Bedouin Dialects as the Linguistic Ideal of Narrative Style

The contemporary Bedouin poetry of Northern Arabia continues an old tradition which harks back to pre-Islamic days. This tradition of mainly oral poetry was amazingly vigorous until the 1960s. The following socioeconomic changes, however, have not only weakened the tradition but even endangered its very existence. This paper aims to call attention to the narratives associated with Bedouin poetry. These narratives are intended to give the listeners background information necessary for the correct understanding of the poems. These narratives have historical and artistic values as well.