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Journals / Şarkiyat Mecmuası / 2026 / Sayı: 48

The Diachronic Transformation of Hyperbole: From the Abbasid Era to the Digital Age

Mübâlağa Üslûbunun Diyakronik Dönüşümü: Abbâsî Döneminden Dijital Çağa

Ahmad Alalı(AYDIN ADNAN MENDERES ÜNİVERSİTESİ)0000-0002-3378-584X
Pages
1–21
Publication Date
2026-05-04
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AI Summary & Key Takeaways

AI Insight
⚡ TL;DR(Too Long; Didn't Read)

The findings indicate that while mubālagha has retained its core rhetorical function of intensifying meaning and dramatization, it has undergone significant formal and pragmatic shifts.

📌 3 Key Takeaways

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Objective & Hypothesis:Mubālagha (hyperbole) is widely recognized as one of the most powerful rhetorical devices in Arabic rhetorical traditions, with widespread use spanning from the pre-Islamic (Jahiliyya) era to contemporary digital media.
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Key Findings & Data:The primary objective of this study is to demonstrate that mubālagha functions not merely as a stylistic embellishment but as an ideological and persuasive discourse strategy.
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Conclusion & Impact:The findings indicate that while mubālagha has retained its core rhetorical function of intensifying meaning and dramatization, it has undergone significant formal and pragmatic shifts.
🔬Design:Modeling & Simulation
📍Scope:Comprehensive Sample
⚙️Variables:Arap Dili ve Belagatı · Abbasî Dönemi · Modern Standart Arapça

Abstract

Mubālagha (hyperbole) is widely recognized as one of the most powerful rhetorical devices in Arabic rhetorical traditions, with widespread use spanning from the pre-Islamic (Jahiliyya) era to contemporary digital media. This study examines the historical evolution of mubālagha in Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) texts, tracing its transformation from the Abbasid period to the digital age. The primary objective of this study is to demonstrate that mubālagha functions not merely as a stylistic embellishment but as an ideological and persuasive discourse strategy. To this end, a large text sample of approximately 2,530,000 words of digital textual data were analyzed, comprising diverse genres such as classical poetry, Friday sermons, makāmāt (assemblies), journalistic writings, political speeches, and social media content. The identification of mubālagha instances utilized morpho-syntactic markers alongside Natural Language Processing (NLP) tools, specifically BERT-based models. The findings indicate that while mubālagha has retained its core rhetorical function of intensifying meaning and dramatization, it has undergone significant formal and pragmatic shifts. In the classical periods, it was primarily associated with themes of divine power and moral absolutes. The Nahda (Renaissance) period saw its reinterpretation within nationalist and reformist discourses. In the digital age, usage has increased; however, its semantic depth has diminished due to the rapid and surface-level nature of communication on digital platforms, transforming it into a tool for emotional and social engagement. In conclusion, this research presents an innovative model that integrates classical Arabic rhetorical theory with contemporary NLP techniques, offering an interdisciplinary contribution to the fields of Arabic language, rhetoric, and digital linguistics.

Özet

Mübalağa (mubālagha), Arap retorik geleneğinde en etkili söylem araçlarından biridir ve cahiliye döneminden günümüz dijital iletişimine kadar geniş bir kullanım alanı bulmuştur. Bu çalışma, mübalağanın Abbasî döneminden dijital çağa kadar Modern Standart Arapça (MSA) metinlerde geçirdiği tarihsel dönüşümü incelemektedir. Araştırmanın amacı, mübalağanın yalnızca estetik bir süsleme değil, aynı zamanda ideolojik ve ikna edici bir söylem stratejisi olarak nasıl işlev gördüğünü ortaya koymaktır. Bu doğrultuda yaklaşık 2.530.000 kelimelik dijital metin verisi üzerinde analiz gerçekleştirilmiş; klasik şiir, Cuma hutbeleri, makāmeler, gazetecilik yazıları, siyasi konuşmalar ve sosyal medya içerikleri gibi farklı türler incelenmiştir. Mübalağa örneklerinin belirlenmesinde morfo-sözdizimsel göstergeler ile doğal dil işleme (NLP) araçları (BERT modeli gibi) kullanılmıştır. Bulgular, mübalağanın temel retorik işlevi olan anlamı yoğunlaştırma ve dramatikleştirme özelliğini koruduğunu, ancak biçimsel ve pragmatik düzeyde önemli değişimler geçirdiğini göstermektedir. Klasik dönemlerde mübalağa çoğunlukla ilahi kudret ve ahlaki mutlaklık temalarıyla ilişkilendirilirken, Nahda döneminde milliyetçi ve reformist söylemlerde yeniden yorumlanmıştır. Dijital çağda ise kullanımı artmış, ancak platformların hızlı ve yüzeysel iletişim yapısı nedeniyle anlamsal derinliği azalarak duygusal ve sosyal etkileşim aracı hâline gelmiştir. Bu araştırma klasik Arap retorik teorisi ile çağdaş NLP tekniklerini bütünleştiren yenilikçi bir model sunmakta ve Arap dili, retorik ile dijital dilbilim alanlarına disiplinlerarası bir katkı sağlamaktadır.

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Cite This Article

Alalı, A., *, A. A. (2026). The Diachronic Transformation of Hyperbole: From the Abbasid Era to the Digital Age. Şarkiyat Mecmuası, Sayı: 48, 1–21. https://doi.org/10.26650/jos.1811118

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