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san 2026, 1(1): 115-136 |
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Sayadani A, Heydarpour Marand Y. Mapping Multicentric Power: A Sociolinguistic Reading of Sharq al-Da’iri through Jan Blommaert’s Framework. san 2026; 1 (1) :115-136
URL: http://san.khu.ac.ir/article-1-509-en.html
URL: http://san.khu.ac.ir/article-1-509-en.html
1- Associate Professor, Department of Arabic language and Literature, Azarbaijan Shahid Madani University, Tabriz, Iran , a.sayadani@azaruniv.ac.ir
2- MA Graduated of Arabic Language Translation, Azarbaijan Shahid Madani University, Tabriz, Iran
2- MA Graduated of Arabic Language Translation, Azarbaijan Shahid Madani University, Tabriz, Iran
Abstract: (879 Views)
This study employs Jan Blommaert’s sociolinguistic framework—which integrates Critical Discourse Analysis to examine language as a product of social power—to analyze Khalid Ahmad’s novel Sharq al-Da’iri as a document of contemporary Egyptian society. Blommaert conceptualizes inequality not as a fixed attribute but as a dynamic, cognitively organized “value capacity” distributed across multicentric orders of power. These orders, indexed through symbolic ideologies and identity potentials, are traceable in linguistic practices. The novel’s polyphonic structure, wherein distinct character groups deploy specific discourses to legitimize authority, provides a critical site for this analysis. By applying Blommaert’s methodological tools—including the tracing of metaphors, specialized registers, and features of communicative interaction—this research investigates the multidimensional discursive practices within the text. The analysis reveals that each social group within the novel seeks legitimacy through a particular discourse, thereby positioning language as a primary instrument for reproducing social inequality. The competing and conflicting voices embody distinct ideologies and identities, illustrating Blommaert’s central thesis: the map of power distribution in society is fundamentally articulated through, and contested within, the realm of discursive practice.
Keywords: Sociolinguistics, Multicentric Orders, Domain of Power, Jan Blommaert, Arabic Narratology, Sharq al-Da’iri, Khalid Ahmad
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