What is bedouin-type Arabic? The linguistic and socio-historical realities behind the millennia-old dichotomous concept of nomadic and sedentary people in the Middle East and North Africa

Project Information

WIBARAB

Grant agreement ID: 101020127

DOI

10.3030/101020127

EC signature date 14 July 2021

Start date 1 October 2021

End date 30 September 2026

Funded under

• EXCELLENT SCIENCE - European Research Council (ERC)

Total cost

€ 2 455 891,00

EU contribution

€ 2 455 891,00

Coordinated by

UNIVERSITAT WIEN
Austria

Periodic Reporting for period 2 - WIBARAB (What is bedouin-type Arabic? The linguistic and socio-historical realities behind the millennia-old dichotomous concept of nomadic and sedentary people in the Middle East and North Africa)

Reporting period: 2023-04-01 to 2024-09-30

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

The WIBARAB project delves into the linguistic distinctions between nomadic and sedentary populations, a pivotal concept in the categorization of spoken Arabic. Despite the profound implications of this dichotomy for the political, social, and economic history of the Arabic-speaking Middle East and North Africa, the concrete linguistic basis of it remains poorly understood. WIBARAB seeks to fill this gap by establishing a comprehensive set of linguistic features characterizing this split, encompassing phonological, morphological, syntactical, and lexical aspects, as well as considering typology, grammaticalization pathways, and historical migrations.
The project aims to provide fresh insights by investigating three understudied Arabic varieties and exploring language ideologies towards Bedouin-type dialects through several case studies in diverse social and geographical contexts. Employing a holistic approach, WIBARAB challenges conventional views and methodically illustrates how linguistic data can serve as proxies for historical analysis, and vice versa. It integrates methodologies from general linguistics, sociolinguistics, historical interpretation, and digital humanities to shed light on this crucial aspect of one of the world’s largest languages.
Key objectives include conducting sociolinguistic fieldwork beyond urban areas, incorporating findings from studies on tribal migrations and settlement history. Additionally, the project examines the influence of social structures, particularly patriarchal systems, on the linguistic conservatism of contemporary Bedouin-type Arabic. By bridging disciplines and leveraging digital tools, WIBARAB aims to advance our understanding of Arabic linguistic diversity and its intersection with broader historical and social phenomena.
Languages in general and local dialects in particular are strong identity-forming factors. Knowledge of the mechanisms that are important for the formation of these identity patterns plays an important role not only in linguistics itself, but also in sociology, political science and migration studies. For the last fifty years, the Arab world has been characterised by major social upheavals, which have a great influence on the spoken dialects. The project sheds light on the background and reasons of language change and will also help to find out how the mobility of large sections of society has an influence on the development of language.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

The primary goal of the project is to explore how the social distinction between nomadic and sedentary populations is reflected in the Arabic language. Beyond analysing existing data in Arabic dialectology, the project focuses on collecting new linguistic data from fieldwork, primarily conducted in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Lebanon, and Morocco. This extensive fieldwork involved recording over 300 hours of free speech as well as interviews and questionnaires. A significant part of these recordings has already been transcribed, annotated, and translated. With the help of IT specialists these texts have been transformed into a machine-readable format.
One work package concentrates on the linguistic analysis of four different Arabic varieties, with significant progress made in the study of phonological features and the building of digital corpora. Results from research have been presented at several international symposia. Another work packages delves into sociolinguistics, examining the perception of contemporary Bedouin-type dialects across the Arab world. Unexpected findings from fieldwork in Lebanon and Jordan have already been analysed and presented at conferences.
Collaboration with scholars focusing on historical backgrounds has yielded insights into the complex historical developments of formerly Bedouin communities in Lebanon, crucial for understanding linguistic realities. The role of tribes is also explored, with a symposium planned to discuss this complex and disputed topic with international experts.
A fourth work package involves modelling and setting up a database for cross-dialectal comparisons, nearing completion with contributions from team members and specialists in Arabic syntax. The project also examines language and dialect contact, particularly focusing on Beirut’s erstwhile nomadic community, with significant results presented at conferences.
The project's main research question is approached through extensive data collection and analysis, with ongoing work yet to lead to publications. The holistic approach integrates new data with thorough analysis of published materials, promising valuable insights into the linguistic dynamics between nomadic and sedentary populations in the Arabic-speaking world.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

Focused on researching a formerly Bedouin community in Beirut, the project employs a mixed methodological and interdisciplinary approach, drawing from Arabic dialectology, sociolinguistics, and history. Despite challenges in data collection due to the remote and sceptical nature of many Bedouin societies, fieldwork efforts have yielded valuable linguistic recordings, enriching not only the WIBARAB project but also future studies in spoken Arabic dialects.
The project hosted the 1st WIBARAB Symposium ahead of schedule, gathering leading scholars to present and discuss findings, resulting in motivation boosts and networking opportunities for the team. Recommendations from the symposium led to plans for a special volume publication featuring keynote lectures and articles from both team members and invited experts.
The cornerstone of the project, the WIBARAB-Database, is the first of its kind in Arabic linguistics, facilitating the mapping of linguistic features onto an online map of the Arabic-speaking world. With an extensive dataset covering phonological, morphological, and syntactical features from over 300 locations, the database sets new standards in the field. The database represents a ground-breaking approach to Arabic linguistics, departing from traditional methods by opting for a non-relational XML-based database following the guidelines of the Text-Encoding-Initiative (TEI). Collaborating with experts from The Austrian Centre of Digital Humanities and Cultural Heritage, the project pioneers a novel methodology in the field of Arabic linguistics
The project has already yielded significant results, including a digital database allowing complex queries and mapping features. Until the end of the project, an edited volume and six monograph studies exploring various aspects of Arabic dialects and language ideologies should have been published. In summary, WIBARAB represents a transformative endeavour in Arabic studies, offering new insights into the history and present of a language spoken by more than 300 million people.

Linguistic fieldwork among a Bedouin community in Beirut, Lebanon, 2022

Participants of the 1st WIBARAB conference, Vienna, June 2023

Linguistic fieldwork among the Rashayda people in Northern Saudi Arabia