Blog

Research notes on the linguistic and socio-historical realities behind the millennia-old dichotomous concept of nomadic and sedentary people in the Middle East and North Africa:

• First WIBARAB Symposium – June 2023
  From 7 to 9 June, the first WIBARAB Symposium took place on the campus of the University of Vienna. We had the honour to welcome 15 renowned experts. During the symposium, our PhD candidates and MA students gave presentations on our preliminary results which were that commented by our guests. We had the opportunity to discuss ongoing work, methodological and theoretical considerations as well as further steps. Here are some impressions of the event:
• Fieldwork in Lebanon – May 2023
• Fieldwork in Sudan – February/March 2023
  Master student Stanley went on his first field trip to Sudan to study the dialect of the Rashayda tribe. He was welcomed and hosted by the University of Shendi and had the chance to not only collect precious data about the Rashaydas’ dialect but also to dive into the local culture of Sudan.
• Fieldwork in Saudi Arabia
  Gunda Kinzl went to explore the dialects of Saudi Arabia. She encountered wonderful people, an unexpectedly, breathtakingly, beautiful nature and many interesting linguistic features.
• Fieldwork in Lebanon
  Last February Ana Iriarte and Claudia Laaber spent a month in Lebanon carrying out their first fieldwork campaign on the Arabic Bedouin dialects of the country. They were warmly welcomed by various families across the country: Beirut, Khalde, Bekaa Valley and South Lebanon are some of the areas where linguistic and sociolinguistic data was collected. The members of these communities generously opened the doors of their houses to our two researchers, sharing with them many of their life stories over a cup of delicious ghawa. Claudia and Ana came back to Vienna by the end of March with their recorders… Read more: Fieldwork in Lebanon
• Project Update January 2022
  Questionnaires, ethnic approvals and fieldwork Currently, we are preparing the questionnaires and the database entries. There is also a lot of administrative work to do, particularly our endeavours to obtain ethic approvals from all the countries where fieldwork is planned. In April, two members of the team will for the first time present preliminary results of our research at a conference in Madrid. -Stephan Procházka
• 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. More than 350 million people speak Arabic in linguistic settings that are for the most part characterised by a high degree of diglossia. From Iran to Mauretania, countless spoken varieties are in use, which will be investigated in the ERC project WIBARAB. A particular concern of the project is the language of the Bedouins which has spread with the Arab expansion in the Middle East and North Africa since the 7th century. In a cooperation between the Institute… Read more: What is Bedouin-Type Arabic?