HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENTS IN STYLISTICS IN THE WEST AND ARAB WORLD: A COMPARATIVE EXPLORATION OF STYLISTIC PATTERNS

Abstract

In historical and scientific reviews, there is still a gap in studies that specifically and comprehensively compare stylistic developments in the two major Western and Arab traditions within a framework that is not only descriptive-historical, but also analytical-conceptual. To date, research on stylistics in the West and the Arab world has often been studied in a partial and separate manner, resulting in limited systematic exploration of the commonalities and profound differences between the two. This raises an important question: to what extent can the stylistic approaches and epistemological orientations of these two worlds mutually enrich each other in the context of analyzing literary and religious texts. The research reveals that Western stylistics emerged from classical Greek rhetoric and evolved into functional linguistic and semiotic approaches in the 20th century. In contrast, Arab stylistics originated from the discipline of balāghah, particularly concerning the expressive beauty of the Qur’an, and was later revitalized through modern Western stylistic theories. Using a qualitative method and literature review approach, the study finds that although the two traditions differ in their initial orientation, they now converge particularly in the context of literary and religious discourse analysis. This research recommends integrating both linguistic and aesthetic perspectives as a contribution to the global development of stylistic studies.