Re-reading the Short Story Laila wa Di’bu through Charles J. Fillmore’s Case Grammar Framework

Abstract

Purpose- This study aims to reveal the forms of modality and propositions found in the short story Laila wa Di’bu by Kamil Kailani, using Charles J. Fillmore’s case grammar theory.

 Design/Methodology/Approach- This study employs a qualitative descriptive method using content analysis techniques. The primary data are derived from the short story Laila wa Di’bu and are classified based on case roles according to Charles J. Fillmore’s case grammar theory. The analytical process is conducted through the identification of sentence structures, followed by the classification of modality elements and propositions in accordance with the theoretical framework applied.

 Findings- The research findings indicate that the short story exhibits a complex sentence structure. Four dominant forms of modality are identified, namely tense modality, negation modality, adverbial modality, and aspect modality. In addition, seven types of propositions are found to function as markers of semantic relationships within sentences, namely agentive, purposive, objective, locative, temporal, comitative, and benefactive cases.

 Research Limitations/Implications- This study focuses on a single literary work; therefore, the scope of the semantic case analysis remains limited to the textual context of the short story Laila wa Di’bu. The findings demonstrate the strength of the case grammar approach as an effective analytical framework for explaining the interaction between syntactic structure and narrative meaning. This approach has the potential to be applied to other Arabic literary works to reveal how sentence structures construct moral messages, character dynamics, and the overall meaning of the story.