THE FUNCTION OF ISM TAFḌĪL IN THE NOVEL RAʾAITU RĀMALLĀH BY MOURID BARGHOUTI

Abstract

he novel Ra’aitu RÄmallÄh depicts the struggle of a young Palestinian man who experienced prolonged exile imposed by Israeli forces until his eventual return to his hometown, RÄmallÄh. Within the context of a narrative replete with comparisons between life in exile and life in the homeland, this study adopts a mixed-methods approach to describe both the various forms of ism tafá¸Ì§Ä«l and their functions in the novel Ra’aitu RÄmallÄh by Mourid Barghouti, supported by quantitative data in the form of percentages. The primary source for this research is the Arabic version of the novel, which consists of nine chapters. Based on the theoretical framework of Al-GulÄyainÄ« (1994), 90 instances of ism tafá¸Ì§Ä«l were identified and categorized into four structural forms: without alif lÄm and not in the iá¸Ì§Äfah construction (48 items), with alif lÄm (6 items), in the iá¸Ì§Äfah construction with an indefinite noun (26 items), and in the iá¸Ì§Äfah construction with a definite noun (10 items). Furthermore, the functions of ism tafá¸Ì§Ä«l were found to fall into four categories: comparative (44 items), superlative (46 items), functioning as an adjective (na‘t) (4 items), and as a predicate (25 items). This research contributes to the understanding of ism tafá¸Ì§Ä«l by offering insights into its definition, structural variations, and functional roles within the novel.