CASE GRAMMAR IN THE SHORT STORY AL-ISTIGHĀTHAH BY ZAKARIYA TAMER FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF C. J. FILLMORE
Keywords:
Case grammar; Arabic literature; Ideological meaningAbstract
This study is motivated by the limited number of semantic-structural analyses of the short story Al-Istighāthah by Zakariya Tamer, particularly those examining how ideological meaning and social representation are constructed through case structures in Arabic. The work is rich in symbolism, ellipsis, and social criticism; however, analyses employing Fillmore’s Case Grammar framework remain scarce. This research aims to reveal meaning construction in the text through mapping verb–argument relations and identifying ten types of case roles proposed in Fillmore’s theory, while also discussing the function of modality (tense, mood, negation, and adverbs) in meaning formation. The study adopts a qualitative descriptive approach using documentation techniques, close reading and note-taking, and distributional analysis of dialogues in the short story. The findings indicate that Agentive and Objective cases dominate the discourse structure, reflecting a strong emphasis on actors and targets of action in the construction of conflict. Locative, Benefactive, Experiencer, and Instrumental cases reinforce symbolic spatial meaning, moral objectives, and the characters’ inner conditions. Modality plays a crucial role in emphasizing power relations, ideological stances, and resistance to repressive structures. These findings affirm that Fillmore’s theory is effective in uncovering networks of ideological meaning in modern Arabic literature and opens opportunities for the development of more interdisciplinary linguistic–literary studies.
References
Abdani, Fahmi Afiyatil. “قواعد الحالة في رواية أخر أيام الباشا لرشا عدلي بالمنظور تشرلز ج. فيلمور,” December 24, 2024.
Abdi, Salahaldin, and Akram Zolfaghary. “A Deconstructive Reading of Zakaria Tamer’s ‘Oh, the Forgotten Cherry.’” Studies in Arabic Narratology 5, no. 1 (2023): 53–75. https://doi.org/10.61186/san.5.1.53
Abu Helal, Abdel Rahman. “A Probabilistic Semantics for Modal QAD in Standard Arabic.” Cogent Arts and Humanities 10, no. 1 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1080/23311983.2023.2241239
Al-Mogarry, Hamed Shoay Saleh. “An Application of Syntactic Semantic Analysis in English and Arabic Translation.” مجلة جامعة صنعاء للعلوم الإنسانية 1, no. 1 (January 2024). https://doi.org/10.59628/jhs.v1i1.215
Alatrash, Ghada. “On Decolonizing Curriculums: The Unethicality and Implications of Western Knowledge on Arab Subjectivity.” Sociology Lens 36, no. 2 (June 1, 2023): 198–207. https://doi.org/10.1111/johs.12419
Ayuningtyas, Inggita Pramesti. “Modality Analysis in Joe Biden’s Speech Delivered on the Anniversary of the Covid-19 Shutdown.” EnJourMe (English Journal of Merdeka) : Culture, Language, and Teaching of English 6, no. 2 (December 28, 2021): 60–70. https://doi.org/10.26905/enjourme.v6i2.6531
Basid, A., Kamil, H. I., & Innah, M. “Sentence Structure in Film ‘Knives Out’ Based on the Perspective of Charles J. Fillmore’s Case Grammar.” Diglosia: Jurnal Kajian Bahasa,Sastra, dan Pengajarannya 4, no. 3 (2021): 301—320.
Basid, Abdul, Arga Zidan Arzaqi, Fadzilah Romadani, and Syahrul Alfitrah Miolo. “An Analysis of Case Grammar in English Film Dialogue: A New Perspective of Linguistic Modern.” Eralingua: Jurnal Pendidikan Bahasa Asing dan Sastra 7, no. 2 (August 29, 2023): 200–219. https://doi.org/10.30872/diglosia.v4i3.209
Basid, Abdul, Habib Insan Kamil, and Mutma Innah. “Struktur Kalimat Pada Film Knives Out Berdasarkan Perspektif Tata Bahasa Kasus Charles J. Fillmore.” Diglosia: Jurnal Kajian Bahasa, Sastra, dan Pengajarannya 4, no. 3 (August 1, 2021): 301–20. https://doi.org/10.30872/diglosia.v4i3.209
Basid, Abdul, and Devi Laila Maghfiroh. “Seloka: Jurnal Pendidikan Bahasa dan Sastra Indonesia Case Grammar in the Movie ‘The Gentlemen’ Based on the Perspective of Charles J. Fillmore.” Seloka, 2021. https://doi.org/10.15294/seloka.v9i3
Bauer, Martin W, and George Gaskell. Qualitative Researching With Text, Image and Sound. London: SAGE Publications, 2007.
Chaer, Abdul. Linguistik Umum. Jakarta: Rineka Cipta, 2007.
———. “Linguistik Umum,” 2014, 32.
Cook, Walter A. “Case Grammar Theory,” 1989, 236. http://press.georgetown.edu/Book/Case-Grammar-Theory.
Ezzy, Douglas. “Qualitative Analysis: Practice and Innovation.” Qualitative Analysis: Practice and Innovation, January 1, 2013, 1–190. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315015484.
Fatmawati, Fatmawati, Hisyam Zaini, and Imroatul Ngarifah. “Divergensi Modalitas Charles J. Fillmore Dalam Novel Terjemah ‘Sayap-Sayap Patah’ Karya Kahlil Gibran.” LingTera 9, no. 2 (March 14, 2023): 35–46. https://doi.org/10.21831/lt.v9i2.57735
Fillmore, Charles J. Fillmore’s Case Grammar: A Reader. Edited by René Dirven and Günter Radden. J. Groos, 1987.
———. Form and Meaning in Language. Center for the Study of Language and Information Publica Tion, 2003.
———. “Frame Semantics and The Nature Of Language.” Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences 280, no. 1 (October 1976): 20–32. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1749-6632.1976.tb25467.x
———. “Some Problems for Case Grammar. In R. J. O’Brien, Editor, 22nd Annual Round Table. Linguistics: Developments of the Sixties – Viewpoints of the Seventies, Volume 24 of Monograph Series on Language and Linguistics.” The Modern Language Journal 56, no. 1 (1971): 56. https://doi.org/10.2307/325580.
———. The Case for CASE. Work Study. Vol. 48. Texas Symposium on Linguistic Universals, 1967. https://doi.org/10.1108/00438029910272391.
Fillmore, Charles J., Paul Kay, and Mary Catherine O’Connor. “Regularity and Idiomaticity in Grammatical Constructions: The Case of Let Alone,” June 5, 2014, 243–70. https://doi.org/10.2307/414531
Firdianto, M. Aji. “قواعد الحالة النحوية في كتاب روائع القصص الإسلامية للدكتور عمر سليمان الأشقر على وجهة النظر تشارلز جاي فيلمور,” December 10, 2024.
Hamawand, Zeki. “The Configuration Theory.” In English Stylistics, 91–116. Cham: Springer International Publishing, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-22556-7_6
Hany, M. Bahaa El-Din, Abdallah Rezk Walid, and Salah Abdel Hafeez Mahmoud. “Voice of the Marginalized in the Grapes of Wrath (1939) by John Steinbeck, and Hunger (2013) by Mohamed El Basaty.” المجلة العلمیة لکلیة الآداب-جامعة أسیوط 30, no. 89 (January 2024): 1299–1324. https://doi.org/10.21608/aakj.2023.240101.1566
Hassanein, Hamada. “Less Form, More Meaning: A Case Study of Al-Iẖtibāk in the Qur’an Through the Prism of Dependency Grammar.” Sage Open 13, no. 4 (October 2023). https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440231199921
Muntahana, Nuratul, and Abdul Muntaqim Al Anshory. “Tata Bahasa Kasus Dalam Film Kena: Bridge of Spirit Berdasarkan Perspektif Charles J. Fillmore.” Diglosia: Jurnal Kajian Bahasa, Sastra, dan Pengajarannya 6, no. 1 (February 1, 2023): 95–112. https://doi.org/10.30872/diglosia.v6i1.572
Pla, Gabriel Garroum. “Assad and the Politics of Space.” Urbicide in Syria, June 24, 2025, 85–118. https://doi.org/10.7765/9781526180254.00012.
Rizkyafuddin, Elvira Nazza. “بنية الجملة الاستفهامية في رواية ‘إياك من حبي’ لإيمان عبد الواحد على أساس نظرية قواعد الحالة لتشارلز ج. فيلمور,” 2025.
Sultan, Abeer. “إعادة النظر في نظرية الأطر لفيلمور: من إزالة السياق إلى السياق الأيديولوجي.” مجلة البحث العلمي في الآداب 24, no. 3 (April 30, 2023): 37–81. https://doi.org/10.21608/jssa.2023.171884.1445
Tamer, Zakaria. Dimasyqo Al-Haraaiq. 3rd ed. London: Riad El-Rayyes Books Ltd., 1994.
Tokan, P. Ratu Ile. “Manajemen Penelitian Guru Untuk Pendidikan Bermutu,” 2016.
Zaim, M. “Metode Penelitian Bahasa: PendekataAbdani, Fahmi Afiyatil. “قواعد الحالة في رواية أخر أيام الباشا لرشا عدلي بالمنظور تشرلز ج. فيلمور.” December 24, 2024.
Abdi, Salahaldin, and Akram Zolfaghary. “A Deconstructive Reading of Zakaria Tamer’s ‘Oh, the Forgotten Cherry.’” Studies in Arabic Narratology 5, no. 1 (2023): 53–75. https://doi.org/10.61186/san.5.1.53.
Abu Helal, Abdel Rahman. “A Probabilistic Semantics for Modal QAD in Standard Arabic.” Cogent Arts and Humanities 10, no. 1 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1080/23311983.2023.2241239.
Al-Mogarry, Hamed Shoay Saleh. “An Application of Syntactic Semantic Analysis in English and Arabic Translation.” مجلة جامعة صنعاء للعلوم الإنسانية 1, no. 1 (January 2024). https://doi.org/10.59628/jhs.v1i1.215.
Alatrash, Ghada. “On Decolonizing Curriculums: The Unethicality and Implications of Western Knowledge on Arab Subjectivity.” Sociology Lens 36, no. 2 (June 1, 2023): 198–207. https://doi.org/10.1111/johs.12419.
Ayuningtyas, Inggita Pramesti. “Modality Analysis in Joe Biden’s Speech Delivered on the Anniversary of the Covid-19 Shutdown.” EnJourMe (English Journal of Merdeka): Culture, Language, and Teaching of English 6, no. 2 (December 28, 2021): 60–70. https://doi.org/10.26905/enjourme.v6i2.6531.
Basid, A., H. I. Kamil, and M. Innah. “Sentence Structure in Film Knives Out Based on the Perspective of Charles J. Fillmore’s Case Grammar.” Diglosia: Jurnal Kajian Bahasa, Sastra, dan Pengajarannya 4, no. 3 (2021): 301–320. https://doi.org/10.30872/diglosia.v4i3.209.
Basid, Abdul, Arga Zidan Arzaqi, Fadzilah Romadani, and Syahrul Alfitrah Miolo. “An Analysis of Case Grammar in English Film Dialogue: A New Perspective of Linguistic Modern.” Eralingua: Jurnal Pendidikan Bahasa Asing dan Sastra 7, no. 2 (August 29, 2023): 200–219. https://doi.org/10.26858/eralingua.v7i2.44335.
Basid, Abdul, Habib Insan Kamil, and Mutma Innah. “Struktur Kalimat pada Film Knives Out Berdasarkan Perspektif Tata Bahasa Kasus Charles J. Fillmore.” Diglosia: Jurnal Kajian Bahasa, Sastra, dan Pengajarannya 4, no. 3 (August 1, 2021): 301–320. https://doi.org/10.30872/diglosia.v4i3.209.
Basid, Abdul, and Devi Laila Maghfiroh. “Case Grammar in the Movie The Gentlemen Based on the Perspective of Charles J. Fillmore.” Seloka: Jurnal Pendidikan Bahasa dan Sastra Indonesia 9, no. 3 (2021). https://doi.org/10.15294/seloka.v9i3.
Bauer, Martin W., and George Gaskell. Qualitative Researching with Text, Image and Sound. London: SAGE Publications, 2007. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781849209731.
Chaer, Abdul. Linguistik Umum. Jakarta: Rineka Cipta, 2007.
———. Linguistik Umum. Jakarta: Rineka Cipta, 2014.
Cook, Walter A. Case Grammar Theory. Washington, DC: Georgetown University Press, 1989.
Ezzy, Douglas. Qualitative Analysis: Practice and Innovation. London: Routledge, 2013. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315015484.
Fatmawati, Fatmawati, Hisyam Zaini, and Imroatul Ngarifah. “Divergensi Modalitas Charles J. Fillmore dalam Novel Terjemah Sayap-Sayap Patah Karya Kahlil Gibran.” LingTera 9, no. 2 (March 14, 2023): 35–46. https://doi.org/10.21831/lt.v9i2.57735.
Fillmore, Charles J. Fillmore’s Case Grammar: A Reader. Edited by René Dirven and Günter Radden. Heidelberg: Julius Groos, 1987.
———. Form and Meaning in Language. Stanford, CA: CSLI Publications, 2003.
———. “Frame Semantics and the Nature of Language.” Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences 280, no. 1 (October 1976): 20–32. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1749-6632.1976.tb25467.x.
———. “Some Problems for Case Grammar.” In Linguistics: Developments of the Sixties—Viewpoints of the Seventies, edited by R. J. O’Brien. Monograph Series on Language and Linguistics 24. Washington, DC: Georgetown University Press, 1971.
———. “The Case for CASE.” In Texas Symposium on Linguistic Universals, 1967. https://doi.org/10.1108/00438029910272391.
Fillmore, Charles J., Paul Kay, and Mary Catherine O’Connor. “Regularity and Idiomaticity in Grammatical Constructions: The Case of Let Alone.” In Language, 243–270. London: Routledge, 2014. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315777443-10.
Firdianto, M. Aji. “قواعد الحالة النحوية في كتاب روائع القصص الإسلامية للدكتور عمر سليمان الأشقر على وجهة النظر تشارلز جاي فيلمور.” December 10, 2024.
Hamawand, Zeki. “The Configuration Theory.” In English Stylistics, 91–116. Cham: Springer International Publishing, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-22556-7_6.
Hany, M. Bahaa El-Din, Abdallah Rezk Walid, and Salah Abdel Hafeez Mahmoud. “Voice of the Marginalized in The Grapes of Wrath (1939) by John Steinbeck, and Hunger (2013) by Mohamed El Basaty.” المجلة العلمية لكلية الآداب–جامعة أسيوط 30, no. 89 (January 2024): 1299–1324. https://doi.org/10.21608/aakj.2023.240101.1566.
Hassanein, Hamada. “Less Form, More Meaning: A Case Study of Al-Iẖtibāk in the Qur’an Through the Prism of Dependency Grammar.” SAGE Open 13, no. 4 (October 2023). https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440231199921.
Muntahana, Nuratul, and Abdul Muntaqim Al Anshory. “Tata Bahasa Kasus dalam Film Kena: Bridge of Spirit Berdasarkan Perspektif Charles J. Fillmore.” Diglosia: Jurnal Kajian Bahasa, Sastra, dan Pengajarannya 6, no. 1 (February 1, 2023): 95–112. https://doi.org/10.30872/diglosia.v6i1.572.
Pla, Gabriel Garroum. “Assad and the Politics of Space.” In Urbicide in Syria, 85–118. Manchester: Manchester University Press, 2025. https://doi.org/10.7765/9781526180254.00012.
Rizkyafuddin, Elvira Nazza. “بنية الجملة الاستفهامية في رواية ‘إياك من حبي’ لإيمان عبد الواحد على أساس نظرية قواعد الحالة لتشارلز ج. فيلمور.” 2025.
Sultan, Abeer. “إعادة النظر في نظرية الأطر لفيلمور: من إزالة السياق إلى السياق الأيديولوجي.” مجلة البحث العلمي في الآداب 24, no. 3 (April 30, 2023): 37–81. https://doi.org/10.21608/jssa.2023.171884.1445.
Tamer, Zakaria. Dimasyqo al-Ḥarāʾiq. 3rd ed. London: Riad El-Rayyes Books Ltd., 1994.
Tokan, P. Ratu Ile. Manajemen Penelitian Guru untuk Pendidikan Bermutu. 2016.
Zaim, M. Metode Penelitian Bahasa: Pendekatan Struktural. 2014.
n Struktural,” 2014.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Zaqhlul Ammar, Hilmy Aqila Sukmono, Sulthan Naufal
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).
You are free to share and adapt the material for any purpose, even commercially,
as long as appropriate credit is given to the original author(s), a link to the license is provided,
and any changes made are indicated. For full license details, visit:
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
