An Analytical Study of the Influence of Authors’ Dialects on Modern Arabic Novels: A Conceptual Study of Ghassan Kanafani’s Men in the Sun and Latifa al-Zayyat’s the Open Door

Abstract

This study analyzes a group of vocabulary items from the novels “Men in the Sun” by Ghassan Kanafani and “The Open Door” by Latifa al-Zayyat, comparing their linguistic formulations in light of the authors' respective dialects. It also examines the significance of these dialects to the authors, emphasizing the necessity of using them to reach target audiences in both authors' home countries and across the Arab world. To analyze the data, the researcher adopted William Labov’s (1966) variation theory. It is used to analyze dialectal differences between the two novels to determine dialectal differences between the two novels. To facilitate an in-depth examination of the vocabularies and ensure appropriate data collection, the study employs a statistical-analytical methodology. For qualitative data collection, the study used two research tools: observation and memo. The study highlights the importance of integrated research merging literature and linguistics to examine the linguistic competence of modern Arab novelists and their role in preserving their countries' linguistic heritage through texts written in their respective dialects; this underscores the significance of dialects in articulating the identities of the writer, their country, their society, and their culture. The study addresses the following hypotheses: First, the reasons that motivated the authors of the two novels to use their respective dialects. Second, the authors' dialects play a crucial role in the characters' dialogues and are important for accurately representing their cultures. Third, the linguistic diversity found in modern Arab novels illustrates the beauty of the Arabic language and its vocabulary across linguistic, cultural, and semantic dimensions. The research recommends conducting more comparative studies between the two novels and novels written by authors from other Arab countries to further encourage the preservation of dialects and to emphasize their significance in modern Arabic fiction.