Abstract
In the early twentieth century, linguistics became closely associated with literary studies, serving as a bridge between the writer and the ideas embedded within the text. One of the most significant outcomes of this interaction is statistical stylistics, which focuses on the detailed analysis of literary texts through statistical tools and mathematical formulas. Semantic field theory, on the other hand, concerns groups of words that share a common conceptual relationship and fall under a comprehensive semantic category encompassing related sub-meanings. Its importance lies in examining the relationships among lexical items within the same field and analyzing their meanings and interconnections in order to understand systems of perception, customs, traditions, and social relations in both their material and spiritual dimensions.
Within this framework, the present study selects two major poets of the contemporary vertical poem in the Arab world: Ahmed Bakhit from Egypt and Aref Al-Saadi from Iraq. A corpus of fifty-five verses was chosen from the most recent poetic works of each poet. These samples were analyzed using Yule’s index within the framework of statistical stylistics to determine lexical richness and patterns of word-frequency distribution. The resulting statistical data were then applied to semantic field theory in order to extract dominant semantic domains in each poetic sample and to examine the distribution of vocabulary frequency in relation to external cultural, social, and ideological factors.
The study concludes that the level of lexical richness in Ahmed Bakhit’s poetry is higher than that found in Aref Al-Saadi’s poetry. Both poets employ a variety of semantic fields, repeating them in accordance with their intellectual orientations and poetic visions. Bakhit tends to evoke the glories of Arab civilization before and after Islam while seeking to escape what he describes as a shameful present, which he metaphorically labels as “hell.” Consequently, semantic fields related to place, historical figures, despair, and numbers are recurrent in his poetry. In contrast, Al-Saadi focuses on depicting the lived reality of Iraq and the suffering and aspirations of its people. His poetry abounds in expressions related to the Iraqi environment, collective Iraqi identity, and body-related vocabulary that functions as a means of conveying his message.
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 through the combined application of linguistic theory and statistical stylistics. A semantic field refers to a group of words unified by a shared conceptual framework and organized under a broader term that governs related sub-meanings. In poetic discourse, semantic fields serve as a crucial analytical tool for understanding how poets encode experience, ideology, and emotion through lexical choices. Investigating these patterns provides insight into the poet’s worldview and the cultural context shaping poetic imagination.
The research focuses on two prominent figures in modern Arabic poetry: Ahmed Bakhit from Egypt and Aref Al-Saadi from Iraq. Both poets have gained wide recognition through Arab and international literary awards and festivals. Their poetry is characterized by symbolic density, cultural depth, and rhythmic innovation, making it particularly suitable for comparative stylistic analysis.
By integrating computational techniques with linguistic theory, this study aims to identify how each poet’s lexical choices and thematic organization reflect personal, historical, and geographical contexts. It further explores how vocabulary frequency, diversity, and repetition reveal underlying semantic orientations. Ultimately, the study seeks to propose an analytical model capable of quantifying poetic meaning without compromising its aesthetic value, thereby contributing to the interdisciplinary field linking linguistic science and literary criticism.
Materials and Methods
To ensure a balanced comparison, fifty-five 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 stylistic and thematic tendencies. The study employed Yule’s statistical stylistic index, a quantitative tool designed to measure lexical richness, word dispersion, and repetition ratios.
Following the calculation of statistical values, semantic field theory was applied to classify the vocabulary of each poem into conceptual categories such as place, time, nature, emotions, characters, and linguistic connectives. This combined statistical-semantic approach allowed for both numerical precision and interpretive depth.
The analytical process proceeded through several stages. First, lexical items were extracted and classified based on semantic proximity. Second, their frequencies were calculated to identify dominant semantic domains. Third, statistical measures were used to assess word concentration and recurrence within each domain. Finally, correlations were drawn between lexical density and external cultural factors, including geography and ideology.
By integrating computational stylistics with close textual analysis, this methodology bridges traditional literary interpretation and data-driven linguistic analysis, enabling a more objective understanding of poetic style while preserving sensitivity to cultural and emotional nuances.
Research Findings
The comparative analysis revealed clear lexical and semantic distinctions between the two poets. In Ahmed Bakhit’s sample, the lexical richness index reached 53.87, indicating a high degree of verbal diversity accompanied by moderate repetition. In contrast, Aref Al-Saadi’s poetry recorded a value of 69.67, reflecting a more limited lexical range but stronger thematic cohesion within specific semantic fields.
In Bakhit’s poetry, the most prominent semantic fields included place (44 occurrences), time (22), characters (18), fear and despair (25), nature (22), animals (7), writing and literature (12), and connectives (52). These distributions reflect his engagement with Arab history and civilization, evoking ancient cultural centers such as Babylon, Andalusia, and Baghdad, often juxtaposed with contemporary decline. The recurrence of these fields demonstrates a poetic consciousness rooted in nostalgia and collective cultural memory.
By contrast, Al-Saadi’s poetry is dominated by semantic fields related to visual imagery (39), nature (48), place (15), time (35), body parts (22), characters (11), environmental vocabulary (15), and connectives (88). The extensive use of connectives contributes to syntactic cohesion and thematic continuity, linking nearly every verse to the central theme of Iraq’s suffering and resilience. While Bakhit’s imagination transcends geographical boundaries, Al-Saadi’s poetry remains firmly anchored in the local Iraqi context, reflecting the collective struggle of his homeland.
Discussion and Conclusion
The findings demonstrate that both poets employ lexical repetition, semantic selection, and structural organization as deliberate stylistic strategies reflecting distinct ideological orientations. Ahmed Bakhit articulates a transnational poetic vision aimed at reviving the grandeur of Arab civilization and transcending the disillusionment of the present. His frequent references to historical figures and lost civilizations function as symbols of continuity, pride, and cultural memory. Consequently, the semantic field of place in his poetry operates not merely as a spatial marker but as an intellectual metaphor for unity and renewal.
In contrast, Aref Al-Saadi grounds his poetic discourse in the immediate social and emotional reality of Iraq. His emphasis on nature, body-related vocabulary, and connective structures conveys endurance and interconnectedness, mirroring the persistence of suffering and hope within Iraqi society. The repetition of conjunctions in particular reinforces rhythmic cohesion and emotional continuity.
Methodologically, the integration of statistical stylistics with semantic field analysis proves effective in quantifying subtle poetic phenomena and enabling an objective evaluation of artistic style. The study concludes that this combined approach offers a replicable framework for future research in Arabic literary studies, bridging qualitative interpretation and empirical analysis. In doing so, it advances the scientific study of poetic language and cultural identity in the contemporary Arab world.
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