when hey ha e a p oblem wi h a neighbo , o
when hey simply no longe eel com o able whe e hey a e. Bedouins
can simply pack hei en and lea e, unlike he illage s o ci izens who
a e ied o he p ope y ha hey own and mus keep quie and y o
li e in peace e en when hei economical o housing condi ions a e no
a o able. Howe e , he Bedu unde s and ha he p o ec ion ha he
swo d p o ides also allows hem o do his as hey see i . In his sense,
66 Whi e weapon is a e m gi en o a spec um o pe sonal, manual, cold weapons u ilized o
a ack and de ense; some imes, hey a e also used as a ool o killing. Howe e , he e m
“whi e” does no e e o hei speci ic colo , al hough his idea may come om he colo o he
me allic blades ha cu , in his way, whi e weapons a e ones like spea s and dagge s. (Ali,
1971:3)
Chap e One: The Bedouin in Jo dan & Bedouin Cul u e
91
and a el wi h hei he ds o li es ock and camels, ei he on ho seback
o on oo , and he subsequen amoun o ime ha hese ips ook
coupled wi h he ex eme wea he condi ions su ely caused much
ha dship, bo edom, and a igue. No doub , hese di icul ci cums ances
p omp ed he Bedouin o ind a way o amuse hemsel es and hei
li es ock, and in doing so, hey aised hei oices in song. In any case,
o dese people, singing is ood o he soul and ep esen s an ou le
in which hey a e able o ind com o and pleasu e.
In he poe ic social ci cums ances al eady desc ibed, one can easily
see how he Bedu unde s and whe e and how hey lea ned o sing.
Ob iously, i is hei own dese en i onmen ha nudges and inci es
hem o sing wi h he oices o he camel, am, and sheep, he neighing
o he ho se, he oa ing o he lion, he howling o he wol , he ba king
o he dog and he wi e ing o nigh ingales and do es as well as wi h
he sounds o na u e pe cei ed in he ickling o wa e , he whi ling
winds, and e en hunde i sel . The Bedouin s a ed o imi a e hese
sounds and, o e ime, lea ned o exp ess hei ecs asy and elie e
hemsel es o hei dis ess (Bou as, 2019:29-33). As a esul , he Bedu
became he sons and daugh e s o hei en i onmen pa excellence, so
ha hey we e able o simula e he sounds a ound hem and c ea e
musical melodies based on he sounds a ound hem o hei comings
and goings.
Be o e long, Bedouin songs became as a ied as he social
occasions in which hey we e pe o med. In his way, he e a e songs
used when hey ga he o celeb a e a newbo n child’s pu i ica ion,
o he s help o commemo a e an engagemen o a wedding, and he e
a e also songs o he shephe d when he is alone. One speci ic ype o
song is called “al-hadda” and is essen ially a ype o adi ional, ye
imp o ised, ba le ca ied ou using o al discou se which is spoken o
music. In he olde days, when wa s and in asions we e s ill a common
way o sol e dispu es, seek e enge, o e en igh o loo and li es ock
om o he ibes, he wa chan s we e mo e well-known. A g oup o
women accompanied he men in wa s o help sp ead hei en husiasm.
Hence, he women’s p esence would help o mo i a e hose who we e
igh ing as hey hea d he women’s songs and wa chan s. Ano he way
ha women encou aged he male membe s o hei clan o ibe was o

Abdula ee Suleiman Salameh Alma ayeh
92
ake o hei eils so ha he males in hei clan would be o ced o
de end he women and p o ec hem om being aken cap i e by hei
enemies. In his way, he women would help he men o o e come hei
ea s so ha hey would s ay on he ba le ield and no be accused o
cowa dice.
T adi ionally, in ea ly summe , he Bedouin head o he Wes e n
moun ains in o de o ca y ou he ha es . While hey ga he hei
c ops, hey accompany hei wo k wi h speci ic songs o his ime ha
a e mean o ins ill a ha d-wo king spi i in men and women alike.
These songs a e cha ac e ized by a sho poe ic e se simila o o al
ly ic poe y (Ghawanmeh, 2009: 28). Since hei c ops a e ga he ed by
hand using adi ional me hods ha no only equi e hem o bend o e
o long pe iods o ime, bu a e also physically a he exhaus ing, men
and women o en eply o each o he as pa o hese songs o sp ead a
sense o humo and educe hei a igue as hey wo k unde he ho sun
on he pa icula ly ugged e ain common o his a ea (Simms and
Kenne h, 1997:696).
Some o he songs we e also pe o med while dancing. Indeed, he
Bedu men a e amous o he olklo ic dance, which hey s ill ake pa
in oday, called “al-Same ”. This dance has i s o igin in a adi ional
Bedouin i ual ha is usually ca ied ou a weddings bu may ake place
any ime people wish o exp ess joy. E en hough, he e a e some places
in Jo dan ha would like o change he pace and ix a ce ain hy hm
when he al-Same is danced, he mo e adi ional Bedouins do no
belie e his o be app op ia e and may e en see any change as an insul
o hei cul u al he i age. Ins ead, he Bedu p e e he mo e adi ional
al-Same dance, one ha is usually done a nigh , and du ing which a
poe ic line is sung wi h a melody ag eed upon by he pa icipan s
pe o ming he dance. Commonly, wo men who ha e he same ocal
laye sha e he poe y aloud, and hen wo o he people eply back o
hem; an app op ia e esponse should be o he same weigh and hyme
pa e n.
The poe ic lines o songs ha a e p oduced du ing an al-Same
dance end o include some humo , ban e , and iddles o add li eliness
and zes o he pe o mance o he enjoymen o he audience. To
ini ia e he dance, he men who ha e o med a line begin o sway om
Chap e One: The Bedouin in Jo dan & Bedouin Cul u e
93
le o igh as hey clap o main ain he hy hm. A a ce ain poin , he
pace o he dance may begin o inc ease, accompanied by clapping,
swaying, and e en bouncing up and down. This is kep up un il he
pa icipan s become oo ho and / o oo i ed o con inue. Then, hey
es while be e ages a e se ed, usually ea and co ee. A e hey ha e
es ed, hey may dance again o wa ch as ano he g oup o clan
pa icipa es.
In some Bedouin ibes, al-Same is pe o med in on o a sec ion
o emales. This special sec ion o he women has no ligh ing inside
so ha hey emain unseen by he men. An a mosphe e o suspense is
c ea ed when he men pe o m well enough o cause he women o
espond om inside hei sec ion wi h “zagh ou a” o ulula ion. This
sound is a so o long, wa e ing, high-pi ched sound ha , no mally,
women make by shou ing and mo ing hei ongue apidly up and down
on he oo s o hei mou hs o exp ess ills o joy.
In he olden days, poli ical li e in he Bedu socie y did no exis pe
se, a leas in he sense unde s ood by mo e u ban o de eloped
coun ies. As s a ed abo e, he Bedouin al eady had a social s uc u e
in place o deal wi h he p oblems a ising om li ing oge he in since
hey had al eady de eloped hei ibal law and adhe ed o i be o e he
exis ence o he cu en Jo danian s a e. In his way, he Bedu ibal law
ha was passed down h ough he gene a ions was he sys em ha hey
used o egula e he membe s o hei socie y o any necessa y social,
economic, poli ical, o mili a y ac ion.
Acco ding o Swee , he au ho i y was con ined o he head o he
ibe, in he pe son known as he sheikh, who de e mined he place
whe e hey would eside, he ime o depa u e, he mos app op ia e
places o g azing, and he bo de s ha a ibe should de end (1965:
1132-1150). F om a mo e mode n pe spec i e, he ibal sheikh can be
seen o bea he mo al esponsibili y o p o iding he means o
li elihood ha will p o ide he g ea es deg ee o s abili y o his ibe
membe s. Ye he wo ks alongside he g oup o ibal elde s whose du y
i is o p o ide hei ad ice and opinion on all o hese ma e s; e en so,
he sheikh has he inal and binding opinion abou ibal issues. In he
Bedu hie a chy, age is o u mos impo ance. The Bedouin socie y
e alua es he ex eme impo ance o a pe son’s age in e ms o whe e
Abdula ee Suleiman Salameh Alma ayeh
94
his pe son’s si s du ing a session. Thus, young people o en si owa ds
he ends while mo e impo an people a e placed in he middle.
In his way hen, younge membe s o his social g oup should be
eady and a ailable o ca y ou he asks issued by he sheikh and his
council, especially du ing ime o con lic wi h o he ibes, o when
he e exis s he need o ind he bes places o g azing and housing,
since hese asks may equi e a signi ican e o , as well as imply
ce ain ha dships ha could es ic he pa icipa ion o he mo e elde ly
membe s o he clan.
Ano he ole ha migh also be jus i ied as poli ical in na u e is ha
o he sheikh’s mo he o wi e. This ole is, howe e , ob iously one
ha is no pa en in he day- o-day encoun e s, bu ha some ha e ound
o be p esen on a mo e la en , o hidden le el. Ob iously, a sheikh’s
mo he has a posi ion o g ea espec and app ecia ion in he son’s
eyes. On he one hand, she was he wi e o he o me sheikh o he
ibe; acco dingly, she has he expe ience and lo e ha mo i a es he
son o us he when consul ing oge he abou he a ai s o he ibe.
Conce ning he wi e, he impo ance o he opinion s ems om he ac
ha , in mos cases, he sheikh will ma y only women o high class and
lineage. Consequen ly, she comes om a amily known o hei
wisdom and knowledge in dealing wi h gene al socie al a ai s. Women
may play a e y p ominen ole in dispu es and ha e his o ically been
obse ed o be he eason o ending a wa , o o o ming alliances
be ween ibes when hey en e in o a ma iage wi h a membe o
ano he hos ile o iendly ibe and help o p o ide a s ong base o
he con e gence o di e en ia ed iews be ween he opponen s, ha
will in u n, b ing an end o e en long-s anding con lic s. In any case,
as men ioned abo e, his ole emains undecla ed because o he
ex eme sensi i i y ha Bedu men ha e owa ds women when hey mix
wi h men o alk o hem (Abu-Lughod,1988: 60-66) and (Fens e ,1999:
226-247).
Wi h he eme gence o he cu en Jo danian s a e, he au ho i ies
ha e, gene ally speaking, ied o con ol he Bedouin people and
impose hei au ho i y upon hem. Many o he measu es pu in o place
by he go e nmen we e me wi h absolu e ejec ion by he ibesmen
o he ex eme ha , on some occasions, i esul ed in a med con lic
Chap e One: The Bedouin in Jo dan & Bedouin Cul u e
95
be ween he wo pa ies. Howe e , he Jo danian s a e quickly ealized
ha he exis ing, and a med, ibes would be di icul o con ol due o
he di icul geog aphical condi ions o he dese on he one hand, and
o he ex ension o his e i o y on he o he . Mo eo e , he Jo danian
s a e was newly es ablished, and he e o e i was alliances, no
con lic s, ha we e needed o lay he necessa y ounda ions o a mo e
pe du able and longe -las ing ule in Jo dan. Consequen ly, he poli ical
sys em in Jo dan eso ed o ecognizing Bedouin ibal law as well as
he ins i u ional law s ipula ed in he Jo danian cons i u ion (Abu Jabe
& Ga aibeh, 1980: 297-298).
This ecogni ion p o ided he Bedu ibes wi h a ic o y since hey
we e able o adhe e o hei eedom and inhe i ance wi hou ci il
dis o ion. Addi ionally, he Bedouin gained pa liamen a y
ep esen a ion o each ibe when he people belonging o he
Jo danian Bedu ibes we e di ided in o h ee elec o al dis ic s: he
Bedouins o he no h, he Bedouins o he cen e and he Bedouins o
he sou h. Thus, all h ee o hese dis ic s a e closed in he sense ha
non-Bedu ci izens om he ci ies may no ep esen he cons i uen s
who belong o one o hese a eas.
A e his decision was aken, i would also be necessa y o ind a
way o esol e he ension ha had exis ed be ween he uling egime
and he Bedouin ibes o many yea s. In his sense, he poli ical sphe e
o he Bedu can be di ided in o h ee s ages. The i s s age ook place
be o e and du ing he beginning o he cu en Jo danian s a e. A his
ime, poli ically speaking, he Bedu had a unila e al sys em since hei
go e nmen and adminis a ion was ca ied ou by he ibal sheikh and
he alliances ha each clan o ibe o med wi h o he simila g oups.
This second phase11 s a ed in he 1970s and las ed o many yea s.
11 I is wo h men ioning ha his s age began wi h a s ong blow o he Bedouins, especially
he Huwai a ibe in sou he n Jo dan, which is conside ed o be one o he ibes ha
con ibu ed o he es ablishmen o he cu en Jo danian s a e, mainly du ing he wa s agains
he O oman Empi e. The se back occu ed when A my Commande , Mashhou Al-Huwai a
was elie ed om his posi ion du ing wha is called “Black Sep embe ” by Jo danians. The
seconda y e ec s ha esul ed om his inciden almos impac ed he en i e coun y, when
ma ial law was decla ed, and many Bedouin en s we e aided o con isca e any weapons ha
membe s o he Bedouin ibes owned. Theo e ically, no one can de e mine he exac ime om
which o al li e a u e comes, excep when i can be ela ed o a his o ical inciden (Salama, 1976:
Abdula ee Suleiman Salameh Alma ayeh
96
I saw i s end du ing he ime known as he “A ab Sp ing”12 in 2013.
The “A ab Sp ing” is a e m gi en o he p o es s ha swep he
A ab wo ld om 2011 o 2013. The p o es s s a ed in Tunisia and
sp ead h oughou mos A ab coun ies in p o es agains he
au ho i a ian ule and opp ession ha has been oo ed in hese coun ies
o decades. Jo dan had a sha e o hese p o es s, bu a a lowe a e han
o he coun ies such as Tunisia, Egyp , Libya, Sy ia, and Yemen.
Du ing hese a gumen s, se e al concessions we e made by he local
go e nmen o ind a democ a ic cen e ha allowed o mo e pe sonal
libe ies. A his ime, some Bedu ound mo e eedom and we e able
o ha e a ce ain amoun o in luence and weigh in he poli ical s a us
o he coun y. Du ing his s age, he h ee Bedouin elec o al dis ic s
we e he ones ha pa icipa ed he mos in any elec ion, as compa ed o
he o he elec o al dis ic s in o he egions o Jo dan. Du ing he
second s age he pa ial abandonmen o mo e adi ional Bedu ways o
go e nmen was displayed when some did no ake in o conside a ion
wha he Bedouin ances o s had done, and, ins ead, le he powe o
make decisions o he au ho i ies which may ha e had a nega i e e ec .
A he ime o w i ing his disse a ion, he hi d s age has begun.
I is a ime o a ce ain amoun o dis ess, pe haps e en chag in, o he
Bedouin in e ms o hei ma ginaliza ion by he au ho i ies. I may
e en seem ha Bedu ind hemsel es a hei weakes momen ,
poli ically speaking, as compa ed o he i s wo s ages. E en now, he
au ho i ies a e ying o impose a ce ain amoun o cons i u ional
con ol wi h clea lexibili y on he people and he Bedouins. Howe e ,
i is also ue ha du ing some o he mo e conside able pe iods o
dissen , he au ho i ies ha e sough he assis ance o ibal and clan
elde s as a way o con ain hese con lic s; hus, a he same ime, seeking
hei assis ance p o ides pa en ecogni ion o he ac i e ole ha Bedu
clans s ill enjoy in he cu en Jo danian s a e despi e wha seems o be
hei ecen educ ion in poli ical powe . Fu he mo e, he ole o he
Bedouin clans is s ill highly ega ded locally by all ci izens and among
hose belonging o he Bedu ibes in pa icula .
37). Consequen ly, we a e able o p opose ha JRBR73 may ha e o igina ed du ing his pe iod
in which he exis ing ension be ween he ibes and he uling egime was high.
12 See Salam (2015).

Chap e One: The Bedouin in Jo dan & Bedouin Cul u e
97
Howe e , o e ime, since a ce ain numbe o hem ha e become
somewha dis anced om ibal li e, and also due o an inc ease in he
powe ha he s a e au ho i ies ha e, some ha e composed wise sayings
abou dealing wi h au ho i y. JRBR 73 e e s o his ype o wisdom
ha is well-known among he Bedouins, a he same ime ha i e lec s
on he ela ionship be ween he Bedu and he local au ho i ies when i
says “May I ask you abou he h ee di icul ies which pu a hea y
bu den on s ong men? He, unde hei p essu e, is no o blame i ime
passes; you su ely keep you p omise”. The wo d “di icul ies”
men ioned in he iddle signi ies he s essed ela ionship be ween he
wo pa ies, since he Bedouin does no accep being uled by a non-
Bedouin.
Like any na ion in his uni e se, spi i ual li e has i s place in
people's li es in he Bedouin communi y. The Bedu in Jo dan ha e been
commi ed o ollowing he Islamic eligion o o e 1,400 yea s and
conside i o be a signi ican pa o hei in ellec ual and eligious
he i age. Due p ima ily o he lack o an educa ional ins i u ion, many
belie e ha un il he 1970s he Bedouins did no adhe e as s ic ly o
his belie sys em, unlike o he ci ilized places in Jo dan and in he
neighbo ing coun ies. Ne e heless, in he case o he Bedouin, hei
ai h has always been deeply oo ed in hei belie in God who can and
does help hem o su i e he ha shness o he ma e ial li e ha
su ounds hem. This belie sys em has bene i ed he Bedu as hey
a emp o li e a spi i ually calm li e based on common sense and a pu e
spi i .
Al-Fawali indica es ha he Bedu man espec s he eachings o
Islam and adhe es o hem in a way ha may d aw a en ion (1967: 158-
159). Hence, he a oids using he name o God o swea on many
occasions, e en i he is since e. In o he cases, he o en gi es up his
igh o he o he pa y i he decision we e o necessi a e an oa h. In
ac , his si ua ion may each a ce ain ex eme when a Bedouin may
pay money o he dispu ing pa y in exchange o d opping he oa h.
Fo many decades, such beha io has been ca ied ou because o he
ea o he di ine punishmen ha migh esul om a alse oa h. The
Bedouins ac on hei ai h since hey ake his in o conside a ion
because o hei belie sys em and, hus, ou o espec o he C ea o .
Abdula ee Suleiman Salameh Alma ayeh
98
Ano he aspec ha has su ely impac ed he Bedu belie sys em is
he ac ha he geog aphical condi ions o li e in he sco ching dese
may esul in many ypes o na u al disas e s such as lack o ain, o
e en d ough . The same clima ic condi ions ha e also mean ha
in an s and belo ed amily membe s may die due o a sho age o
medical supplies, igno ance in dealing wi h a disease, o e en he ime
i would ake o a el o ano he place o seek medical a en ion. In
hese cases, acco ding o Abu-Rabia, he pa ien s mus ake espi e in
hei belie ha hei a e is decided by Allah (2015: 7-8). Thus, wi h
hese ci cums ances, he Bedu ha e come o belie e in and accep hei
a e, which mos likely helps hem o cope wi h many hings ha in his
way o li e a e comple ely ou o hei con ol. In his sense, a spi i o
anquili y and calmness is es ablished a he same ime ha he
Bedouin, whe he li ing in one place, o wande ing om one place o
ano he , commi o and equen ly pu in o p ac ice p aye s and
supplica ions.
Many imes, hese p aye s a e abou simple hings since li ing in
he dese and expe iencing a lack o ood and wa e has made he
Bedouin a hank ul people. The Bedu ha e ealized ha God is he one
who ha nessed camels, ho ses, and sheep, which a e he only sou ce o
sus enance wi hou which hey would no ha e ound a li e in he dis an
dese and ha He is he one who p o ides hem wi h he wa e ha hey
need o su i e.
Ano he in e es ing a ea o spi i ual li e has o do wi h d eams. Al-
Tahi indica es ha many Bedouins belie e in d eams, and in being able
o isi and see he dead in hei d eams; hus, he Bedu o en make ood
when hey d eam abou a dead pe son ha belongs o hei amily since
hey belie e ha his ood will bene i he dead as a ewa d ha hey
ecei e in hei g a e (1965:165). Seeing he dead, in a o able o
un a o able condi ion, has a g ea impac on b inging deligh o so ow
in o he li e o he A ab and o he Bedu in pa icula , since he d eam
is conside ed o be a sign o he s a e o he dead pe son.
The geog aphical condi ions ha e also a ec ed he Bedouin since
his has caused a ce ain absence o o icial and uno icial eligious
ins i u ions un il he 1980s as well. The e o e, many Bedu ha e
adi ionally conside ed eligion o be mo e a pe sonal conce n as well
Chap e One: The Bedouin in Jo dan & Bedouin Cul u e
99
as a diligence ha was o be cons an ly and ea nes ly ca ed o
acco ding o hei “ ibal he i age” ha was accomplished wi h hei
adi ions and social ela ionships, han a ma e ha should be lea ned
om he compe en au ho i ies such as o icial cen e s like schools,
uni e si ies, o eligious ins i u es. Acco dingly, some con adic ions
be ween eligion and ibal cus oms a e appa en in Bedouin daily li e.
Some schola s, such as Sulieman, who, based on a mo e u ban
pe spec i e o eligion, posi s a mo e da ing and con as ing opinion
ega ding he Bedu by accusing hem o a lack o eligiosi y and weak
eligious sc uples (1988:298-302). Sulieman s a es ha Bedouins
belie e in he exis ence o he holy spi i s o igh eous people who ha e
passed and hei abili y o espond o supplica ions. In addi ion o his,
Halim e e s o some ac i i ies ha incu a sac i ice, e.g., slaugh e ing
a sheep o he souls o hese holy spi i s nex o hei g a es on
di e en occasions so ha hey will answe he supplica ions, o
ins ance, when medical ea men is needed (2000: 196).
Howe e , Al-Masha qah seems o belie e ha he Bedouin a e no
be e o han hei ances o s as a as hei eligiosi y is conce ned,
ha is o say how well hey know and unde s and eligious ma e s
in ol ing wo ship, commands, p ohibi ions, and i uals. Indeed, Al-
Masha qah a i ms ha he Bedouin a e igno an , in he sense o being
unin o med o unawa e, o all hese mo e legal ideas. In lieu o his, he
belie o he Bedu is limi ed o he me e oneness o Allah and he
p ophecy o His Messenge Muhammad. Thus, he Bedu do no eel he
need o adhe e exac ly o ce ain mo e igo ous ules ha o he Muslims
may eel he need o ollow, especially as conce ns ce ain imes o
p aye . The Bedouin p ay acco ding o hei needs and desi es and when
hei ee ime and long wo king hou s allow hem o do so. Ano he
example is he s ic obse ance o Ramadan, which, o many Bedouin,
does no call o a change in hei ea ing and d inking schedules, since,
mos likely due o he se e e dese condi ions, hey con inue o ollow
he same schedule as hey do du ing he o he mon hs o he yea (Al-
Rawi, 1949:50-56). Finally, Al-Masha qah, e e s o ce ain ac ions ha
migh , o a ce ain ex en , seem o coun e he Islamic eligious iews,
such as sanc i ying ce ain s ones and ees so ha hese objec s would
be able o con ey good and epel e il.
Abdula ee Suleiman Salameh Alma ayeh
100
Based on hese ideas hen, i becomes pa en ha he adi ional
Bedu has inhe i ed ce ain ideas om hei ances o s who li ed in he
pe iod be o e he sp ead o he knowledge abou Islam, and whose
eligiosi y was limi ed o spi i ual ma e s since hey did no come in
close con ac wi h he speci ic equi emen s o Islam. Howe e , o he
membe s o his socie y who we e able, a leas o a ce ain ex en , o
bene i om he eachings on Islam, now make up he as majo i y o
he Bedouin who unde s and he Islamic eligion in wha is conside ed
o be a mo e app op ia e o m, ega dless o he ex en o commi men
o i s ins uc ions, as may happen pa icula ly among he younge
gene a ion.
In he examples o cul u al olklo e desc ibed abo e i is easy o
see how he Bedu socie y has his o ically been in luenced by i s na u al
su oundings on many a ious and di e en le els. Making a li ing in
he dese is a complex a ai , ye , o e he cen u ies he Bedouin ha e
adap ed o his ha sh en i onmen . Thei his o ical dwelling places
loca ed nea he ca a an ou e o he amous, ancien Silk Road kep
hem in con ac wi h o he peoples a he same ime as i allowed hem
o main ain hei dis ance. This esul ed in a way o li e ha seeks o
a oid he complica ions and demands o con empo a y li e in he ci y
and uses simplici y and only wha hey ha e immedia ely a hand o
make a li ing. In his way, he Bedu li e wi hou ension; hei bigges
conce n is inding pas u e o hei locks and keeping ack o he
ain all pa e ns as well as he loca ion o di e en bodies o wa e ha
hey can make use o in hei wande ings. They ha e also adap ed o
he mode n e a by using au omobiles ins ead o ho ses and camels, by
eso ing o mode n me hods o ex ac ing g oundwa e , and, in some
cases, by s aying nea hei seasonal ege able a ms ha se e as
odde o hei li es ock ins ead o a eling long dis ances; howe e ,
his may also be due o he ac ha nowadays he e a e in e na ional
bo de s ha end o limi he Bedouin’s eedom o mo emen ,
especially hose en o ced by Saudi A abia, I aq and Sy ia.
E en so, he Bedu li es yle s ill ends o con adic he mo e
con empo a y ci ilian way o li e. By e icien ly using all o i s
ins i u ions, he s a e has been able o le y i s con ol o e ci izens who
li e in ci ies and u al esiden ial a eas; howe e , his is no he case o
Chap e Two: The Jo danian Bedouin Riddle
107
2.1 THE RIDDLE: CLASSIFICATION & FUNCTION
Reaching a common de ini ion o he iddle has p o en o be a di icul
ask ha has caused a ai amoun o schola ly discussion. The p esence
o iddles appea s o be a uni e sal opic and he e seem o exis iddles
ha ing simila o ms ac oss many na ions, and e en con inen s. One
example o his is he Sphinx iddle which has been documen ed o exis
in Mesopo amia, Ancien Egyp , G eece, and e en in he Ma shall
Islands in he Wes . I is ue ha hei con en ional b e i y o e s a so
o oppo uni y o a ia ion o discussion a he same ime ha i also
p esen s a unique pe o mance o deba e. Despi e hei limi ed wo ds,
simple iddles a e commonly a poin o con o e sy o people o all
ages. Ano he poin in common ac oss cul u es is he ac ha many
schola s con i m ha new iddles a e egula ly being o med jus like
any o he ype o li e a y wo k.
I is gene ally known ha iddling was used in adi ional socie ies
as a means o en e ainmen . One o he ea lies sou ces ci ed by many
schola s is A is o le. Well known o his iddle o ainigma collec ion,
which he used in his p omo ion o he e ec i e use o language,
A is o le e e ed o he p esence o he me apho in iddles when he
w o e, “ om good iddling i is gene ally possible o de i e app op ia e
me apho s; o me apho s a e made like iddles; hus, clea ly, [a
me apho om a good iddle] is an ap ans e ence o wo ds” (Book 3,
Chap e 2)16. Ob iously, A is o le’s ideas a e based on he concep s o
he o ic and he app op ia e use o language when speaking; hus, his
idea o using a me apho has been seen as a so o ounda ion o he
de ini ion o iddles.
The s udy a hand deals wi h he mo e adi ional o al iddle. Many
schola s ha e al eady pu o h hei ideas abou an academic de ini ion
o he iddle; his endency has been bi old. On he one hand, some
esea che s ha e paid mo e a en ion o he s uc u e, o o mula, o he
iddle, while o he s ha e concen a ed on he cogni i e aspec s o he
iddle, in o he wo ds, he sociological, psychological, and in ellec ual
aspec s o he iddle and he con ex in which i akes place. Se e al
schola s end o ep esen e minological es ic ions so as o gene a e
16 As ansla ed by Geo ge A. Kennedy (1991:201).

Abdula ee Suleiman Salameh Alma ayeh
108
a pe sonal de ini ion o he iddle acco ding o he con ex o he a ea
s udied, o ins ance, Taylo 1938 and 1943, Geo ges and Dundes 1963,
Dienha 2010, and Jolles 2017 (as e e enced in Kai ola-B engenhøj,
2018: 4-6). Ne e heless, all o hei de ini ions sha e a common idea:
iddles canno be sepa a ed om he elemen and con ex o which hey
e e .
Many schola s ci e Pe sch o be he ini ia o o he s uc u al
analysis o he iddle in e ms o he undamen al uni s which con o m
i (Geo ge & Dundes, 1963), (G een & Pepicello, 1979), (Kai ola-
B engenhøj, 2018) among o he s. In his 1898 doc o al disse a ion, he
Ge man li e a y schola , Robe Pe sch, p oposed he idea ha ue
“ olk puzzles”, o ue iddles, may include up o i e basic elemen s:
an in oduc o y ame, a denomina i e ke nel, a desc ip i e ke nel, a
block o dis ac o componen , and a concluding amewo k (as ci ed in
G een and Pepicello, 1979: 3-20). A second impo an oice in he
de ini ion o he iddle came om he Uni ed S a es: A che Taylo . A
mode n olklo is , Taylo belie ed ha he iddle had no been
adequa ely de ined and a i med ha , “ he ue iddle o he iddle in
he s ic sense, compa es an objec o ano he en i ely di e en objec ”
(1943:29). Taylo included he idea o nega i e and posi i e desc ip i e
elemen s in his de ini ion because he hough hey “o ganize he
essen ial s uc u e o he iddle”. In his opinion, he nega i e elemen
esembles Pe sch’s idea o block. While he posi i e desc ip i e
elemen is me apho ical in na u e, he nega i e desc ip i e elemen is
li e al and can be unde s ood as such. In o he wo ds, “a ue iddle
consis s o wo desc ip ions o an objec , one igu a i e and one li e al,
and con uses he hea e who endea o s o iden i y an objec desc ibed
in con lic ing ways” (1943:130).
As Geo ges and Dundes ha e al eady poin ed ou , he e exis many
iddles which do no ha e one o bo h o hese desc ip i e elemen s. In
addi ion, he e a e also examples o iddles in which he posi i e
elemen is no me apho ical, o in which he nega i e elemen is. Thei
solu ion, om a s uc u al analysis poin o iew, is o base he
de ini ion o he iddle no on s yle, bu on s uc u e. When hei heo y
was applied, only wo o Pe sch’s i e elemen s we e ound o be
s uc u al: he desc ip i e ke nel elemen and he block elemen . They
Chap e Two: The Jo danian Bedouin Riddle
109
u he b oke his down by saying ha he desc ip i e elemen consis ed
o bo h a opic and a commen . Once hey did his, hey we e able o
posi ha “[a] minimum uni o analysis ha ing been de ined, i is now
possible o p esen a en a i e s uc u al de ini ion o he iddle: A
iddle is a adi ional e bal exp ession which con ains one o mo e
desc ip i e elemen s, a pai o which may be in opposi ion; he e e en
o he elemen s is o be guessed” (1963:113).
Al hough some do no ag ee wi h hei en a i e de ini ion, i is a
good base o he s udy a hand. Howe e , addi ional elemen s mus
also be included in he inal de ini ion used in he wo k a hand. Fo
example, he second pa o he iddle, o he e e en , o answe o he
i s pa , mus also be included in he de ini ion and, while Geo ges &
Dundes do no speci ically include i , o he s like Mi anda (1972) and
Pepicello & G een (1984) do. The la e pu o h his mo e comple e
e sion:
We see i s ha he iddle o m is based on he ques ion-and-answe
o ma . Mo eo e , i is po en ially sol able om he in o ma ion
included in he ques ion i he iddlee is able o de e mine he wi y
de ices o con usion employed o ame he iddle. In u n, we see
ha he in o ma ion necessa y o disce n he wi y de ices is o be
ound en i ely by i ue o pa icipa ion in a cul u al sys em (i.e.,
sha ed language, wo ld iew, and opes). Finally, he iddle ac
mus , like all olklo e, ha e a con en ional locus wi hin a pa icula
adi ion and wi hin a pe o mance con ex (Pepicello & G een,
1984:88).
As pu o h abo e, he en i e iddling pe o mance and he social-
cul u al con ex in which i akes place a e impo an in achie ing a
success ul end o he iddle ac : he co ec guess by he audience. This
means ha he p ocess, he con en ions used in he pe o mance, as
well as when i happens and he p esence o one iddlee o , mo e
commonly, a la ge audience, should all be conside ed when analyzing
he o al pe o mance o iddles.
Con inuing inside he scope laid ou by he linguis ic and olklo e
pe spec i e, iddles ha e been included in he gen e o e bal a
alongside p o e bs, especially because o he ac ha bo h a e a imes
Abdula ee Suleiman Salameh Alma ayeh
110
encoded in a chaic o poe ic s yle language, bu , a o he s, p esen ed in
a clea and mo e succinc s yle. Ne e heless, iddles and p o e bs a e
seen as in e si e o each o he , as Milne obse ed, “i a iddle is an
o e ques ion wi h a co e answe , a p o e b is an o e answe o a
co e ques ion” (as ci ed by Kai ola-B egenhøj, 2001:26)”.17 O he
o al exp essions which ha e been included in his g oup o e bal a
include: enigmas, old- ashion ales, s o ies, jokes, and puns. Ye ,
despi e he connec ions, iddles can easily be dis inguished om hese
o he o al exp essions, since, as s a ed abo e, hey ake place in ce ain
social si ua ions, a special domain in which a pe son lea ns o
pa icipa e om an ea ly age.
Bu he olklo e pe spec i e is only one o se e al di e en
pe spec i es ha ha e included he s udy o iddles in hei a ea o
expe ise. F om a linguis ic poin o iew, many schola s ha e deal
wi h how di e en s a egies using phonology, mo phology, syn ax,
and seman ics a e employed o c ea e a ce ain amoun o con usion,
ye , a he same ime, will s ill allow he iddlee and he es o he
audience o come up wi h he co ec answe . In addi ion o he o al
o ms, he li e a y o ms o he iddle ha e been s udied in dep h since
hey may also be cons uc ed in he o m o simple o compound
sen ences, ex s, o e en poe y.
In any case, one can conside a common comp ehensi e de ini ion
ha includes di e en aspec s o he iddle. A iddle is a o m o popula
exp ession ha cons i u es an impo an o al o w i en aspec o
popula c ea i i y as p o en by he ac ha ancien iddles ha e been
ound o e lec deg ees o ci iliza ion du ing di e en his o ical s ages.
As is he case o li e a y gen es, he iddle is a widesp ead global
phenomenon ha does no ha e one speci ically ecognized o ma ; in
addi ion, i can deal wi h any aspec o li e.
A e compa ing he opinions o esea che s and c i ics in e ms o
he bes de ini ion o a iddle, he wo k a hand posi s ha he s uc u al
de ini ion is mo e signi ican han he cogni i e de ini ion o he
de ini ion based on con en and s yle. The s uc u al de ini ion is a
uni e sal one ha can accommoda e all iddles om di e en egions
and socie ies, and i is e y a e, pe haps almos impossible, o ind a
17 In e e ence o a quo e by Köngäs Ma anda 1976:129–130.
Chap e Two: The Jo danian Bedouin Riddle
111
iddle ha does no con ain a opic and a eply. Ano he meaning ul
conside a ion is ha he s uc u al de ini ion is lexible and can be
adjus ed o di e en iddle ca ego ies. The A abic language, as we will
discuss la e , has iddles wi h no appa en opics. S ill, a he same ime,
i makes use o wha a e known as implied p onouns, which can be
employed ins ead o uns a ed opics, so we will no ind any di icul ies
in applying his s uc u al de ini ion o he Jo danian Bedouin Riddle,
hence o h, JBR. In his way, hen, one can pu o h his de ini ion o
he iddle.
A iddle is an o al o w i en gen e ha has di e en unc ions. I
usually consis s o one o mo e opposi ional o non-opposi ional
desc ip i e elemen s o one o mo e s a ed o uns a ed opics. I may
appea in poe ic o p ose o mulas, and he e e en is mean o be
deciphe ed.
Rega ding his opic, delinea ing he minimum uni o analysis is
c ucial o cla i ying he s uc u e o a iddle. I is, hus, sugges ed ha
he uni be called a desc ip i e elemen , as p oposed by Pe sch and
Taylo , o in o he wo ds, a desc ip i e pa ecognized as a opic and a
commen . The o me is he supposed e e en ; ha is, i is he hing o
objec which is supposedly desc ibed. The la e is an a i ma ion abou
he opic, usually in ol ing he design, unc ion, s a us, o pe o mance
o he opic.
Many schola s deal wi h he wo gene al classi ica ions o ue
iddles ha a e de i ed om Geo ge and Dundes’ de ini ion (Roge
Ab ahams 1968:143-158, Cha les Sco 1969:129-142, and Michael
Chye 1988:267-292). The wo ypes a e dis inguished by he absence
o p esence o desc ip i e elemen s in opposi ion. Riddles ha con ain
desc ip i e elemen s which do no con adic each o he a e called non-
opposi ional iddles. Riddles wi h desc ip i e elemen s ha appea o
con adic o oppose each o he a e known as opposi ional iddles.
Non-opposi ional iddles can be cons uc ed in a li e al o
me apho ical way. Li e al iddles a e no complica ed o guess,
unde s and, and ansla e; hence hei meanings can simply be in e ed
om he meaning o hei elemen s. Since he meaning o he answe o
his ype o iddle sha es a ela ionship o he li e al meanings used o
Abdula ee Suleiman Salameh Alma ayeh
112
c ea e i , hey do no equi e much p ocessing e o . The ocabula y
used in li e al iddles a e wo ds ha a e egula ly and commonly used.
This means ha linguis ically speaking, hey a e easy o in e p e and
unde s and. In li e al non-opposi ional iddles, he co espondence
be ween he iddle e e en and he opic(s) o he desc ip i e elemen (s)
is ob ious. As in example JRBR 4 “Wha walks on ee ha we e no
c ea ed by egg no womb? Adam”. The e e en and he opic a e bo h
“Adam”.
Howe e , in me apho ical non-opposi ional iddles he
co espondence be ween he e e en and he opic o he desc ip i e
elemen (s) is no iden ical, as in “Two ows o whi e ho ses on a ed
hill. Tee h”. In addi ion, some imes one can ind a ia ion in he
desc ip i e de ail, as in he iddle, “Wha goes up whi e and comes
down yellow? An egg”; s ill, no con adic ion is included.
On he con a y, in opposi ional iddles, he i s desc ip i e
elemen appea s o con adic he second desc ip i e elemen in o de
o c ea e an in eg al whole o uni . The wo sepa a e elemen s can be
accu a ely and logically associa ed only when he solu ion is p o ided.
In opposi ional iddles, he iddle will always con adic he p ima y
unc ion o a amilia objec , o example, “Th ee b o he s, he i s ea s
and ne e ge s ull. The second goes and ne e comes back. The hi d
one sleeps and ne e ge s up. Fi e, smoke, and ash”. In his iddle, he
con adic ion among he h ee ph ases wi h desc ip i e elemen s is
clea ly mani es ed. In he i s pa , he desc ip i e elemen “ea ing”
con adic s he desc ip i e elemen “ne e ge s ull”. In he second one,
“going” en e s in o opposi ion wi h he desc ip i e elemen “coming
back”. And in he hi d, “sleeping” is con adic o y o he desc ip i e
elemen “ge ing up”.
Opposi ional iddles ha e a leas h ee di e en a ie ies o
opposi ions in he English o al adi ion: (1) an i he ical con adic o y,
(2) p o isional con adic o y, and (3) causal con adic i e. (Geo ges,
Robe A., & Dundes, Alan, 1963: 111-118). In an i he ical
con adic i e opposi ion, jus one o he wo desc ip i e elemen s in
opposi ion can be co ec . Usually, he second o he con adic o y
desc ip i e elemen s wo ks o nega e he meaning o he i s elemen .
As in he iddle “A s one and no a s one, ea s g ass and no a goa o

Chap e Two: The Jo danian Bedouin Riddle
113
sheep? A u le”. Such a iddle is o med o h ee desc ip i e elemen s,
he i s and he second ones appea o be in an i he ical con adic i e
opposi ion. While he p i a ional con adic i e opposi ion esul s when
he second pa o a pai o desc ip i e elemen s con adic he a ional
o physical cha ac e is ic o he i s desc ip i e elemen . Gene ally, i
is he essen ial unc ion o an objec ha is denied. This is he case in
his iddle: “He pinches you wi hou hands? The hunge ”. O in his
o he one: “She c ies wi hou eyes and walks wi hou ee ? The cloud”.
The hi d kind o opposi ion is called causal con adic i e. In his
kind o opposi ion, he ini ial desc ip i e elemen consis s o an ac ion
ca ied ou by an objec o upon an objec . In some causal con adic i e
opposi ional iddles, he second desc ip i e elemen explici ly denies
he hypo he ical o logical esul o he ac ion in ol ed in he i s
desc ip i e elemen . Examples o his ype o iddle include: “She
e ol es bu ne e ge s i ed. She ea s bu ne e d inks. A hand-mill”.
Finally, wi h espec o he ins ances in which he opic o a iddle
is s a ed o no , we can p esen hese examples. Fo a s a ed opic,
“Wha is a well ha has wo di e en subs ances? An egg.” In his
iddle, he opic is a well. An example o an uns a ed opic is, “She
c ies a lo wi h only one eye. A sp ing o wa e ”.
In his sec ion, a de ini e o he iddle has been p o ided as well
as he e minology ha will be used o desc ibe and classi y he JBR.
Nex , an app op ia e comp ehensi e pe spec i e abou how iddles
ha e been classi ied is p o ided so as o allow o a mo e de ailed
analysis o he subjec a hand.
One o he i s classi ica ions o he adi ional o al exp ession
known as iddles o cause much a en ion was p o ided by Taylo , when
he p esen ed he idea o he “ ue iddle” as being a iddle ha
“compa es an objec o ano he en i ely di e en objec ” (1943:129)
and hen la e expanded ha idea o include, “in e ms in ended o
sugges some hing en i ely di e en ” (1951:2)18. While Pepicello &
G een did no ag ee wi h his di e en ia ion since, in hei opinion, he
li e a y e m “ ue iddles” should cause suspicion (1984:85), o he s
ha e con inued o use he no ion o he “ ue iddle” as a se o iddles
no o be con used wi h o he iddles ha a e mo e like puzzles, o wi h
18 As e e enced in: Pepicello & G een (1984:85).
Abdula ee Suleiman Salameh Alma ayeh
114
he ques ions used in a jocula manne in mode n o al i uals ca ied ou
by young people. In his sense, he mos no iceable dis inc ion
sepa a ing he ue iddle and his ype o ques ion is ha he image in
me apho ical iddles in e up s he expec a ions o he audience and ha
i is he la e who mus p o ide he answe . In con as , humo ous
ques ions in e e e wi h he discussion o o he discou se and, in mos
cases, he pe son who poses he joke will p o ide he solu ion.
Ano he classi ica ion o iddles has o do wi h he ac ha while
hey may be cons uc ed o ally, hey may also be p oduced in he o m
o ske ches, d awings, pic u es, signals, and e en Wha sapp images. In
o he wo ds, hen, iddles a e no me e ixed w i en ex s; hey can be
p esen ed in di e en me hods, like he isual iddle, which is
pe o med by means o ges u es, d awings, and so on. The iddle
no mally in oduces his isual iddle by an opening i ual in ques ion
o m, “Do you know wha his means?” o “Ha e you seen his one?”
These ques ions p o ide he amewo k o he pe o mance ha
ollows.19
Some ha e classi ied he iddle by he age g oup ha uses i . B ian
Su on-Smi h conduc ed a s udy in a small own in Ohio, USA. He was
able o demons a e ha eigh y pe cen o he ou -yea -old child en
who pa icipa ed in he s udy could ep oduce simple ques ions and
answe s. Gi en hei na u e, he p oposed hey should be called “p e-
iddles”. Fo example, "Why did he man chop down he chimney? He
needed he b icks”. He was also able o obse e ha by he ime hey
we e o school age, he use o his ype o iddle had dec eased by
a ound se en pe cen , and ha eenage s did no use his p e- iddle
s uc u e. The s udy also showed ha schoolchild en also consciously
p oduce complex iddles, such as he ones based on a homonym, which
he la e calls “homonymic iddles” (1973:114-115), o example, “Why
did he dog go ou in o he sun? He wan ed o be a ho dog.” The
ela ionship be ween he image and answe migh seem o be a bi
us a ing o he audience who expec s some hing else ins ead o me e
wo d-swi ching.
19 Fo con ibu ions abou isual iddles see: Vi anen, Leea. (1988), Lipponen, Ulla (1992) as
ci ed in (Kai ola-B egenhøj, Annikki.2001:62-68).
Chap e Two: The Jo danian Bedouin Riddle
115
Pa ody iddles a e ano he ype o iddle ha schoolchild en
commonly make use o and a e usually pe o med du ing iddle
ga he ings whe e some samples such as i uals, me apho s, o mula, o
con en a e epea ed as a way o imi a ing hei elde s. The a ge di e s
o he a ious iddle pa icipan s. The iddle ies no o o ge his/he
iddle collec ion; meanwhile, he iddlee's pe spec i e is ha sol ing
he iddle is he only ac o ha will p e en him/he om alling ic im
o he mocke y o he audience. Fo e e yone who is aking pa , such
iddles include a pa e n o p o iding andom solu ions ha s ay om
a ional analysis o become a so o expec a ion. I seems ha he
psychological ac o plays a signi ican ole in such iddles whe e he
majo i y o schoolchild en y o gain inspi a ion om he su p ise
elemen ende ed by he pa ody. Fo example: “Al hough I am no
ali e, I ha e i e inge s. Wha am I? A glo e”.
Ano he sub-gen e o he iddle is he g oup o he s udies ha
classi y iddles by geog aphical egion. Lau i s Bodke published “The
No dic Riddle” in he 1960s. This s udy included he e minology
Bodke de eloped o classi y he di e en iddle concep s in a ious
No dic languages. Un o una ely, his e minology does no seem o
ma ch o he a eas, e en hose ha ing a simila o igin as is he case wi h
he No h Ge manic languages. In addi ion, he Chinese (o “Sini ic”)20
languages’ peculia na u e makes hem a pa icula ly ui ul ield o
almos any kind o linguis ic iddle. Rudolph Richa d a emp s o
p esen some gene al in o ma ion abou he na u e o he Chinese iddle
and has e e enced his mos signi ican indings abou Chinese iddles
as ollows. 1) The e exis a la ge numbe o homophones which easily
lend hemsel es o iddle making by punning on sound. 2) The
meanings o Chinese cha ac e s a e o en many and a ied. And 3) he
shape and o ms o Chinese cha ac e s mus be aken in o conside a ion
since a speci ic g oup o iddles ha ha e o do wi h he desc ip ion o
a cha ac e o o i s componen pa s has been de ec ed (1942: 68). The
na u e o a language, i s callig aphy, he ex en o i s geog aphical
20 The Chinese (o “Sini ic”) languages a e ypically classi ied in o se en majo language
g oups. They a y as much om each o he mo phologically and phone ically as does
English. In addi ion, he e a e app oxima ely 300 mino i y languages spoken by he
emaining 8% o China's popula ion (Dwye , 2005: 56-62.)
Abdula ee Suleiman Salameh Alma ayeh
116
sp ead, and he numbe o speake s en ail a wide classi ica ion o i s
li e a y ypes wi hin he gene al amewo k o said language, as
men ioned he e. Such a classi ica ion may be qui e demanding and e en
ba le hose who a e no amilia wi h a pa icula language.
S udies on he English language ha e also p oduced a ce ain
e minology o he classi ica ion o iddles. Apa om he “ ue
iddle”, A che Taylo has also eco ded (1) he “neck iddle”, i.e.,
when a pe son na a es an e en known only o he pe son who poses
he iddle so as o p e en anyone om being able o answe and, hus
sa e his li e, (2) he “cle e ques ion”, i.e. he pe son who asks
supposes ha he audience is awa e o special knowledge ha will
allow hem o supply he co ec answe , (3) he a i hme ic puzzle, and
(4) he “conund um”, i.e., when he pe son posing he wi y ques ion
does so wi h an ingenious combina ion o he e ogeneous o con lic ing
ideas and o puns (1951:1).
Ma k B yan , in Riddles, Ancien and Mode n and his Dic iona y
o Riddles, apa om he ue iddle, iden i ies (1) he “cha ade”, as a
iddle in which he wo d o ph ase o igu e ou is di ided in o se e al
pa s ha can each be guessed om a e bal sign, (2) “conund um”, as
a iddle in which he answe depends on igu ing ou he pun o play on
wo ds, (3) “logog iph”, as a iddle in which a pa icula wo d is o med
om by obse ing he le e s in o he wo ds, and (4) “li e a y ebus”
and “pic o ial iddle”, as using pic u es, samples, symbols, o le e s
ins ead o wo ds and ph ases o p esen a ce ain message (1983:14–16)
and (1990:6-8)21. This a ie y migh be due o he ac ha in di e en
socie ies he comp ehensi e e minology mus di e o accoun o a
ce ain luc ua ion in cul u al e e ences.
Ano he classi ica ion o iddles is he “wisdom iddle”. Unlike he
iddles men ioned abo e, wisdom iddles a e he ones which mos
closely esemble o dina y ques ions. In o de o answe hem, a pe son
mus be awa e o ac s pe aining o a speci ic a ea (i.e., he Bible,
as ology, he NBA, e c.); in his case a pe son’s gene al knowledge o
cul u al backg ound migh no be enough o be able o dis inguish he
answe . This ype o iddle is mos likely linked o an olde age-g oup
who sha e common knowledge o a ce ain cul u al aspec , eligion, o
21 As e e enced in Kai ola B egenhøj, 2001:55.
Chap e Two: The Jo danian Bedouin Riddle
123
some hing ha is only mean o be enjoyed in e ms o how well a
iddle uses his o he imagina ion, o as lee ing en e ainmen , bu
iddles should be ecognized o wha hey a e: signs o deepe meaning
in a gi en socie y, ha ep esen no only i s his o y, bu also how ha
cul u e is passed on o he nex gene a ions.

Abdula ee Suleiman Salameh Alma ayeh
124
2.2 SOME STUDIES ON ARABIC RIDDLES
Many in es iga ions in o he heo e ical na u e o A abic iddles ha e
been ca ied ou . Howe e , when conduc ing a li e a u e e iew, i is
no always easy o ind esea ch ha has been ansla ed in o he English
language, al hough he e do exis a ew excep ions26. One o he
pionee s in s udying he A abic iddle is An oine Giacobe i, who
published a co pus o 619 A abic olk iddles om Alge ia in 1916. His
s udy includes he iddles in A abic ex wi h La in ansc ip ions and
F ench ansla ions. In he in oduc ion, Giacobe i p esen s aluable
bibliog aphical sou ces ela ed o w i en A abic iddles. In addi ion, he
b ie ly examines ce ain usage cases, o example, he use o iddles in
Alge ian u al li e and he na u al opics ep esen ed in hem27.
In 1938, he Alge ian p o esso , Abdelhamid Hamidou p esen ed a
collec ion o Alge ian olk iddles. The iddles in his collec ion had
al eady been ansla ed and we e only eco ded in F ench. The
collec ion included a sho e iew, simila o ha o Giacobe i's, as
well as ce ain iddling exp essions ela ed o Alge ian a me s and a
ew mo e w i en A abic iddles. Since, as men ioned abo e, he iddles
in his wo k we e only p esen ed in hei ansla ed F ench e sion, li le
o no hing can be said abou hei s uc u e and o m.
Ano he in es iga ion ha seems o ha e been ca ied ou wi h
Giacobe i’s s udy in mind, is ha published by Jean Quemeneu
(1944). He in oduces his book, Enigmes Tunisiennes, wi h an essay
ha p o ides impo an da a on he kinds and a ie ies o iddles in
Tunisia, emic names o he iddles, and e en some sho , compa a i e
obse a ions wi h iddles om Alge ia. Like Giacobe i's collec ion,
Quemeneu p o ided he A abic ex s wi h La in ansc ip ions and
F ench ansla ions.
26 Despi e he p esence o some s udies published in A abic on iddles, he olume o hese
s udies is qui e small, pa icula ly i he la ge size o he A ab wo ld and he cul u al and
in ellec ual di e si y among he A ab peoples is conside ed. The au ho s ill su e s om he
sca ci y o hese esou ces and published wo k. I seems ha he in ellec ual passion abou
iddles in he A ab wo ld is no he same as i is o he Wes e n wo ld o easons ha migh
make o a long discussion.
27 Giacobe i’s wo k was e iewed by Rene Basse in Re ue des T adi ions Populai es ol. 32
(1916-17: 186-190).
Chap e Two: The Jo danian Bedouin Riddle
125
Se e al yea s la e , in 1965, Cha les T. Sco published Pe sian
and A abic Riddles. This book migh be one o he ea lies
in es iga ions in English, om a language-cen e ed app oach, o
a emp o each a de ini ion o he iddles p o ided. Sco ied o se
apa , desc ibe and linguis ically analyze he s ylis ic de ices employed
in he iddles he included in his co pus.
In 1975, in an unpublished hesis en i led, I 's abou Ou Bean-
colo ed Hen: A P elimina y Look a Tunisian Riddles, Sab a J. Webbe
ca ied ou a ield s udy in which she collec ed i y iddles. In addi ion,
she pu o h he in-dep h analysis o he Tunisian cul u al con ex as
well as a b ie look a A ab/Muslim iddle con en , iddle o m, iddling
ools, and unc ions o iddles.28
The si ua ion wi h mode n A ab schola s is e y simila ; no much
has been w i en on he subjec . One o he mo e dis inc , ye
comp ehensi e, in es iga ions ha has been encoun e ed is a book
abou Alge ian olk iddles by Alge ian philosophe , Abdul-Malik al-
Mu ad (2007).29 In his book, P o esso al-Mu ad a emp s o conduc
a de ailed in es iga ion o olk iddles in Alge ia and p o ides an index
o 176 Alge ian iddles.
In a a he aluable as well as use ul in es iga ion, Michael L.
Chye examines se s o olk iddles om a ious A ab coun ies
including Alge ia, Egyp , I aq, Kuwai , Libya, Mo occo, Pales ine,
Saudi A abia, Sudan, and Tunisia. He looks a he collec ions o ind
ou i A abic iddles a e ela ed and e en simila h oughou he A ab
Wo ld, o i hey a y oo much o be ega ded oge he as a single
g oup. He aims o cla i y ha o his in es iga ion, he absence o any
iddle om he co pus o a pa icula coun y is no e idence ha a
gi en iddle is no known he e. Howe e , Chye ega ds he p esence
o any iddle in a ce ain co pus o jus i y ha i o ms pa o he
egional epe o y. Fu he mo e, Chye p esen s an ex ensi e collec ion
o A abic iddles and also a emp s o unde s and he s uc u e o hese
iddles. To do his, he makes use o some o he mo e well-known
s uc u alis heo ies which ha e been applied o Eu opean and o he
28 As eco ded in Chye , 1988: 268).
29 This book en i led, "al-Algdz al-Sacbaya al-Gaza'i zya. Di asa i algdz al-Ga b al-Gaza'i z"
Alge ian Folk Riddles: A S udy in he Riddles o he Alge ian Wes was published in 1982.
Abdula ee Suleiman Salameh Alma ayeh
126
iddle collec ions, o de e mine i A ab iddles can be explained in his
way (1988:270-290). The heo ies ha he add esses a e hose o
(Geo ges & Dundes, 1963), (Sco , 1965), (Ma anda, 1971), and
(Kai ola-B egenhoj, 1974)
Since i migh be one o he a e s udies in English on A abic
iddles, Chye ’s 1988 s udy is uly bene icial o ou esea ch, and can
be a so o a s a ing poin . I seems ha he A abic language, i s
comp ehensi eness, and i s linguis ic abili y o p esen any meaning in
mo e han one linguis ic o m, wi hin he g ea di e si y o A abic
dialec s, has mo i a ed him o in es iga e iddles in a ious A ab
coun ies. In his way, Chey concludes ha he e exis mul i-s uc u es
when ce ain iddles ha e he same meaning bu a e p esen ed wi h
di e en exp essions and o ms in di e en coun ies.
Ano he signi ican inding which can be applied o he s udy a
hand is ha Chey posi s ha wo o he ou heo ies men ioned abo e,
(Sco , 1965) and (Ma anda, 1971) do no a o d sa is ac o y esul s
when applied o A abic iddles. Acco ding o Chye , he main p oblems
wi h Sco ’s s a egy a e ha : 1) i b ings oge he iddles ha ela e o
sepa a e le els, while 2) con e sely, i sepa a es iddles wi h iden ical
s uc u es when one o he iddles has an ex a-in oduc o y ame
elemen , o a “s ylis ic” elemen which he o he lacks.
Chye also a emp s o implemen Mi anda’s s uc u alis heo y o
“ i e-pa diag am” (1971)30 on A abic iddle s uc u e. Howe e , such
an app oach ails o be applicable o all ca ego ies o iddles. Finally,
Chey is able o make use o ce ain elemen s o o mula analysis ha
we e p e iously de e mined. Wi h Kai ola-B egenhoi’s no ion o
o mula c i e ia, and he desc ip i e analysis pa e n laid ou by
Geo ges & Dundes, Chye analyzes he mos a ailable and common
iddle pa e ns. He is able o posi new iddle pa e ns ela ed o non-
30 In Elli Kongas Ma anda's a icle “The Logic o Riddles” (1971), she ou lines a i e-pa
diag am o analyze he s uc u e o Finnish iddles" The i e elemen s o he iddle a e: I. The
gi en e m (signans) a me apho which is he co e o he iddle image. II. The cons an p emiss
which holds ue o bo h he gi en e m and he hidden e m. III. The hidden (uns a ed)
a iable, o wha would logically be expec ed as he second pa o he iddle ques ion. IV. The
gi en a iable-clue o he answe , which in o ms us ha some hing is amiss in he logic o he
iddle. V. The hidden e m (signa um) o he iddle answe / solu ion. Ma anda conside s he
iddle answe o be an in eg al pa o he iddle s uc u e.
Chap e Two: The Jo danian Bedouin Riddle
127
opposi ional iddle ca ego ies acco ding o he s uc u al heo ies
p esen ed by Geo ges & Dundes, and Kai ola-B egenhoj.
As a as ecen mas e heses and doc o al disse a ions, whe he
published o no , a e conce ned, mos o he ones ha a e accessible
seem o o igina e in one coun y: Alge ia. This ype o s udy in Alge ia
no mally uses he wo k men ioned abo e by Al-Mu ad as a s a ing
poin and hen seeks o desc ibe wha occu s in di e en egions o he
same coun y. In his way, i is ob ious ha pionee ing s udies o his
na u e a e necessa y o any gi en opic in a pa icula socie y and will
be he basis o be e e enced o any and all ollowing wo k ha is
ca ied ou by esea che s in he u u e.
Acco ding o his esea ch he mos signi ican s udies ha help o
desc ibe and explain he iddle gen e in Alge ia ha e been included in
Table 1.
Table 1. Recen Resea ch on he Riddle in Alge ia
Name o
esea che
A abic Ti le
English i le
Yea o
publica ion
Ru ibeh
Hammayod
alalghaz alshabyea
i madina Qsn in
di asih ahlilih
Popula Riddles in
he Ci y o
Qusan ina: an
analy ical s udy
2006
Halima Awaj
alalghaz alshabyea
i alaw as wadi
al aqa
Popula iddles in
Au as and he
Valley o Ene gy
2007
Salwa
Tub ukan
alalghaz alshabyea
w alqabalyea bi
man iqa ay
Wadiyeh wa
Azaza ah
Popula and T ibal
Riddles in he
A eas o Wadiyeh
and Azaza ah
2012
Banoo
Youse
al-su ah al- anyea
i al-alghaz i
man iqa al-wadi
The A is ic Riddle
Image in he
Valley A ea
2016
I is ema kable ha all o he Alge ian esea ch lis ed abo e is e y
simila in he o ma ion and acing o he con en o he iddle, i s
Abdula ee Suleiman Salameh Alma ayeh
128
objec i es, and i s ela ionship wi h he socie y as olk a ha p ese es
and highligh s he cul u al alues and cus oms in pa icula egions. In
addi ion, each schola con ines his/he esea ch opic o a speci ic
geog aphical a ea ha has a simila e hnic cha ac e . Ne e heless, hey
do no make any a emp o de elop a heo e ical amewo k o A abic
olk iddles, o any a emp o c i icize he uni e sal heo ies abou he
iddle as he s udy a hand seeks o do.
One o he s udy, en i led Al-alghaz Alnahwiah, Di asa Tahlilia,
o G amma ical Riddles: An Analy ical S udy, by Zainab Jum'a (2013)
om I aq is wo h men ioning. In his s udy, he au ho poses he
esea ch abou he na u e o language conduc i i y as a cla i ica ion
ea u e and compa es i wi h ce ain ea u es o he iddle such as
con usion. Jum'a desc ibes he di e ence be ween iddles by p esen ing
some examples om he book Alain ikhab Likash Al'abya
Almushkilah i Al'iie ab by Ibn Adlan al-Mawsili31 in an a emp o
disco e how iddles a e g amma ically made, how hey a e sol ed, and
hei ela ion o he classical A abic language.
A he local le el, in one o he a e s udies ha has deal wi h he
opic o iddle and i s use is he one by Juma Salim Al-Najada , in which
he deals wi h iddles and p o e bs as humo ous means o enhancing
educa ion (2015: 118-119). Al-Najada explo es he esul s o
in oducing and using a a ie y o English humo ous ex s in a eading
ansla ion cou se o mixed-abili y A abic-speaking English majo s a
Mu’ ah Uni e si y in Jo dan. He concludes ha he s udy has shown
ha humo ous ex s in English can p o ide e y help ul language inpu ,
and can, he e o e, suppo he language lea ne and he language
ins uc o in a a ie y o ways. Un o una ely, he main ocus o he
pape is on jokes, while he iddles a e mos ly e e enced in he
31 Adlan o A i al-Din 'Ali was bo n in Mosul ci y (c. 1187 CE). He ecei ed
schooling in Baghdad, including lessons on syn ax, by one o he mos dis inguished
schola s a ha ime, he G amma ian, Abu al-Baqa al-Ukba i. La e , he mo ed o
Damascus and Cai o o wo k as an A abic language eache un il he died in 1267 CE.
Besides his w i ing, linguis ics ea ises, and c yp analysis, he was conside ed o be
an au ho i y on li e a u e and also w o e poe y. Adlan was amous o his mul iple
nicknames: al-Mawsili (o Mosul), al-Mu a jim ( he C yp oanalys ), and al-Nahwi
( he g amma ian).

Chap e Two: The Jo danian Bedouin Riddle
129
Appendix, and, mo eo e , appea as di ec ques ions wi h di ec
answe s.
In conclusion, while i is ue ha he s udy o he iddle has been
a ac i e o A ab and non-A ab esea che s, i is also e iden ha he e
a e di e ences in how hey deal wi h iddles. On he one hand, and in
con as o A abic schola s, Chey ied o apply some uni e sal heo ies
o iddles in he A ab wo ld. In con as , mos A ab esea che s,
especially he s udies ca ied ou in Alge ia, aimed o imi a e he s yle
in iddle collec ion and esea ch ha was being ca ied ou he e. Thus,
i appea s ha a ce ain eeling o language uni e sali y is s ill no
p esen in he dic iona y o many A ab schola s and c i ics, and his is,
o a la ge ex en , wha dis inguishes his s udy om hese o he A abic
s udies men ioned abo e. Tha is o say, he s udy a hand aims o
highligh he mos impo an p e ious s udies and wo k on iddles in
o de o p o ide an analysis, a classi ica ion, and ce ain de ini ions.
Fo his eason, nex , his disse a ion will ocus mo e speci ically on
li e a u e ha deals speci ically wi h Jo danian iddles and puns.
Pe haps i is a e o ind a specialized s udy ha speci ically deals
wi h he o m, linguis ic composi ion o g amma ical e ms o he
Jo danian iddle as has p e iously been men ioned. Howe e , i is
wo h no ing ha esea ch on his a ea in Jo dan does include simila
s udies ha add ess he iddle indi ec ly and ocus on humo , joking
ques ions, wo dplay, and puns. In his con ex , we can e e o many
schola s as Kai ola-B egenhøj (2001:57-75), Taylo (1951:1), and
o he s who ega d joking ques ions as a sub-b anch o iddles, and also
e e o o he sub-gen es such as wo dplay and puns in which he iddle
mus ace he challenge.
As men ioned abo e, polysemy, puns, and wo dplays can be
employed as echniques o in en ionally p epa e iddles be o e a ce ain
si ua ion un olds so as o use hem du ing his si ua ion and d i e he
a en ion sa cas ically away om he di ec alk occu ing. In hese
cases, he esul ing humo ous si ua ion is he goal o he iddle . Riddles
ha e been used in his way o help p omo e he Re o ma ion and he
Renaissance, as Cha les F ancis Po e a i ms when he says ha hey
we e success ully used o p o es agains social inequali y (1950:943).
Riddles a o d a con en ional channel o exp essing an imp ession ha
Abdula ee Suleiman Salameh Alma ayeh
130
a pe son has as indi ec c i icism, which may some imes be obscu ed
by he esul ing humo ; such echniques a e used in poli ical si ua ions,
especially in newspape s and he social media. A e he “A ab sp ing”
ended in 2013, he use o sa casm, i ony and puns became mo e
common in he p ess; his was also pa ly due o he inc ease o eedom
gi en o he media a e hese social mo emen s in he A ab Wo ld.
Youse Bade has examined he use o puns and wo dplay in sa i ical
columns in local Jo danian newspape s. (2015: 53-67). Addi ionally,
Bade lis s many classi ica ions o he pun, which appea o be qui e
simila o wha was men ioned abo e when we e e ed o he
classi ica ion o iddles and how hey a e in e - ela ed gen es.
Bade shows he ole o he iddle as an indi ec , bu li e al poli ical
ques ion, when he conside s he ollowing example w i en by Ahmad
Hasan AL-Zoubi, a well-known jou nalis who uses sa casm:
“shloon il-'a ab ilyoom?, ahmal min 'a ab imbaa iH?”
How is/a e he A abs /Today?
I is/A e hey a e wo se han he A abs o yes e day ( he pas )?
The jou nalis plays on he wo ds “al-'a ab al-yawm” by swi ching
o local Jo danian dialec o a icula ion o he s anda d A abic ph ase
(il-'a ab il-yoom) wi hou any a ia ion in he w i en s yle. The ph ase
con eys wo pu poses: he i s le el is unin en ional and asks abou he
s a e o he newspape , “How is he A abs Today (newspape )?”; he
second le el has one o deepe meaning and, hus, in en ionally asks
abou he s a e o he A abs hemsel es as a communi y “How a e he
A abs oday?”. No ice ha he e b o be “is / a e” a e no equi ed in
A abic, and he small “ ” be o e he beginning o he wo d “Today” in
he English e sion displays he wo meanings o he pun.
The s udy i led, “Some Aspec s o Pa onomasia in A abic
Humo ”, was ca ied ou by Abumah ouz and Al-Shboul; in his a icle
hey de elop he idea o how puns a e used as an in insic sou ce o
A abic humo (2018: 18-25). Abumah ouz and Al-Shboul indica e ha
he ambigui y classi ica ion, as se o h by Pepicello and G een (1984),
can be employed as a ool ha he speake can use o o m a joking
ques ion o pun. They also add ess some ea u es o he iddle, such as
“ambigui y and incong ui y” ha hey obse e aking place a he
Chap e Two: The Jo danian Bedouin Riddle
131
phonological and mo phological le els, o unc ion as basic ac o s in
puns oge he wi h he seman ic aspec . Howe e , Abumah ouz and Al-
Shboul do no e e o he syn ac ic le el o humo in hei pape .
Abumah ouz and Al-Shboul do p esen hei concep o “in e lingual
punning”, whe e wo languages sha e one p onuncia ion o di e en
e ms. Such a s a egy may be used as a ool o gi e a w ong, ye unny
answe o he iddle as in:
Riddle : Whe e did “Sidney” 2000 ( ake place)?
Riddlee: Wha on ea h did I ake om you?!
The e m “Sidney” has a local meaning wi h he same p onuncia ion. I
means “payback he money”; mo eo e , bo h e ms ha e he same
A abic homog aphs. Abumah ouz and Al-Shboul indica e ha in o de
o ha e a success ul, unny si ua ion, bo h pa icipan s in he speech ac ,
he iddle and he iddlee mus ha e a good knowledge o he wo
languages. A e lec ion ha migh also be added he e is ou own when
we poin ou ha his use migh be a new way o dealing wi h iddles
which can be called he “ e lexi e iddle”, o he “coun e a ack” iddle.
In hese cases, he iddle is o ced in o he ole o iddlee when he / she
is also pu o he es , ins ead o being g a i ied wi h he eply. Such a
s a egy migh o ce iddle pose s o e ise hei iddle, o ques ion, and
o make hemsel es clea e by explaining hei ambiguous wo ds.
In ano he s udy ela ed o humo , Mu ad Al-Kayed iden i ies a
ce ain in ingemen o ules ha occu s a imes in Jo danian jokes o
p oduce laugh e and o deli e di e en meanings as well as o
mi iga e c i icism o pa ody (2019:13-20). This happens because o
wha G een and Pepicello (1978, 1979) and Pepicello (1980) desc ibe
when he e is an unde lying mul i-s uc u e ambigui y in ce ain e ms
o exp essions, a he same ime ha he e is a simila su ace s uc u e,
due o he p ocesses aking place a he phonological, mo phological,
o syn ac ic g amma le els. Al Kayed has p o ided he ollowing
Jo danian joke as an example:
An A ab asks an Ame ican, “wha is you name?
The Ame ican eplies, “Sam Ha y”.
The A ab says, “Sam-ha y in ec ed you. Why such an insul ?!”
Abdula ee Suleiman Salameh Alma ayeh
132
This joke is based on he homophonic ela ionship and hus, “in e -
lingual punning” be ween “Sam Ha y” /samha i/ ( he English name)
and he A abic e m “ ﻢﺳ يرﺎھ ” (poison) /samha: i/. This wo d is u ilized
in A abic as an o ensi e s a emen wi h which he speake wishes he
o he dea h by poison. The misin e p e a ion be ween he speake and
hea e ini ia es he humo ous exchange and becomes a s a ing poin o
eme gence o a new so o iddle in he las pa o he joke.
Any w i e o iddle can use wo dplay, o language play as a way
o b ing abou he will ul manipula ion o he peculia i ies o a ce ain
linguis ic sys em so as o d aw a en ion o hese peculia i ies
hemsel es, and he eby cause a communica i e and cogni i e e ec
ha goes beyond he con eyance o p oposi ional meaning. Among he
a ious phenomena answe ing o his desc ip ion one can include he
di e en kinds o iddles ha gene ally depend on mo e s ic ly o m-
based manipula ions, such as, pe soni ica ion, alli e a ion, and o he
ypes o igu a i e speech.
Be o e concluding his pa , one mus u n o one o he mos
signi ican schola s and au ho s in Jo danian olk li e a u e, D . Hani
Al-Amad, who is one o he mos p ominen con empo a y w i e s in
Jo dan and has published a g ea deal o esea ch ha add esses olklo e
om di e en angles. This includes o e 15 wo ks conce ned
speci ically wi h he A ab and he Jo danian cul u es ha has, in u n,
lead him o be conside ed one o he mos impo an local and A ab
e e ences o social and in ellec ual s udies in Jo danian and A ab
socie y. As such, his esea ch is well-known o i s dis inguished deg ee
o objec i i y and eliabili y among mode n w i e s.
His 2006 a icle i led “Fea u es o a Popula Joke in Jo dan: a
dynamic and ac i e popula cul u e”32 is a good sou ce o hose in
in e es ed in local cul u al a ai s. Al-Amad s i es o ca y ou his
s udy wi h a social and cul u al pe spec i e ha e lec s he cha ac e
ha ep esen s Jo danian socie y by collec ing a numbe o s udy
samples (jokes and o he s) om di e en Jo danian egions. The
samples p esen ed by Al-Amad con ain many examples (joke
ques ions) bu wi hou linking hem o any uni e sal heo y p e iously
32 This is he au ho ’s own ansla ion o he o iginal i le: “ ﺔﻓﺎﻘﺛ ،ندرﻷا ﻲﻓ ﺔﯿﺒﻌﺸﻟا ﺔﺘﻜﻨﻟا ﺢﻣﻼﻣ
ﺔﻛﺮﺤﺘﻣ و ﺔﻠﻋﺎﻓ ﺔﯿﺒﻌﺷ”.
Chap e Two: The Jo danian Bedouin Riddle
139
As p e iously men ioned, one o he main objec i es o his s udy
is o p ese e o he g ea es ex en possible he la ges amoun o
cul u al he i age possible in he o m o he JRBR. While conduc ing
his esea ch se e al easons ha ha e allowed o he p ese a ion o
hese iddles un il now ha e been ound. The i s is pe haps he mos
anspa en ; he simple li es yle o he Jo danian Badia Bedouin
communi y has su ely con ibu ed o hei e aining such a signi ican
pa o hei cul u e due mainly o ma e ial and mo al easons.
Ma e ially speaking his communi y is well-known and espec ed
o hei c ea i i y and a is ic skills seen in hei his o ical indus ies
and adi ional handic a s. This is also e lec ed in hei cus oms and
adi ions ha in ol e dancing and popula games, cuisine and cooking
me hods and e en ce ain adi ional medicines.
I is also pa en ha one o he easons hese cul u al p ac ices and
adi ions ha e su i ed o so long is because o a ce ain lack o
change and de elopmen o e ime (Mu si, 1995: 33). Bedu women in
he dese s ill do wha hei ances o s did be o e hem and engage in
many ac i i ies, i.e., cooking, spinning, and wea ing manually ins ead
o ying o use mo e mode n means o do so. The dis ance om he
cen e o ci iliza ion and he lack o elec ici y may be ano he ac o
in he lack o de elopmen o such ac i i ies and ce ainly has a
mi iga ing e ec on how as mode n change a ec s he Bedouin
li es yle. Fu he mo e, acco ding o Aljawha i, he e also exis s an
in angible aspec , ha o in ellec ual cul u e ha is equally impo an as
popula li e a u e (1996: 25). This in ellec ual cul u e ex ends o
c ea ions and he o al a s, whe he w i en o no , such as olk ales,
popula poe y and singing, p o e bs, iddles, and so on.
Aljawha i, indica es ha he olk gen e is he mos p ominen o m
o exp ession in he cul u e o he Bedu olk socie y, and a i ms ha
his has much o do wi h he na u e o hei conse a i e olk socie y
ha p e en s women and child en om wa ching mos ele ision
p og ams apa om news and eligious p og ams, and e en ends o
es ic his use wi h sma de ices. s (1996:25).
Thus, he Bedouins e use o eplace hei , o en long, olk
na a ions ha a e inspi ed by a ealism ha pe o ms mul iple
unc ions. Fo hem, ales, ables, s o y elling, iddles, and p o e bs

Abdula ee Suleiman Salameh Alma ayeh
140
among o he s ac as a so o p o ec o s ha p ese e hei ances al
he i age, especially he o al one, om disappea ing since engaging in
hese o al ac i i ies helps o solidi y hese cul u al aspec s among he
membe s o he amily, and, in u n, helps o main ain and gua d hei
collec i e iden i y as well. In addi ion, he e a e oles o bo h he
a he s and mo he s o play in his a ea. The simple, adi ional way o
li ing ha p e ails in Bedouin amilies oday encou ages communi y
membe s o adhe e o popula gen es in gene al and iddles in
pa icula . This is also ue because he eal Bedu li es yle is simply no
simila o wha is displayed on TV, a he TV shows a e a away om
he pe cep ions, belie s, and habi s o he Bedouin (Rashwan, 1993:74).
Consequen ly, Rashwan cla i ies ha while i is unde s ood ha he
Bedu do no like o wa ch ele ision equen ly, his is no because hey
ha e an en i onmen ha is closed o om he ou side wo ld, bu
because hey p e e o hea some hing mo e adi ional in na u e ha
coincides wi h hei pe cep ions han o wa ch a mo e con empo a y
show ha does no ep esen hei eali y and ideology. This may
explain he sp ead o olk na a ions in he Badia and o he illages ha
a e no as close o he ci ies (1993: 72-81). Acco dingly, he mo e
popula olk gen es a e a ype o ec ea ion as obse ed in Bedouin en s
and houses. Child en s ill insis en ly ask, each nigh , o he adul s o
ell hem a s o y be o e bed. The adul s seldom al e since hey
conside hese s o ies o be cul u al he i age ha was passed down om
he p e ious gene a ion and ha , he e o e, mus be p ese ed. As
e e enced in Salih, he so-called a o i e a mosphe e o lis ening o
he olk ale in he Badia emains he win e nigh s when i is pi ch da k
and eezing cold. This a mosphe e may seem o inc ease he poe ic
na u e o he ain and he whis ling o he wind. The amily ga he s
a ound he wood-bu ning s o e o unde he woolen ma esses. Cu ing
powe ou ages and unning ou o candle o lamp uel call all amily
membe s o u n a ound o lis en o each o he , hen hey enjoy hese
sessions whe e amily membe s ell s o ies and espond o hem as
h ough he s o ies, hey expe ience a so o d eam wo ld o e lowing
wi h hope o he u u e and nos algia o he beau i ul pas (1971:14).
This passion o olk s o ies is simila ou side he home and du ing
ga he ings. The simple en i onmen as well as he dis ance om mo e
Chap e Two: The Jo danian Bedouin Riddle
141
accele a ed li es yles and om he complexi ies o he imes a e among
he mos impo an easons o he su i al o he lus e o adi ional
s o ies among he Bedu communi y membe s. Folk gen es a e
ci cula ed and exchanged a eas s, ci cumcision e en s and weddings
in he dese (Abdualhakim, 1992: 13). A hese e en s i is common o
exchange s o ies and iddles. When a na a o , o iddle , begins o ell
a s o y / iddle abou some hing ha was hea d in a ce ain a ea, o he s
will soon speak up as well and p o ide o he examples o s o ies and
iddles ha hey ha e hea d in ha a ea o in a di e en one.
Some imes, di e en e sions o hese s o ies o iddles a e sha ed as
well as mani es ed in he JRBR co pus in his s udy whe e a ce ain
numbe o iddles ha ing he same solu ion ha e been ound.
The simple li es yle and en i onmen o he JRBR and how hey
ac i ely pa icipa e in his ype o cul u al exchanges also has an impac
on he h ee ac o s ha a ec how iddles a e sha ed in his
communi y: he occasions o sha ing hem and he ole ha he iddle
and he iddlees play in his exchange, as well as he cha ac e is ics and
na u e o he JRBRs hemsel es which will be discussed nex .
As p e iously men ioned, he choice o place and ime is
signi ican o he olk na a ions and also o he iddle and help o
ensu e i s con inui y. Fo mal occasions a e an impo an ime o hese
exchanges. Whe he i be weddings, annual eligious wo ship se ices
o e en a he ma ke , iddles a e old by skilled iddle s. Conside his
example.
JRBR 68
كﺪﺸﻧأ ﻦﻋ ﺖﻨﺑ ﺎﮭﻟ ﺔﻠﻤﺟ لﺎﯿﻋ ﺎﻣ ﻢﮭﯿﻓ ﻲﻠﻟا ق ﻮ ﻓ ﻦﺳ ﻦﯿﺛﻼﺜﻟا
ﻢﮭﺑ ﺔﻌﺑرأ ﺎﻣ اﻮﺑﺮﺟ بﺮﺣ لﺎﺘﻗو ﻢﮭﯿﻓ ٍﻢﯾﺮﻛ ﻞﻔﺘﺤﺗ ﮫﺑ ﻦﯿﯾﻼﻣ .
.نﺎﻀﻣر ﺮﮭﺷ و ,مﺮﺤﻟا ﺮﮭﺷﻷا ,ﺔﯾﺮﺠﮭﻟا ﺮﮭﺷﻷا ,ﺔﯾﺮﺠﮭﻟا ﺔﻨﺴﻟا
May I ask you abou a woman who has many boys?
None o he boys is abo e hi y yea s.
Fou o hem do no wi ness he ime o wa .
One o hem is gene ous when millions celeb a e in.
The lady is he yea .
Abdula ee Suleiman Salameh Alma ayeh
142
The boys a e he mon hs o Hij i-yea .
The ou boys a e he ‘Al-Hu m’ mon hs
and he gene ous one is Ramadan mon h.
JRBR 68 makes explici e e ence o ce ain eligious occasions o
celeb a ion in which iddling occu s, like he mon h o as ing and he
pilg image.
The e a e also semi- o mal occasions when non-p o essional
iddle s may ela e iddles ha hey hea d be o e, o ha hey ha e
memo ized, o amily membe s, some gues s, o o he neighbo hood.
Howe e , i has been he expe ience o he au ho ha on hese
occasions he ama eu iddle mus be awa e o elling us wo hy and
ag eeable e sions34 so as o a oid skep ical ema ks om his/he
audience.
On hese semi- o mal occasions, hen, i is ou belie ha he
iddles ha a e mo e e icien a e hose ha include se e al aspec s and
ha a e, o a ce ain ex en , di ec , so ha hey a e easy enough o sol e
ha i does no ake oo long so as no o be seen as being inapp op ia e
o his social si ua ion.
Las ly, he e a e in o mal occasions in which iddles a e na a ed
by non-p o essional iddle s, e en o dina y people, who do no usually
ell iddles. This migh happen when hey a e casually engaged in
con e sa ion and unin en ionally old he iddle in o hei o al discou se
as i i we e a spa kling ph ase u e ed by he speake o help suppo
his/ he opinion. o o con i m wha he /she is saying is ue. He e is an
example.
JRBR 73
كﺪﺸﻨﺑا شو ثﻼﺜﻟا تﺎﺒﯿﺼﻌﻟا ﻲﻠﻟا نﺪﺤﯾ لﺎﺟﺮﻟا ة ﺪ ﯾ ﺪ ﺸ ﻟ ا
.هﺪﯿﻛا ﺪﻋﻮﻟا ﺪﻋو ﻰﻠﻋ ﮫﺘﻧاو تﺎﻗوا ﺖﻓﺎط ﻮﻟ روﺬﻌﻣ ﻦﮭﺑ ﻲﻠﻟاو
34 The iddle should choose a iddle o g ea alue, ha is well o mula ed. I should also be
wo hy o p aise once he solu ion is e ealed; in o he wo ds, iddle s end o shy away om
any iddle ha migh make hem appea oolish, ei he due o how easy i is o come up wi h
he solu ion, o because he e a e mul iple solu ions. This is especially ue i any gues s p esen
a e s ange s and e en when hey a e ela i es.
Chap e Two: The Jo danian Bedouin Riddle
143
.تﻮﻤﻟا و ,ﻞﯿﺴﻟا ,ﺔﻣﻮﻜﺤﻟا
May I ask you abou he h ee di icul ies
which pu a hea y bu den on s ong men?
He who is unde hei p essu e is no o blame i ime passes;
you su ely keep you p omise.
The go e nmen , he lood, and he dea h.
A pe son migh use his o make e e ence o he h ee di icul ies. I
one o he o he pa icipan s in he alk exchange is un amilia wi h i ,
he pe son who asks he iddle can use i o emind hem abou he s o y
o he Bedu, he uling egimes, and mode n s a es so ha hey
unde s and he meaning.
Ano he example migh be his iddle.
JRBR 57
روﺪﯾ ﻻو ،ﺐﻌﺘﯾ ﻞﻛﺄﯾو ﺎﻣو .بﺮﺸﯾ .ﻰﺣﺮﻟا
She e ol es and ne e ge s i ed.
She ea s, ye ne e d inks.
The hand mill.
This migh happen when an olde woman wished o p aise he ha d-
wo king daugh e -in-law. The woman would ell his iddle and he
daugh e -in-law would su ely unde s and he meaning in con ex and
ecognize i as p aise o wo k well done.
These examples also demons a e he impo ance o he ole ha
he iddle plays in hese exchanges. Acco ding o Qu aysh, he o al
olk gen e is a spon aneous one ha unconsciously ansmi s cul u al
aspec s om pe son o pe son and om one gene a ion o ano he ; hus,
i is easy o see how iddle s, wi h hei skill and hei con inued
e e ence o pas cul u al aspec s, ha e helped o sa e much popula
o al ma e ial ha would o he wise ha e disappea ed o been o go en
(1980: 79).
Fu he mo e, he ieldwo k ca ied ou on his ype o na a o s has
demons a ed ha na a ion equi es a alen ha no one possesses, bu
Abdula ee Suleiman Salameh Alma ayeh
144
e e yone is able o na a e, bu , ha na a o s do a y in hei abili y o
na a e as well in hei capabili ies o d aw lis ene s in o hei
na a ions, o , in his case, iddles. Some indi iduals ha e a ema kable
eadiness o manipula e how hey na a e and con ol hei one o he
oice, and how well hey a e able o engage hei lis ene s in he idding
p ocess wi h hei expe ise in po aying places and hei boldness o
speech and sel -con idence (Qu aysh,1980: 79). They mus also be able
o s ay men ally ale o he o al exchange as i un olds be o e hem so
ha hey can main ain hei audience’s a en ion. While elling a
pa icula iddle, many iddle s end o poin wi h hei hands, change
hei acial exp essions and ges u es and adap hei language acco ding
o age, gende , and in ellec ual le el o he lis ene s. How well a iddle
na a es can a ec how he cha ac e s a e p esen ed and help he
audience ocus on he mos impo an de ails o he e en s by d awing
hei a en ion o hem and e en helping hem o emembe his in he
u u e. In his ega d, Alsabaagh s a es ha “[ ]he na a o s a e no he
ones who c ea e he mos beau i ul s o ies, bu mas e how na a ions
a e deli e ed o he lis ene s” (1999: 4)35.
Ano he impo an ea u e o na a o s, and iddle s, is ha hey
ha e a good memo y. This migh su p ise hose who depend on eading
and w i ing o memo iza ion; bu e e since he ield o he o ic began,
memo y is known o be an impo an abili y ha mus be wo ked on
and ained. Ha ing a good memo y enables he iddle o memo ize
many di e en ypes and e sions and also o pa icipa e o long
pe iods o ime. (Qu aysh,1980: 79).
Pe haps no less impo an han memo y is a ce ain inhe en ea u e
ha is he na a o s’, o iddle s’, hones y. Many schola s see in eg i y
as a noble p i ilege ha na a o s mus adhe e o so as o p ese e he
u h ulness o he p esen a ion o hese ex s ha ha e been inhe i ed
om hei ances o s. I is ue ha some ha e said ha being hones is
no so much a sign o supe io i y o excellence, bu o a ce ain c ea i e
weakness when na a o s who me ely pe o m he same e sions o e
and o e show. El-Shamy e e s o hese weak na a o s as “bea e s” o
35 T ansla ion by he au ho o he o iginal ex : “ نﻮﻔﻟﺆﯾ ﻦﻣ ﻢھ لﺎﺤﻟا ﺔﻌﯿﺒﻄﺑ اﻮﺴﯿﻟ ةاوﺮﻟا
ﺴﻤﻟا ﺪﻨﻋ دﺮﺴﻟا ﻲﻓ ًﻻﺎﻤﺟ ﻒﯿﻀﯾ يﺬﻟا ﻮھ ﻞﻘﻨﻟا ﻲﻓ ﻢﮭﺑﻮﻠﺳا ﻦﻜﻟ ,تﺎﯾاوؤﺮﻟاﻦﯿﻌﻤﺘ ” .

Chap e Two: The Jo danian Bedouin Riddle
145
he i age (1967: 88). In his case, hones y u ns om being an ad an age
o being a de ec since hey a e conside ed o no be c ea i ely o iginal
in hei p esen a ions. (Hassan, 1998: 49). Consequen ly, he na a o s
and iddles ha e no igh o change he na a ed ex s by adding o, o
dele ing om, hem.
In his way hen, i is ob ious ha hones y in c ea i i y is necessa y
o he su i al o he olk ex , as also o he iddling p ocess.
Conside ing ha hones y should no change he con en and he essence
o he olk iddle, c ea i i y should e ol e a ound he pe o mance and
he way o p esen a ion. The e o e, i he e is a change in he con en ,
i should no be a esul o he weakness o he na a o ’s memo y, bu
e en i i happened, i mus be unin en ional, in any case a so o
spon aneous esponse o communi y changes.
This means ha a good na a o and iddle is he one who p ese es
he essence o he s o y / iddle, has a alen ha dis inguishes him/he
om o he s by employing a poe ic language ha a ac s and main ains
he audience’s a en ion, and ealizes ha he e a e sen ences ha ha e
a special e ec i eness should be said in a ce ain way so ha hey a e
mo e appealing o he audience. Good na a o s and iddle s will
employ all o hei linguis ic and a is ic skills and s a egies o a ac
and en e ain hei audience. (Alsabaagh, 1999: 4).
Las ly he iddling e en would no be success ul i i we e no o
he mos impo an pa icipan s: he audience o he iddlees. Riddlees
in he Jo danian Badia egion can be conside ed o be pa icipan s ha
play and ac i e and posi i e ole in his p ocess. They do no seem o
be sa is ied by me ely lis ening o o ecei ing he iddle; ins ead, hei
ac i e pa icipa ion seems o be qui e e ec i e in mo i a ing he
na a o o con inue. Th ough he au ho ’s expe ience in a ious
ga he ings, he no iced he ex en o he iddlees’ passion o hea ing he
iddles. In mos cases, hese ga he ings a e mo e in o mal in na u e
since mos membe s o he audience a e ela i es o iends; he e o e,
he iddle s may display a a ie y o iddles, om easie o mo e
di icul , as pe hei own knowledge. Some imes, he iddling e en
has a mo e o mal na u e, especially when he iddle is a gues o an
olde membe o he clan. In hese cases, he audience show hei
Abdula ee Suleiman Salameh Alma ayeh
146
espec by being quie e du ing he pe o mance and by p o iding mo e
se ious and expec ed answe s.
Common expe ience has demons a ed ha iddlees o en ush o
si in on o iddle s o lis en ca e ully and o be able o no ice all o
hei ges u es and acial exp essions. They also seem o moni o he
iddle s’ discou se o make su e ha hey do no make any mis akes
ega ding he in e p e a ion o ce ain e ms, da es o places ha occu
in he e en . A imes, he iddlees may e en ask o ce ain p izes o
he one who sol es he iddle. Riddle s mus be e y ca e ul since wha
is sui able o adul s may no be sui able o child en and ice e sa.
Men may also p e e a kind o iddles ha is di e en om wha women
p e e .36 Howe e , a lack o con i ma ion o he pa icipa ion o women
in he iddling p ocess does no mean ha he Bedouin woman canno
engage in any iddle p ocess. The con olle depends on he ex en o
he kinship o ela ionship ha binds he man o he woman. One
example a e he my hs and olk ales, especially he ones ha a e
popula on Jo danian ele ision, in which be o e a woman eely
chooses he husband, he mus ha e been able o sol e a pa icula iddle
(Al-Shaq an, 2017: 81).
The iddlees’ esponse o he na a o s is e idenced when hey
make he iddle aise his/ he oice, when hey silence he child en, o
when hey ask him/he o epea a pa o he iddle ha hey conside
key o p o iding he solu ion o he iddle. The iddlees also espond o
he ques ions ha iddle s ask. Riddle s ask hei audience ques ions
abou he p esen momen a imes; hey mos likely do his o in e ac
wi h hei audience and ocus o e ocus hei a en ion. The esul is
ha he iddlees mus y o answe ha ques ion co ec ly o
demons a e ha hey a e s ill igilan and ac i ely pa icipa ing in
o de o he iddle o con inue he iddling p ocess. Finally, he
iddlees’ esponse o he na a o s is also clea ly pa en when hey show
sympa hy o ha e o a ce ain cha ac e ha appea s in he na a i e
discou se. This occu s due o he cha ac e is ics o he ecipien
36 Al-Ma a ayeh and Alenazy e e o some o he con en s o he olk ale and he ex en o he
Bedu’s keenness, no o men ion some e en s (especially hose ha link men and women) o
he audience; his ma e is demanded mo e i some o he wo ks a e p esen ed o child en o
women (2022:20-24).
Chap e Two: The Jo danian Bedouin Riddle
147
communi y in he a ea o his esea ch, as desc ibed abo e, and how
hey a e comple ely in eg a ed in o his wo ld o olk ales o he poin
whe e hey o ge he p esen and s a o in e ac wi h he e en s being
ela ed. Thei acial exp essions o empa hy o dislike p o ide isual
e idence o he iddle ’s success.
Ano he ac o ha allows o he iddling p ocess o be success ul
is ha ce ain JRBRs a e specialized in na a ing e en s and s o ies as
hey help o gene a e di e en conno a ions. Thus, hey can be seen as
a ep esen a ion o li e and o he a o li e a u e; indeed, a imes
JRBRs con ain long na a ions o e en s ha ocus on he ela ionship
be ween human beings and he wo ld. Many iddles ha e new isions,
awa eness, and s uc u es ha illumina e eali y since hey ha e been
able o ecei e, in a ela i ely sho amoun o ime, a dis inguished
posi ion among c i ics and w i e s in he li e a y a ena. Riddles a e
gene ally one o he mos signi ican gen es o ic ion in e ms o
a ac i eness, as i has become mo e widesp ead in ou cu en e a due
o hei impo ance and ema kable ole in add essing many social
issues.
Some o he JRBR models a e sui able o be s udied so as o e eal
wha occu s when hei na a i e s uc u es a e decons uc ed. The
na a i e s uc u e has always ep esen ed an in e es ing opic o
li e a y s udies, gi en ha he decons uc ion o he s uc u e o a
li e a y wo k e eals he mos impo an pilla s ha he w i e elies on
o assemble his/he wo k. Mo eo e , linking inciden s by analyzing
cha ac e s, places and imes, and o he elemen s such as plo , language,
and so on, allows c i ics o be e unde s and a gi en li e a y wo k.
Acco ding o Abdu-al ahman, he linguis ic conno a ion o he
e m na a ion means sequence, cohe ence, and consis ency (1945: 11-
18). Abd Alaziz s a es ha na a ion is a pa o a comp ehensi e
gene al concep (1970: 55-63); while con empo a y mode n c i icism
has de ined i wi h di e en de ini ions ha ha e mos ly o do wi h
con eying a ealis ic image o a linguis ic one. Some belie e ha
na a ion is he ab ic wi h which a ex can be in e wo en, since
e icien na a ion helps o piece oge he he impo an pa s o an
e en so ha a mo e ep esen a ion o ha e en can be ansmi ed.
Some add ha na a ion is simply he na a o ’s way o p esen ing he
Abdula ee Suleiman Salameh Alma ayeh
148
speech. Na a ion is a ansien e m o li e a y and non-li e a y gen es.
His o y depends on na a ing e en s, and, in a simila way, he human
sciences also depend on analyzing human phenomena. A he same
ime, o he w i en sciences use na a ion as a means o codi ica ion and
sel -a i ma ion. Using his de ini ion, hus, shows how he discou se
p oduc ion p ocess ha akes place du ing iddling can also be called
na a ion, and he discou se i sel becomes he commodi y aded
be ween he na a o and he audience.
As ega ds he s udy a hand, ano he uni e sal quali y ha appea s
in his case s udy deals wi h how he iddles a e used o na a e. Indeed,
na a ion is commonly ela ed o a spoken exchange which p esupposes
ha he e exis s he p esence o one who ells and pe o ms, and, a leas
ano he , o , depending on he ci cums ances, a ious o he s who
pa icipa e as ac i e hea e s in he in e ac ion. The e o e, in he case o
JRBRs, he e is communica ion be ween a i s pa y called he
“na a o / iddle ” and a second pa y called he “ ecipien / iddlee”, o
he pa icipan , o pa icipan s, who y o igu e ou he iddle, and who,
a leas o a ce ain ex en , become engaged in he ole-play ha
pa icipa ing in a iddling session implies. As a as he basic
componen s o na a ion a e conce ned, schola s ag ee ha na a ion is
composed o six pa s: he e en , he cha ac e s, he place, and he
se ing/space, in addi ion o he na a o and he ecipien .
Acco ding o Abd Alaziz, he e en in any li e a y wo k is a g oup
o in e ela ed, o ganized sequences. I is an a is ic s uc u e ha
eshapes li e again so ha a w i e p esen s us wi h an ideological
message based on ac ions ha p oduce in ellec ual isions o speci ic
discou se. The e en is no a seconda y elemen in he na a ion.
Ins ead, i cons i u es he basic building block o he spoken ma e ial
and hus is he pilla o he na a i e exchange since he e en is
conside ed o be he mos impo an elemen in an exchange in which
si ua ions de elop and cha ac e s mo e. I is he subjec a ound which
he s o y e ol es. The e o e, a na a o mus cla i y how i happens,
he place, he ime, and he eason i a ose. I also equi es he na a o
o pay g ea a en ion o he subjec and he e b because he e en is
pu ely hese wo i ems (1970: 55-63).
Conclusions
251
eading knowledge and app op ia e dic iona ies when i comes o
unde s anding Bedu poe y. E en so, i is s ill possible ha hey may
become mo e a home and accep ed in he ield when collec ing pu e
p ose ma e ial.
In addi ion, i seems ha he au ho i ies and ce ain uni e si ies
may no be en i ely on boa d abou p omo ing in es iga ion in o hese
li e a y wo ks, especially poe y. This is because (1) he dialec ic
ea u es may make hem ha d o unde s and, and (2) because, a imes,
ce ain censo ship ules and egula ions p ohibi he publica ion o
con o e sial wo ks. Ano he poin ha may dis ac he ocus and
a en ion o schola s’ in e es is ha he ch onology o he Bedu ibes
and hei his o ies ha e adi ionally been collec ed o ally; hus, hey
a e no easily accessed. Fu he mo e, he e is a ai amoun o
sensi i i y when nega i e si ua ions ha e occu ed because Bedouins
a e so sen ien abou hei his o y ha hese undesi able e en s end o
be pe cei ed as insul s and i is no socially accep able o poli e o
discuss hem.
Fu he mo e, he adi ion o iddling and pa icipa ing in iddling
sessions may be a isk i sel . In oday’s socie y in Jo dan, he wo main
sou ces ha migh endange he su i al o he Bedouin li e a y gen es
a e seden a iza ion, as has de eloped due o u baniza ion, and
educa ion. The o me has an ob ious physical and psychological
in luence on he Bedu people. When hey a e no physically close o he
dese and begin o li e indoo s, i o en means ha people om a
ce ain ibe s a o ha e less con ac wi h each o he han hey would
in adi ional ci cums ances. In second place, educa ion can also ake
i s oll. One o he mos impac ing esul s o he educa ional sys em is
when child en a e augh he classical gen es a school by eache s who
come om an u ban backg ound. In hese cases, he child en may no
ecei e enough help i hey seek o compose mo e popula li e a u e on
hei own, o hey may e en be subjec o humilia ion o wha a eache
migh unde s and o be a lack o cul u e. I is ob ious ha hese nega i e
si ua ions do no wo k in a o o he con inua ion o ce ain Bedouin
li e a y adi ions.

Abdula ee Suleiman Salameh Alma ayeh
252
Along o he lines, ano he a he obse able di e ence in he
sou he n Badia egion71 is ha he use o dialec s is mo e complex han
one migh ind in Amman, o ins ance. In he BR he e exis s a a ie y
o dialec s; mo eo e , he use o speci ic lexicon seems o be associa ed
wi h ce ain local g oups and may e en help o di e en ia e be ween
“ he u ban a me ” and he “Bedu”; al hough one migh ind i ha d o
de e mine i his exp ession o iden i y mani es s i sel in a conscious
o unconscious way. Be ha as i may, in w i en o m, he Jo danian
p ose iddle ends o appea in MSA; his means ha he main
dis inguishable ea u e o he Bedouin p ose iddle is ha he mos
common o m o exp ession is i s o al. In addi ion, when a Bedouin
poe ic iddle appea s in w i en o m, i s ill makes use o colloquial
lexicon, and e en en i e ph ases, (i.e., ini ia ion s uc u es), ha ma k i
as being di e en om he accep ed MSA poe ic s yle.
One mo e impo an echnicali y ha migh ha e hinde ed he inal
esul s a o ded in he s udy a hand ha , acco ding o he li e a u e
e iew, his s udy may be conside ed as he i s o i s kind ega ding
iddles as a li e a y gen e a he local le el. This is because no published
o unpublished wo k ela ed o he iddle as a gen e by i sel was ound,
excep wha was eco ded abo e. This may be due o he ac ha mos
esea che s in Jo dan, who a e also uni e si y p o esso s, a o he use
o quan i a i ely based esea ch.
Finally, as is common knowledge, when he Co ona pandemic
e up ed in 2020, i dis up ed mos human ac i i y, c ippled human
mobili y, and o ced people o s ay indoo s o weeks, e en mon hs.
The ensuing lockdowns we e a majo limi ing ac o o any mo emen
du ing his ime and also a ec ed a pe son’s possibili ies o
communica ion o a g ea ex en . The ea o con ac ing he disease,
and e en mo e so o ansmi ing i , was a conside able ac o in he
esea ch ca ied ou . Mo eo e , i pa en ly a ec ed he di ec
communica ion wi h he nomad g oups, and e en mo e so when hey
we e esiding deep in he dese , in places whe e mobile phone
co e age was non-exis en .
Howe e , signi ican conclusions ha e been eached in his
disse a ion. As pe he esul s when he linguis ic s uc u al analysis
71 The au ho ’s homeland.
Conclusions
253
pu o h by Geo ges and Dundes (1963) was applied o JRBRs i was
ound ha Jo danian Bedouin iddles ypically ma ched hei use o his
heo y. Mo eo e , JRBRS also ma ch he ela ed ex ensions se ou by
Chye (1988). This was especially ue o p ose JRBRs which had a
be e i han poe ic JRBRs. On he o he hand, samples o poe ic
JRBRS we e ound o ep esen he casual con adic i e, in e se
p i a ional con adic i e, and mul iple desc ip i e elemen s.
Thus, a e applying bo h Geo ges and Dundes and Chye ’s
me hods, and supplying a base om which o wo k, his s udy was
success ul since bo h o hese me hods had a good i and because
se e al new o mulas, ela ed speci ically o JRBRs we e posi ed in his
s udy as lis ed below.
1. The Con as i e Opposi ional Fo mula o he JRBR as ep esen ed
by o mula 4:
“Uns a ed” opic + “Co e” commen A + “Co e” commen B +
“Co e” commen C
2. The Gene al Poe ic Riddle Fo mula o he JRBR as ep esen ed by
o mula 5:
“Co e” opic + Mul iple desc ip i e elemen s
3. The Riddle Inside a Riddle Fo mula as ep esen ed by o mula 6:
“Gene al commen co e” + “Topic 1” co e + Commen 1 +
“Topic 2” co e +Commen 2 + “Topic 3 co e” + Commen 3
4. The Mul iple Topic Fo mula as ep esen ed by o mula 7:
“Mul iple opic” co e + “O e lapping” desc ip i e elemen s o opic
Abdula ee Suleiman Salameh Alma ayeh
254
The co pus o iddles p esen ed he e also allowed o he
in oduc ion o a new ype o classi ica ion o he JRBR based on he
numbe o co e opics in each iddle. In his way, his disse a ion
subs an ia ed he ollowing ypes o JRBRs: he uns a ed- opic o “null-
opic” iddle, he mono- opic iddle, he double- opic iddle, he iple-
opic iddle, and he quad uple- opic iddle.
Apa o di e en s uc u es and numbe o opics in he JRBRs i
has also been e ealed ha , con a y o wha G een & Pepicello asse
(1984), he o igin o he su ace o ien a ion is no always di ec ly
connec ed o he p oduc ion o a g amma ical iddle ques ion. G een
and Pepicello belie e ha he g amma ical iddle is o med om
su ace o ien a ion based on speech e o and ambigui y. Howe e , he
a gumen p esen ed in his disse a ion is ha any iddle mus ha e a
well-o ganized o m and be socially accep able wi hin a pa icula
speech communi y. Schola s ake o g an ed ha humans egula ly
make mis akes when hey alk and e en p oduce illogical u e ances;
ne e heless, many imes hey a e unde s ood because o he con ex o
he in e ac ion. Hence, i is un easonable o ely on speech e o s as a
sou ce o o igin o iddles. Ambigui y is a p ocess used by he iddle
as a way o y o mislead his/he audience, and, as such, equi es a
ce ain amoun o men al p epa a ion be o e p esen ing he iddle. A
iddle should e oke bo h solu ions, i.e., he closes linguis ic “co ec ”
answe as well as he one ha is a hes away. The la e is in ended o
ick he iddlees who compe e o answe i s . Finally, i should be
poin ed ou ha G een and Pepicello based hei concep ualiza ion on
bo h he ques ion and he answe o he iddle, unlike wha was
e idenced in he s udy a hand, which is based only on he ques ion pa
o he iddle sequence.
The indings o his disse a ion also imply ha he e exis a eas on
which o con inue his esea ch in he u u e. As men ioned ea lie , be
i a conscious ac ion ha is unde aken, o me ely an acciden , li e a y
gen es a e p oduced by blending he lines be ween gi en gen es, such
as iddles wi h jokes o iddles wi h e o ic exp essions. In any case,
keeping an eye on how he adi ional iddle e ol es means ha
whoe e is in e es ed should emain ac i ely awa e o wha is
happening in he u u e. The iddle gen e is a ield ha can be measu ed
Conclusions
255
and, hus, enewed ei he by how i is classi ied, o e en by a close
in es iga ion o i s subgen es.
Pe haps he p ima y ask is s ill he comple e de ini ion o he
iddle. Al hough he e seems o be almos no hing new when compa ed
o he es ablished de ini ion, some schola s end o c ea e new
in e p e a ions ha sui hei cul u al en i onmen . In any case, ce ain
ques ions a ise, o example, o wha ex en is he e a need o uni e sal
scien i ic de ini ion as a sa is ac o y base o he demands o esea ch?
Ano he ques ion ha migh be posed is, a e he di e ences in iddle
de ini ions ela ed o e hnic di e ences? I such a de ini ion, o base is
eached, i may need o ake in o accoun a ious le els, such as
s uc u al, p agma ic, seman ic, con en , s ylis ic, and social ea u es.
Bu be o e ha happens, many mul iple esea ch hypo heses should be
applied by he u he examina ion o iddles in he ield because he e
a e s ill many socie ies in which he p ac ice o ue iddles, and
pa icipa ing in iddling e en s in ways ha e lec hei olklo e, o m
pa o hei exis ing o al li e a y adi ions.
Apa om a ce ain numbe o subgen es examined by schola s in
he pas ew decades, ema kable la ge and exci ing p ojec s s ill emain
o be in es iga ed. Es ablishing uni e sal e minologies comp ising all
he subgen es o he iddle and hei indexes is a u he ecommended
s ep. Why do ue iddles and o he subgen es appea mo e widely
sp ead han o he s? Why ha e di e en people a di e en imes and in
di e en socie ies become accus omed o using hem? And wha is he
image and he posi ion o he iddle and he iddling ac in u al socie ies
whe e he ding and a ming s ill ake place e sus mo e mode n,
manu ac u ing ones?
The e o e, he need o be e coope a ion be ween iddle schola s
is equi ed. This is ue as well o s udies o iden i y he o m, con en ,
subgen es, pe o mance, o igin, unc ion, and dis ibu ion o he
di e en ypes o iddles, and would equi e he ac i e pa icipa ion o
many local and pe haps in e na ional schola s. Re u ning o he wo k a
hand, un il his ime, and as pe he e iew o li e a u e p esen ed abo e,
in Jo dan, no exhaus i e s udies ha e been made ega ding iddles
excep he ones ha we e p e iously men ioned in his ex .
Abdula ee Suleiman Salameh Alma ayeh
256
The iddle in di e en coun ies in he A ab wo ld may s em om
he same sou ce, al hough he e seem o be a ia ions in how hey a e
s uc u ed, and he lexicon ha is employed o c ea e hem. These
di e ences a e mos likely due o he a ious A abic dialec s ha
cha ac e ize each coun y as well as hei own egional dialec s. The
p elimina y in es iga i e s udy by Chye (1988) has p o en ha he
A abic language is dis inc , and ha i con ains aluable linguis ic
phenomenon ha dese e o be in es iga ed. I seems ha he need o
an in-dep h s udy ega ding A ab coun ies is an ine i able necessi y in
eaching impo an goals such as how iddles a e simila , how hey ha e
de eloped, and how di e en cul u es deal wi h hem. In Jo dan, a i s
s ep migh be o ind he link be ween he Bedouin iddle and he iddle
in u al and u ban a eas, so as o con inue he compa ison o a ious
iddle aspec s.
Fu he mo e, on a mo e gene al le el, he necessi y o s udy he
simila i y be ween iddles, i.e., uni e sally, becomes mo e pa en due
o he p esence o ce ain simila iddles ha o igina ed in di e en
socie ies a ound he wo ld. A imes, hey seem o ma ch in opic and,
a o he s, in he o mulas obse ed he e. T acing he o igin o iddles is
an in e es ing opic ha migh well be conduc ed in se e al s udies o
e eal he main o igin o a gi en iddle and how he opics o he iddles
we e ansmi ed be ween di e en cul u es. As desc ibed in sec ion
2.3, JRBR 19, he hookah iddle, is a good example o his.
The iddle has he abili y o de elop and ans o m. In ligh o he
accele a ion o echnological p og ess in con empo a y imes, ypes o
adi ional iddles ha e s a ed o be p esen ed in he o m o ex s,
pic u es, and e en games on sma phones and social ne wo ks. The use
o sma phones and social media o o m olklo e gen es has been
obse ed e y closely by olklo is s. They ha e eco ded examples o
show how adi ional na a i e s uc u es o pa icula ypes, such as
jokes and iddles, ha e sha ed an exci ing ans o ma ion in displaying
ex and con ex . Some iddles ha e de eloped wi h he p og ession o
ad anced echnology; nowadays i is mainly hose gene a ed on he
In e ne . Wi hou a doub , he p ima y pu pose is he en e ainmen ha
esul s om he challenge being made. Resea ch on how his

Conclusions
257
ans o ma ion is aking place be ween pas and p esen would also be
welcome.
In addi ion, he e is he speci ic communi y o he Bedouin o
conside in u he esea ch ca ied ou on linguis ic aspec s o his
g oup, no jus on a dialec ical o phonological le el, bu also as ega ds
poe ic de ices, colloquial exp essions, musical choices, and such.
Finally, ye ano he di ec ion o in es iga ion migh be he language o
Bedouin you h. Today young people make up he dis inguished
majo i y in mos Jo danian Bedouin a eas, ye we ha dly ha e any
speci ics as pe you h language usage in Bedu a eas.
In any case, iddles mus be ega ded as genuine olklo e since hey
a e c ea ed, ci cula ed and accessible wi hin socie ies ha ha e a
common cul u al componen ha quali ies hem as a olk g oup. On a
na ional le el, g ea a en ion is needed om di e en ins i u ions, bo h
go e nmen al and p i a e, o ake ca e o a na ion’s olklo e, which
p esen s and p ese es i s local iden i y. One should emembe ha
hose who do no boas abou hei olklo e will no boas abou hei
p esen o u u e.
As made pa en by his disse a ion, he A abic language is an
elegan one ha can comp ehend any linguis ic phenomena obse ed in
o he languages, and a he same ime add new linguis ic phenomena
ha may no be ound in o he languages. When e e ence is made o
he A abic language, i means ha a ound wen y A ab coun ies
ex ending om Mo occo in he wes o I aq in he eas a e being
conside ed. The e exis hund eds o local dialec s wi hin he coun ies
con ained in his la ge geog aphical ex ension. The e is no doub ha
each egion has i s unique dialec , ocaliza ions, and e minology ha
dis inguishes i om o he s, and hus he g ea li e a y and a is ic
di e si y in he o al li e a y and olklo e adi ions o each coun y,
ace, and a ea.
This esea ch has p esen ed an ini ial and s aigh o wa d idea o
he capabili ies and con ibu ions ha he A abic language and i s
dialec s can make o any global heo y ela ed o language and i s
cha ac e is ics a he same ime ha i has p ese ed he co pus o
iddles included as signi ican elemen s o o al li e a u e ha can be
used in o he esea ch p ojec s in he u u e, especially due o he
Abdula ee Suleiman Salameh Alma ayeh
258
inclusion o hei English ansla ion. This disse a ion has in oduced
he JRBR sys em based on a s uc u al linguis ics heo y as applied o
a co pus o local iddles and has p o en ha JRBRs a e sys ema ic and
ule-go e ned o he ex en ha hey show uni e sal co ela ions as well
as speci ic pa e ns ha can be explained wi h in e na ional heo ies.
Fu he mo e, i has been success ully p o en ha JRBR ea u es can
accoun o new ca ego ies o he iddle as an ex ension o he
uni e sali y o he iddle occu ing in e e y li e a e o illi e a e na ion.
In addi ion, his s udy has shown sa is ac o y esul s since new ypes o
s uc u al iddle o mula ha e been de eloped as well as addi ional new
classi ica ions based on he numbe o opics p esen in JRBRs as well
as he a ia ion ha exis s be ween p ose and poe ic iddles. This, in
u n, may se e as a e e en o u u e analyses on he unc ion, o m,
and con en o iddles in o he geog aphical a eas.
Finally, he ideas included in he s udy a hand may help o o m a
ansi ional iew o iddle aspec s ha could lead o new comp ehensi e
esea ch p ojec s in es iga ing he A abic o a ious sub-e hnici ies in
Jo dan and he su ounding na ions, which migh lead o he emapping
o iddle g oups wi h pa icula in e es s in colloquial Bedouin poe y.
The Bedu ha e hei own me hods when i comes o exp essing
hemsel es. They depend on olde communi y membe s’ knowledge o
de e mine how he iddle will be c ea ed and who will pa icipa e in he
iddle exchange. Despi e he d as ic li e changes he Bedu ha e
unde gone la ely, and mo e o en han no , wi hou he same echnology
ha o he s ha e g own accus omed o in oday’s wo ld, hei adi ional
way o doing hings is s ill o g ea in e es o many schola s. Since
he e do no seem o be enough s udies published on he local, social
knowledge o he Bedu people om he Sou h-eas Badia egion, i can
be con i med ha he logical con inua ion o he s udy a hand is o
esea ch his subjec . Fu he mo e, u u e in es iga ions ca ied ou
would do well o ocus on he local-li e a y gen es, as well as ce ain
ac o s ela ed o he Bedouins’ ecogni ion o he a iabili y o
language.
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Lis O G aphs & Tables Used
283
LIST OF GRAPHS & TABLES USED
Table 1. Recen Resea ch on he Riddle in Alge ia 127
Table 2. Classi ica ion o Spaces & Elemen s Encoun e ed in JRBRs
159
G aph 1. Types o Space Desc ibed in JRBRs 167
G aph 2. Types o Space Di ec ly & Indi ec ly Desc ibed in JRBRs
168
G aph 3. Common Elemen s Re e enced in JRBRs 169

APPENDIX: CORPUS OF JORDANIAN RIDDLES
FROM THE BADIA REGION
Each example appea s in he o iginal A abic and is ollowed by a
li e al English ansla ion.
JRBR 1
ﺔﻗرو قﻮﻓ ،ﺔﻗرو ﻮﺷ ھ؟ﻲ فﻮﻔﻠﻤﻟا وا ﻞﺼﺒﻟا .
Lea upon lea , wha is she?
Cabbage o onion.
JRBR 2
ﺎﻣ ﻮھ يﺬﻟا ﺮﯿﻄﯾ ﻲﻓ ؟ءﺎﻤﺴﻟا رﻮﻔﺼﻌﻟا .
Wha is a hing ha lies in he sky?
A bi d.
JRBR 3
ﮫﻓﻮﺸﺗ وﺎﻣ ،ﮫﺴﺒﻠﺗ ﮫﺴﺒﻠﺗو ﻻو ﺗﮫﻓﻮﺸ. .ﻦﻔﻜﻟا
You see i and ne e wea i ,
you wea i and ne e see.
The co in.
JRBR 4
ﻲﺸﻤﯾ ﻰﻠﻋ ماﺪﻗﻻا ﺎﻣ ﮫﺘﺑﺎﺟ ﮫﻀﯿﺑ ﻻو .مﺎﺣرا مدآ ﮫﯿﻠﻋ .مﻼﺴﻟا
Walks on ee ne e gene a ed om eggs no wombs.
Abdula ee Suleiman Salameh Alma ayeh
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Adam.
JRBR 5
ﻮﻟ ﻢھﻻ ﺎﻣ .ﻚﺘﻔﺷ نﻮﯿﻌﻟا
I no o hem, I wouldn' see you.
Eyes.
JRBR 6
ﻢﻛ ﺎﺟوز ﻦﻣ تﺎﻧاﻮﯿﺤﻟا ﺎﮭﻠﻤﺣ ﺎﻧﺪﯿﺳ ﻰﺳﻮﻣ ﮫﯿﻠﻋ مﻼﺴﻟا ﻲﻓ ﺔﻨﯿﻔﺴﻟا ﻞﺒﻗ ؟نﺎﻓﻮﻄﻟا ﻻ جاوزأ
نﻷ حﻮﻧ ﮫﯿﻠﻋ مﻼﺴﻟا ﻮھ يﺬﻟا ﻢﮭﻠﻤﺣ .
How many pai s o animals did ou mas e Moses, peace be upon him,
ca y on o he ship (a k) be o e he lood?
The e a e no pai s because Noah, peace be upon him, was he one
who ca ied hem.
JRBR 7
.ﺲﻤﺸﻟا ﻆﻘﯿﺘﺴﯾ ﻲﻓ رﺎﮭﻨﻟا مﺎﻨﯾو ﻲﻓ ؟ﻞﯿﻠﻟا
She sleeps a nigh and wakes up du ing he day?
The sun.
JRBR 8
شو ﻼﺟر ﮫﻓﺮﻌﺗ تﺮﻈﻨﻟ ﻰﻟا ﮫﺗﺮﺟ ﻮﻟو ﻢﺘﻛ ﻚﻟ ﮫﺘﺟﺮھ ﻻإ ﻦﯿﺒﺗ .ﺎﮭﻠﻛ .(ﻢﻠﻘﻟا)
Wha would you say abou a man
whom you ecognize om his oo s eps?
Al hough he is silen , you unde s and all o wha he says.
The pen / pencil.
JRBR 9
ﻰﺸﻌﺘﺗ كﺎﺸﻋ ﺪﻗﺮﺗو .كاﺬﺤﺑ . ﺪ ﯿ ﻟ ا
Ea s you dinne and sleeps beside you.
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The hand.
JRBR 10
ﮫﻟ ﺮﻌﺷ د ﻮ ﺳ ا ﮫﻨﻄﺑو ﺐھذ ﮫﻠﺟرو ﺐﻄﺣ. ﻘﻟا.ﺢﻤ
He has black hai , a golden abdomen, and a wooden oo .
The whea s alk.
JRBR 11
ﺔﻋﺎﻤﺟ ﻲﻓ تﻮﻧﺎﺣ ﻲﻠﻟا ﻊﻠﻄﯾ ﻢﮭﻨﻣ .تﻮﻤﯾ داﻮﻋا .بﺎﻘﺜﻟا
A g oup inside a s o e, he who s eps ou will die.
Ma ches.
JRBR 12
ﻞﻛﺄﯾ ﻦﻣ ﺮﯿﻏ ؟ﻢﻓ رﺎﻨﻟا .
Ea s wi hou a mou h?
The i e.
JRBR 13
ءﻲﺷ ﺾﻛﺮﯾ ﺎﻣو ﮫﻟ .ماﺪﻗا .ﺮﮭﻨﻟا
A hing ha uns bu can' walk.
The i e .
JRBR 14
ﺎﻤﻠﻛ كﺮﺤﺗ ,ةﻮﻄﺧ ﺪ ﻘ ﻓ ءﺰﺟ ﻦﻣ .ﮫﻠﯾذ ةﺮﺑا ﺔطﺎﯿﺨﻟا
Whene e i mo es a s ep, i loses some o i s ail?
A sewing needle.
JRBR 15
ﺎﻣ يﺬﻟا ﻞﻤﺤﯾ ﮫﻣﺎﻌط قﻮﻓ ؟ﮫﺳار ﻢﻠﻘﻟا .
A hing ha ca ies i s ood on i s head?
Abdula ee Suleiman Salameh Alma ayeh
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The pen.
JRBR 16
لﻮطا ﻦﻣ ﺮﯿﻌﺑ ﺮﻐﺻأ ﻦﻣ .مﺪﻗ ﻔﺼﻌﻟا.رﻮ
Highe han a camel and lowe han a oo .
The spa ow.
JRBR 17
ﻦﯾو ﺮﺤﺒﻟا ﻲﻠﻟا ﺎﻣ ﮫﺑ ءﺎﻣ ؟ ﺮ ﺤ ﺑ .ﺔﻄﯾﺮﺨﻟا
Whe e is he sea whe e he e is no wa e ?
The sea on he map.
JRBR 18
ةﺮﺠﺣ ﺎﻣو ﻲھ ةﺮﺠﺣ ﻞﻛﺄﺗ ﺶﯿﺸﺤﻟا ﺎﻣو ﻲھ ﺑﺰﻋﺎﻤ ﻻو .ﻢﻨﻏ ةﺎﻔﺤﻠﺴﻟا.
A s one and no a s one, ea s g ass, and no a goa no a sheep.
The u le.
JRBR 19
ﮫﯿﻨﺑ ةﺮﯿﻐﺻ ﻞﻤﺤﺗو رﺎﻨﻟا قﻮﻓ .ﺎﮭﺳأر .ﺔﺸﯿﺸﻟا
A li le gi l ha holds i e on he head.
The hookah.
JRBR 20
رﺎﻄﻗ ﻼﺑ ﺐﯿﻟاود ﻦﻜﻟو ﮫﻟ .ﻞﺟرا "شﺮﺤﻟا ما ﺔﻌﺑرا ﻦﯿﻌﺑراو
A ain wi hou wheels bu ha has legs?
The cen ipede.
JRBR 21
كﺪﺸﻧا ﻦﻋ ىرﺬﻋ ﻲﻜﺒﺗ ﻼﺑ ؟عﻮﻣد .ﺔﻌﻤﺸﻟا
May I ask you abou a i gin who c ies wi hou ea s?

Appendix
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The candle.
JRBR 22
ﺾﺒﻨﯾ ﻼﺑ .ﺐﻠﻗ ﺔﻋﺎﺴﻟا .
She bea s hea less. The wa ch.
JRBR 23
ﻚﺻﺮﻘﯾ ﻻو ؟هاﺮﺗ .عﻮﺠﻟا
He pinches you wi hou hands?
The hunge .
JRBR 24
فﻮﺸﺗ ﻞﻛ ءﻲﺷ ﺎﻣو ﺎﮭﻟ .نﻮﯿﻋ .ةآﺮﻤﻟا
She sees e e y hing bu has no eyes.
The mi o .
JRBR 25
ءﻲﺷ ﻲﻜﺒﯾ ﻦﻣ ﺮﯿﻏ نﻮﯿﻋ ﻲﺸﻤﯾو ﻦﻣ ﺮﯿﻏ .ماﺪﻗا .ﺔﻤﯿﻐﻟا
She c ies wi hou eyes and walks wi hou ee .
The cloud.
JRBR 26
ﺐﯿﺠﺗ لﺎﯿﻋ ﻻو ﻞﻤﺤﺗ .اﺪﺑا ن ذ ﻻ ا ﻊﻤﺷو نذﻻا .
She deli e s babies, bu she is ne e p egnan .
The ea and ea wax.
JRBR 27
كﺪﺸﻧا ﻦﻋ ﻞ ﺟ ر ﻲﻠﺼﯾ ﻻو مﻮﺼﯾ ﻮﻟو ﺎ ﻣ ﻰﺿﻮﺗ ﺎﻣ ﺔﯿﻠﻋ ماﺰﺘﻟإ
اذاو ﺪ ﺠ ﺳ ﻲﻓ ﺾﻌﺑ تﺎﻗوﻻا ﺎﻣ مﻮﻘﯾ ﺎﻣ ﻊﯿﻄﺘﺴﯾ ﻦﻣ دﻮﺠﺴﻟا مﺎﯿﻘﻟا
ﻞﺟر ﮫﻟ ﺮﯾﺪﻘﺘﻟا ﻊﻣ ﺔﻓﺎﻛ مﻮﻘﻟا و ﻰﻈﺤﯾ ﻊﻣ ﺮﯾﺪﻘﺘﻟا .ماﺮﺘﺣﻻا .لﺎﻘﻌﻟا
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May I ask you abou a man, who p ays bu does no as ?
He has no obliga ion i he does no do he ablu ion.
He some imes kneels, he canno s and up again.
He has no abili y o eco e s anding-up a e he has kneeled.
He is a man who enjoys high es eem among all his people.
In addi ion o he high es eem he enjoys, he is espec ed.
The headband.
JRBR 28
كﺪﺸﻧا ﻦﻋ ﻞﻔط ﻦﻣ ﻦﻄﺑ ﮫﻣا هوﺬﺧﺎﯾ تﻮﻄﺴﺑ تﻻﻵا
هﻮﻛﺮﺘﯾو ﻦﻀﺤﺑ ﺖﻨﺑ هﻤﻀﺗ ﻮﻟ ﮫﻜﺤﺗ ﺮﮭﻈﺑ ﮫﻣا .تاﻣ د ﻮ ﻋ .ﺖﯾﺮﺒﻜﻟا
May I ask you abou a baby, aken ou o his mo he ’s womb by
machine o ce?
The baby is hen le in he lap o a gi l o hug him, he dies when
ubbed agains his mo he ’s back.
Ma ches.
The mo he is he ma chbox, and he gi l is he human hand.
JRBR 29
كﺪﺸﻧا ﻦﻋ ﻞﺟر ﻦﻜﺳ ﮫﻠﺧاد ﺖﻨﺑ ﺖﻨﺒﻟا ىرﺬﻋ و ﻰﻣﺎﺸﻨﻟا ﮫﻧﻮﺒﯾ
ﻞﺟﺮﻟا فﺎﺷ لﺬﻟا ﻦﻣ ﺖﻨﻜﺳ ﺖﻨﺒﻟا ﺖﻨﺒﻟاو ﺖﻓﺎﺷ ﺰﻋ ﺐﻘﻋ .ﮫﻧﻮﮭﻤﻟا دوﺮﻤﻨﻟا .ﺔﺑﺎﺑﺬﻟاو
May I ask you abou a man who is esided by a gi l inside his hollow?
The gi l is i gin and he men like he man’s posi ion.
The man expe ienced insul due o he gi l’s esidency.
The gi l expe ienced hono a e he lowness.
The Nim od King o Babel, and he mosqui o.
JRBR 30
ﺎﻧﺎﺟ ﻒﯿﺿ، هﺎﻨﻔﯿﺿ هﺎﻨﻔﺘﻛو. ﻞﻔﻄﻟا .دﻮﻟﻮﻤﻟا
A gues came o us; we ied him up a e se ing him.
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The newbo n baby.
JRBR 31
ﻲﻜﺒﺗ مود ﻦﯿﻌﺑ .ةﺪﺣاو ﻦﯿﻋ) .(ءﺎﻤﻟا
She c ies a lo wi h one eye.
The wa e sp ing.
JRBR 32
ﮫﻤﺠﺣ ﻢﺠﺣ ﮫﻧﻮﻤﯿﻠﻟا ﻸﻤﯾو ﺖﯿﺒﻟا .ﮫﻧﻮﯿﻋو
I s size is he size o a lemon, and i ills up a oom.
The ligh bulb.
JRBR 33
كﺪﺸﻨﺑ ﻦﻋ ىرﺬﻋ ﻲﺠﺗ ﻞﯿﺟﺎﺟﺮﻠﻟ ﺎﮭﺒﯿﺠﯾ ﺔﺴﻤﺧ ﻲـھو ﻢـﮭﺘﺼﻋﺎﻣ
ﺎـﮭﻟﺎﯿﻋ ﺎـﮭﻣاﺪﻗ ﺎـﯾ ﻞـﯿﻛﺎﺸﻤﻟا ﺎـﮭﻟﺎﯿﻋ ﺎـﮭـﻨﻛﻻ .ﻢـﮭـﺘﻠﻤﺣﺎﻣ ﺔﻟﺪﻟا .ﻦﯿﺟﺎﻨﻔﻟاو
May I ask you abou a i gin gi l who goes o men?
Ne e disobeyed is b ough by i e.
She is p eceded by he babies, hough she has ne e been p egnan .
The co ee po and he cups.
JRBR 34
ﻲﺸﻤﯾ ﻰﻠﻋ ضرﻷا ﮫﺳأرو ق ﻮ ﻓ .مﻮﺠﻨﻟا .ﻂﺑﺎﻀﻟا
He walks on ea h, and his head is abo e s a s.
The o ice .
JRBR 35
هﺪﺸﻨﯾ ،سﺎﻨﻟا اذﺈﻓ ءﺎﺟ .اوﺄﺒﺘﺧا .ﺮﻄﻤﻟا
People eques his p esence, bu i he comes, hey hide.
The ain.
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JRBR 36
ءﻲﺷ ﻮﺴﻜﯾ سﺎﻨﻟا ﻮھو نوﺪﺑ .ﺲﺑﻼﻣ .ةﺮﺑﻹا
A hing ha clo hes people, while he is naked.
The needle.
JRBR 37
ﻞﺧﺪﯾ لﻮﻠﺒﻣ جﺮﺨﯾو .ﻒﺷﺎﻧ .ﺰﺒﺨﻟا
He goes in we and comes ou d ied.
The b ead.
JRBR 38
ﺔﺛﻼﺛ ةﻮﺧإ ﺪﺣاو ﻞﻛﺄﯾ ﺎﻣ ﻊﺒﺸﯾ ﺪﺣاوو ﺐھﺬﯾ ﺎﻣ ﻊﺟﺮﯾ ﺮﺧﻷاو ﺪ ﻗ ﺮ ﯾ ﺎﻣ .مﻮﻘﯾ ،رﺎﻨﻟا ،نﺎﺧﺪﻟا
.دﺎﻣﺮﻟاو
Th ee b o he s, he i s ea s and ne e ge s ull.
The second goes and ne e comes back.
The hi d one sleeps and ne e ge s up.
The i e, he smoke, and he ash.
JRBR 39
ﺮﻀﺧا ﻦﻣ جرﺎﺨﻟا ﺮﻤﺣا ﻦﻣ .ﻞﺧاﺪﻟا .ﺦﯿﻄﺒﻟا
He looks g een ou side, ed inside.
The wa e melon.
JRBR 40
ءﻲﺷ ﮫﻠﻤﺤﺗ .ﻚﻠﻤﺤﯾو ءاﺬﺤﻟا .
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كﺪﺸﻧأ ﻦﻋ ﺖﻨﺑ ﺎﮭﻟ ﺔﻠﻤﺟ لﺎﯿﻋ ﺎﻣ ﻢﮭﯿﻓ ﻲﻠﻟا قﻮﻓ ﻦﺳ ﻦﯿﺛﻼﺜﻟا
ﻢﮭﺑ ﺔﻌﺑرأ ﺎﻣ اﻮﺑﺮﺟ بﺮﺣ لﺎﺘﻗو ﻢﮭﯿﻓ ٍﻢﯾﺮﻛ ﻞﻔﺘﺤﺗ ﮫﺑ ﻦﯿﯾﻼﻣ.
ﺔﻨﺴﻟا ,ﺔﯾﺮﺠﮭﻟا ﺮﮭﺷﻷا ,ﺔﯾﺮﺠﮭﻟا ﺮﮭﺷﻷا ,مﺮﺤﻟا و ﺮﮭﺷ .نﺎﻀﻣر
May I ask you abou a woman who has many boys?
None o he boys is abo e hi y yea s.
Fou o hem do no wi ness he ime o wa .
One o hem is gene ous when millions celeb a e in.
The lady is he yea .
The boys a e he mon hs o Hij i-yea .
The ou boys a e he ‘Al-Hu m’ mon hs
and he gene ous one is Ramadan mon h.
JRBR 69
كﺪﺸﻧأ ﻦﻋ لﺎﺟر ﻲﻓ فﻮﺟ لﺎﺟر ﮫﻧﺎﻜﻣ ﺮﯿـــــــــﺧﻷا ﻦﯿﺑ ةﻮﺧأ ﮫ ﻟ
ﻊﺒﺳ ﻦﯿﺛﻼﺛو ﮫﺗﺎﻨﺑ ﻼﺑ لاﺪــــــﺟ ﮫﻤــــﺳاو اﺪﺣ تﺎﻨﺒﻟا ﺎﯾ ﻦطﺎﻓ .ﮫﻟ ءﺰﺟ ﻢﻋ ﻲﻓ .ناﺮﻘﻟا
May I ask you abou a man who li es in a man's hollow?
He comes las among his b o he s.
Thi y-se en daugh e s, he has.
His name i es he gi ls, oh cle e .
The i s man men ioned is he las chap e o Al-Qu an,
Amma's pa .
The second man men ioned is Al-Qu an.
The b o he s a e chap e s o Al-Qu an.
Thi y-se en daugh e s a e he numbe o “Su ahs” in Amma’s pa .

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JRBR 70
ةﺮﺠﺷ ﺲﻤﺨﻟا ﺎﮭﻧﺎﺼﻏأ ﺔﻤﯿﻘﺘﺴﻣ ﺔﺛﻼﺛ ﻲﻓ ﻞﻈﻟا ﻦﯿﻨﺛاو ﻲﻓ ﺲﻤﺸﻟا .ﺎﻤﯾد تاﻮﻠﺼﻟا ﺲﻤﺨﻟا .
A ee wi h i e s aigh b anches,
h ee o hem a e in he shadows and he o he wo a e in he ligh .
The ee is he Muslims’ p aye .
The b anches in he shadows a e he Magh ib, Isha, and Al aje
p aye s.
The b anches in he ligh a e he Alduhe and As p aye s.
JRBR 71
ﺖﯿﻣ قوﺮﺤﻣ ،فﻮﻔﻠﻣو هﻮﻠﻤﺤﯾ ﻦﯿﻨﺛا ﺔﺛﻼﺛو .دﻮﮭﺷ
،ةرﺎﺠﯿﺴﻟا ﺔﺑﺎﺒﺴﻟا ،ﻰﻄﺳﻮﻟاو ﻲﻗﺎﺑو ﻊﺑﺎﺻأ . ﺪ ﯿ ﻟ ا
A olled, bu n , and dead one is held by wo
and seen by h ee wi nesses.
The olled, bu n , dead one is he ciga e e.
The wo a e he index and he middle inge s.
The h ee a e he o he inge s.
JRBR 72
ﻚﻟﺄﺳا ﻦﻋ ﺪﺣاو ﻮﺑا تﺎﻨﺑ ﻮھ ﻦھﻮﺑا ﺲ ﺑ ﻦھ ﮫﻨﻧﻮﻛ
ﻻ ﻒﻗو ﺔﻔﻗو ﻒﺻﻮﺗ تﺎﺒﺛ ﻻو كﺮﺤﺗ ﻢﯾاﻮﻘﻟا ﮫﻧرﻮھد
ﺖﯿﺒﻟا يﺮﻌﺸﻟا و ﻲﻓاﻮﻘﻟا.
May I ask you abou a gi l’s a he ?
Despi e his a he hood, he gi ls c ea e him.
He has a s eady o ganiza ion,
bu i he ends mo e, he will be co up ed.
The poe ic e se.
Appendix
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JRBR 73
كﺪﺸﻨﺑا شو ثﻼﺜﻟا تﺎﺒﯿﺼﻌﻟا ﻲﻠﻟا نﺪﺤﯾ لﺎﺟﺮﻟا ة ﺪ ﯾ ﺪ ﺸ ﻟ ا
ﻲﻠﻟاو ﻦﮭﺑ روﺬﻌﻣ ﻮﻟ ﺖﻓﺎط تﺎﻗوا ﮫﺘﻧاو ﻰﻠﻋ ﺪ ﻋ و ﺪ ﻋ ﻮ ﻟ ا .هﺪﯿﻛا
,ﺔﻣﻮﻜﺤﻟا ,ﻞﯿﺴﻟا و .تﻮﻤﻟا
May I ask you abou he h ee di icul ies
which pu a hea y bu den on s ong men?
He who is unde hei p essu e is no o blame i ime passes;
you su ely keep you p omise.
The go e nmen , he lood, and he dea h.
JRBR 74
ﺪ ﺒ ﻋ ﺮﺣو ﻢﮭﺘﻌﻤﺟ ﺮﯾدﺎﻘﺘﻟا ﻖﯿﻓرو ﺚﻟﺎﺛ ﻖﻓار ﺒﻌﻟا ﺪ ﺮﺤﻟاو
ﻢﺛ هﻮﺑﺬﻋ ﺐﯾﺬﻌﺗ ﻒﺨﺼﯾ ﺮﯿﻄﻟا ﻲﻓ ﻂﺳو لاﺰﻟز ﮫﺑ رﺎﻨﻟا ﺮﻌﺴﺗ
ﺪﻌﺑو باﺬﻌﻟا كﻮﺠﯾ ﻲﺸﻣ ﺮﯿﯾﺎﺴﻣ نﻮﻠﺑ ﺪ ﺣ ا و ﺎﻣ ﺖﯿﻘھ ﺮﯿﻐﺘﯾ
,ءﺎﻤﻟا ,ﻮﻟﺪﻟا .ﻞﺒﺤﻟاو
Abou a sla e and a ee man, h own oge he by a e,
and a hi d man who accompanied he sla e and he ee man.
They we e o u ed, so ha e en he bi ds pi ied hem,
in he mids o an ea hquake wi h i e and lames.
A e he o u e, hey will be b ough o you on oo ;
hey will be o one colo ; I don' hink i will a y.
The sla e is he bucke , he ee man is he wa e ,
and he man who accompanied hem is he ope.
Abdula ee Suleiman Salameh Alma ayeh
302
JRBR 75
57 ﻰﻠﺣأ ﻦﻣ ﺮﻜﺴﻟا ﻞﻘﺛأو ﻦﻣ رﺎﻄﻨﻘﻟا ﻻ عﺎﺒﯾ ﻲﻓ قﻮﺴﻟا ﻻو هﻮﺒﯿﺠﯾ .رﺎﺠﺘﻟا .مﻮﻨﻟا
Swee e han suga , hea ie han Qin a ,
ne e sold in he ma ke no b ough by me chan s.
The sleep.
JRBR 76
لﻮﺳﺮﻣ ﻦﻣ بﺮﻟا ﻻ هﺪﻨﻋ مأ ﻻو بأ ﻚﻔﯾ حﻼﻔﻟا ﻟاوﺮاﻲﻋ ﻦﻣ .ﺐﻠﻐﻟا .ﺮﻄﻤﻟا
A messenge om Allah has no mo he no a he ,
eleases he a me and he shephe d om d ough .
The ain.
JRBR 77
ﺪ ﺸ ﻧ ا ﻦﻋ ﻞﺟر ﺎﯿﻟ لﺎط ﻚﺑ تﺮﺳ ﺎﯿﻟو ﺮﺼﻗ ﺖﻗﺎﺿ ﻚﯿﻠﻋ ﺔﻌﯿﺳﻮﻟا
ﻮھأ ﻞﺟر ﻦﻜﻟ ﻦﻜﺳ ﻲﻓ ﻦﻀﺣ ﺖﻨﺑ ﻻ ردﺎﻗ ﮫﯾﺮﺸﺗ ﻻو .ﮫﻌﯿﺒﺗ ،ﺮﻈﻨﻟا ﺮﺠﺤﻣو .ﻦﯿﻌﻟا
May I ask you abou a man? I he is heal hy, you walk.
I he is weak, you li e becomes c amped.
He is a man who li es inside a gi l’s lap.
You canno buy o sell him.
The man is sigh .
The gi l’s lap is he eye.
Appendix
Co pus o Jo danian iddles om he Badia egion
303
JRBR 78
ﮫﻟ قرو ﺲﯿﻟو ,تﺎﺒﻧ ﮫﻟ ﺪ ﻠ ﺟ ﺲﯿﻟو ,ناﻮﯿﺣ ﮫﻟ ﻢﻠﻋ ﺲﯿﻟو .نﺎﺴﻧا بﺎﺘﻜﻟا .
Has lea es bu is no a plan , has skin bu is no an animal,
has knowledge bu is no a human being:
The book.
JRBR 79
ﻻ ,ﻢﻠﻜﺘﯾ اذا ﻞﻛا لﺎﻗ ,ﺔﻘﯿﻘﺤﻟا ا ذ ا و عﺎﺟ .بﺬﻛ ﺔﻋﺎﺴﻟا .
She does no speak;
i she ea s, she ells he u h,
and i she is hung y, she lies.
The wa ch.
JRBR 80
ﻚﻠﻤﯾ ﺮﻌﺷ د ﻮ ﺳ ا ﻦﻄﺑو ﺐھذ و ﻞﺟر .ﺐﺸﺧ ﺢﻤﻘﻟا .
She has black hai , a golden abdomen, and a wooden oo ?
The whea s alk.
JRBR 81
ﺎﺑا ﺪ ﺸ ﻧ ا ﺎﻨﺑﺎﺤﺻا شو ﺖﻨﺑ ،ةدﻮﺟﻮﻣ ﺎﮭﻟﺎﺟرو ﺎﮭﻗﻮﻓ ﻆـﻔﺤﺗ ،ﺎـﮭﻧزاﻮﺗ نﺎﺤﺒﺳ قﻼﺧ ﻞﻛ
ﺎﮭﻟﺎﺟرا .ﺎﮭﻨﻣ ضرﻷا .لﺎﺒﺠﻟاو
May I ask ou iends abou a gi l who exis s?
She has men o e he o keep he balance.
Glo y o Allah, who c ea es he men om hei mo he .
The gi l is he land.
The men a e he moun ains.
This esea ch p ojec analyzes Jo danian Bedouin iddles om
he Ras Alnaqb a ea o he Badia egion. Fi s a co pus o
Naba i Jo danian iddles we e collec ed and conside ed om
a linguis ic, cul u al s udies, and pos -colonial s udies
pe spec i e. The esul ing quali a i e s udy is composed o
wo pa s.The i s discusses ce ain his o ical, social, and
cul u al aspec s o be conside ed. The second sec ion
ou lines ea lie s udies on A abic iddles om o he a eas
as well as p e ious wo k done on Jo danian iddles. Nex
i p esen s he co pus collec ed, discusses he cul u al
and s uc u al indings and pu s o h new o mulae o
use in he classi ica ion o Jo danian Bedouin iddles.