Abstract
In the early twentieth century, linguistics was associated with literary studies to be a link between the writer and the ideas he pours into his text. Statistical stylistics is one of these directions, which is concerned with detailed analyzes of the literary text using statistics and mathematical equations. A semantic field is a group of words that have a common linguistic relationship between them and are placed under a general term that includes all those secondary terms. Its importance stems from the fact that it searches for the relationship between the vocabulary of the same field, and looks at the meanings of words and their connection in order to study the system of perceptions, customs, traditions, and social relations for their material and spiritual guidance.
Based on the above, the researcher selected two of the great poets of the contemporary vertical poem in the Arab world, namely Ahmed Bakhit from Egypt, and Aref Al-Saedi from Iraq. And it chose 55 verses from the last poems of each of them. It studied it in the light of the Yule scale in statistical stylistics to reach verbal wealth and how to distribute the frequency of vocabulary. Then he applied the statistical results to the theory of semantic fields and extracted the fields and semantics for each of the two samples, to know how to distribute the frequency of their words and link them to external factors.
The study concluded that the percentage of verbal wealth in Ahmed Bakhit's poetry is more than that of Aref Al-Saedi's poetry. Each of them used the types of semantic fields and repeated them according to his thinking and opinion. Bakhit tries to recall the glories of the Arabs and their civilization before and after Islam and evades the shameful present, which he called hell. The repetition of the words of the fields of place, personalities, despair and numbers in his poetry. However, Al-Saadi sought to present a picture of the reality of Iraq and the suffering and hopes of its people. The expressions of the fields of the Iraqi environment, the general Iraqi personality, and the body parts that indicate the delivery of the message abounded in his poetry.
Keywords: Statistical stylistics, semantic fields, contemporary vertical poem, Ahmed Bakhit, Aref Al Saadi.
Extended summary
Introduction
This study examines the phenomenon of semantic fields in contemporary Arabic poetry using both linguistic theory and statistical stylistics. A semantic field is a cluster of words united by a shared conceptual framework and governed by an overarching term that organizes related sub-meanings. Within literary discourse, the semantic field operates as a key to understanding how poets encode experience, ideology, and emotion through lexical choices. Investigating these patterns in poetry provides a window into the poet’s worldview and the cultural environment shaping their imagination.
The research focuses on two acclaimed poets representing distinctive voices in modern Arabic poetry: Ahmed Bakhit from Egypt and Aref Al-Saadi from Iraq. Both have earned widespread recognition through Arab and international literary awards and festivals. Their poetry is rich in symbolic imagery, cultural depth, and rhythmic experimentation, making them ideal subjects for comparative stylistic analysis.
By integrating computational methods and linguistic theory, this study aims to identify how each poet’s diction and thematic organization correspond to his personal, historical, and geographical context. It further explores how frequency, diversity, and repetition of vocabulary reveal underlying semantic orientations. The broader objective is to propose an analytical model that quantifies poetic meaning without diminishing its aesthetic essence, thereby contributing to the intersection of linguistic science and literary criticism.
Materials and Methods
To ensure balanced comparison, 55 verses were selected from the most recent poetic works of both Ahmed Bakhit and Aref Al-Saadi. Each verse was chosen for its representativeness of the poet’s mature style and thematic scope. The study employed Yule’s statistical stylistic scale, a quantitative tool used to measure verbal richness, word dispersion, and vocabulary repetition ratios.
After calculating the numerical values, the researcher applied the semantic field theory, categorizing the lexicon of each poem into conceptual groups such as place, time, nature, emotions, characters, and linguistic connectives. This dual approach—statistical and semantic—allowed for both measurable precision and interpretive insight.
Data analysis proceeded in several stages. First, lexical items were extracted and classified according to semantic proximity. Second, their frequencies were tabulated to identify dominant thematic clusters. Third, statistical applications were used to determine the degree of word concentration and recurrence within each semantic domain. Finally, correlations were established between lexical density and external cultural factors, such as geography and ideology.
By merging computational stylistics with close reading, the methodology bridges the gap between traditional literary hermeneutics and modern data-driven linguistics. The approach enables a more objective understanding of poetic style while maintaining sensitivity to cultural and emotional nuances.
Research Findings
The comparative analysis revealed distinct lexical and semantic patterns between the two poets. In Ahmed Bakhit’s sample, the property percentage reached 53.87, indicating high verbal richness and moderate repetition. In Aref Al-Saadi’s poetry, the percentage was 69.67, reflecting narrower lexical variety but stronger cohesion within thematic domains.
For Bakhit, the most prominent semantic fields were: place (44 instances), time (22), characters (18), fear and despair (25), nature (22), animals (7), writing and literature (12), and connectives (52). These distributions correspond to his deep engagement with the Arab past—evoking ancient civilizations like Babylon, Andalusia, and Baghdad—often contrasted with the present condition of decline. The recurrence of these terms illustrates a poetic consciousness rooted in nostalgia and cultural unity.
In contrast, Al-Saadi’s fields included graphic vocabulary (39), nature (48), place (15), time (35), body parts (22), characters (11), environmental terms (15), and connectives (88). His high frequency of connectives ensured syntactic cohesion and thematic continuity, linking almost every verse to the central motif of Iraq’s suffering and resilience. The lexical evidence indicates that while Bakhit’s imagination transcends geographical borders, Al-Saadi’s poetry remains localized, reflecting his nation’s collective struggle.
Discussion of Results and Conclusion
The results demonstrate that both poets employ repetition, lexical selection, and semantic structuring as deliberate devices reflecting distinct ideological orientations. Ahmed Bakhit presents a transnational poetic vision, attempting to revive the grandeur of the Arab past and transcend the disillusionment of the modern world. His frequent references to lost civilizations and historical figures—such as Abd al-Rahman al-Dakhil—function as symbols of continuity, pride, and civilizational memory. The field of place in his poetry thus serves not merely as a spatial reference but as an intellectual metaphor for unity and renewal.
Conversely, Aref Al-Saadi grounds his poetic discourse in the immediate social and emotional reality of Iraq. His emphasis on nature, connectives, and body-related vocabulary conveys a strong sense of endurance and interconnectedness. The repetition of conjunctions, in particular, establishes rhythmic cohesion and emotional persistence, mirroring the nation’s enduring pain and hope.
From a methodological perspective, the integration of statistical stylistics and semantic field theory proved effective in quantifying subtle poetic phenomena, enabling an objective assessment of artistic style. The study concludes that semantic field analysis, when combined with computational measures, can serve as a replicable framework for future research in Arabic literary studies. It bridges the gap between qualitative interpretation and empirical verification, advancing the scientific study of poetic language and cultural identity in the modern Arab context.
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