Reference in Light of Text Linguistics: The Dīwān of al-Nābighah al-Dhubyānī as a Case Study

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Azhar University

Abstract

Reference is an essential aspect of textual cohesion, acting as a key tool that holds a text together and allows readers to experience it as a coherent whole. By connecting words, phrases, sentences, and broader segments of text, references guide readers to interpret meaning progressively, so earlier passages naturally help clarify later ones. One central function of reference is pointing clearly toward referents, shaping meaning and coherence throughout the text. Therefore, reference is integral to textual structure, linking smaller units meaningfully within a wider textual context.
Poetry offers a particularly clear example of how reference works, as poems are often read and interpreted as unified structures, where the final verse typically relates back to the opening lines. In this sense, referential mechanisms not only link individual lines but also weave them into the overall fabric of the poem. This study specifically explores the role of referential tools—including pronouns, demonstratives, relative clauses, comparative references, and repetition—in connecting sentences within poetic lines, linking individual lines to the poem as a whole, and strengthening textual coherence. Adopting a descriptive-analytical approach informed by discourse analysis and textual linguistics, this research clarifies how such referential devices help unify different parts of the text, creating continuity and improving overall coherence.
The research is structured into six main sections. The first section introduces text linguistics as the theoretical basis; the second defines reference and discusses its contribution to semantic coherence. Section three identifies the key components of reference, and section four examines various types of reference. Section five analyzes specific devices employed for reference, while the sixth addresses the balance between clarity and potential ambiguity in referential language. The findings underscore that referential devices strongly contribute to textual cohesion, linguistically and semantically. They maintain earlier meanings within the reader’s mind, helping readers build a coherent interpretation as they move through the text. Moreover, the study reveals a direct relationship between the frequency and accuracy of references and textual coherence: the more frequently and clearly references are used, the more interconnected and understandable the text becomes. Conversely, fewer references reduce textual cohesion, making interpretation less seamless and more fragmented.

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