Between 1969 and 2011, Libya experienced an oppressive dictatorship that paralyzed the countrys political, economic, and social growth. Libyas literary identity was oppressed due to the policy of censorship and authors were unable to express their opinions freely. In fear of punishment, most Libyan writers criticized the regime and discussed their struggles in the society implicitly. Censorship has led Libyan writers to adopt different literary/linguistic styles to reflect on society. In this paper, I will shed light on one of the writerstechniques by examining the linguistic style of three Libyan short stories. I analyze the lexical features of the language, focusing on adjectives of color. I investigate how Libyan authors discuss socio-economic, religious, and political issues through the use of colors. I discuss each color individually and present its cultural connotation. I then look at how the connotative meanings of the colors reflect struggles in Libyan society and the authors perspectives. Data reveal that Libyan authors rely heavily on adjectives of color to help represent positive and negative images, as well as to empower and disempower characters in the stories. Data analysis also reveals certain patterns in style such as the use of the colors black and white to create negative and positive atmospheres and to demonize and romanticize characters.
About the presenterSafa M. Elnaili
Safa Elnaili is an Assistant Professor of Arabic at the University of Alabama. She holds a PhD in Linguistics from Louisiana State University (LSU). She holds two Master degrees in Applied Linguistics from Benghazi University, Libya and in Stylistics Analysis from Louisiana State University. Elnaili`s research interests are: Libyan Literature, Arabic Language, Translation, Critical Discourse Analysis, and Stylistics Analysis.