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Article published In: Pragmatics
Vol. 36:1 (2026) ► pp.89–108

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Loan words can cause intercultural miscommunication

The case of Hebrew shahid

ORCiD logo with link | Tel-Hai College
Published online: 16 January 2025
DOI logo with link
https://doi.org/10.1075/prag.24014.hab
Abstract
This paper explores the semantics and pragmatics of the Hebrew word shahid (שהיד). Because this word was borrowed from Arabic, its meaning is compared to that of Arabic shahīd (شهيد) ‘roughly, martyr.’ Using corpus analysis and the Natural Semantic Metalanguage (NSM) method, the meaning of the Hebrew loan word is explicated, and its explication is compared to that of Arabic shahīd. The two explications demonstrate that the differences between the two words are greater than the similarities. Consequently, when Israeli Jews and Israeli Arabs use the words interchangeably, intercultural miscommunication is highly likely to occur.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Cultural concepts in cross-cultural pragmatics
  • 3.Methodology and data
    • 3.1Methodology
    • 3.2Data
  • 4.Arabic shahīd vs. Hebrew shahid
    • 4.1The meaning of Arabic shahīd
    • 4.2The meaning of Hebrew shahid
  • 5.Discussion
  • 6.Conclusion
  • Acknowledgements
  • Notes
  • References
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