Dialects
The use of either fuṣḥa or dialect in literature has been fiercely debated, as the question is often seen as one related closely to identity.
Fuṣḥa Arabic, or Modern Standard Arabic, has been and still is dominant in the linguistic developments in all Arab countries until today. However, many writers find it difficult to use it exclusively, especially in dialogue which is supposed to represent ‘real’ speech of ‘real’ characters, particularly in theatre. Therefore, some writers use the spoken language of the local variation of Arabic (ʿāmiyya, meaning colloquial or a ‘colloquialized fuṣḥa’).
While the use of an author’s local dialect may give the literary work authenticity (as no Arabic-speaker speaks fuṣḥa in their daily life), it many also limit its readership in that it attracts mainly local readership. However, it may at the same time extend its potential audience to beyond the well-educated fuṣḥa speakers. In respect to the receptivity of readership, a distinction can be made between the possibly more ‘central’ dialects (Egyptian and Levantine (Shāmī) dialect), which are more transportable (this is also true for non-literary media such as tv-shows and soaps) than the outlying ones (such as the north-African Maghribi dialects, the Iraqi dialects, and the Gulf dialects).
The Arabic dialect is commonly divided in five groups: the Maghribi dialect; the Egyptian dialect; the Shāmī dialect; the Mesopotamian dialect; and the Gulf dialect. These dialects all have their own characteristics and can also be sub-divided into different groups depending on specific geographic regions. Dialects can furthermore be divided into social categories of which the most predominant division is between sedentary and Bedouin dialects. Other categories include social class and gender.
For practical reasons the literature in this section will be divided in dialects according to the different countries, except for the Gulf dialects, which will be in one sub-category.