Reconstructing identity by subverting language (s)‎: a reading of the use of language (s)‎ in the writings of Leila Sebbar

Abstract EN

This article examines the strategies employed by north African French-speaking writers, with a focus on the Algerian novelist Leila Sebbar.

Sebbar's unique approach involves deconstructing the French language, in her writings, to reconstruct her mother languages, including classical Arabic, dialectal Arabic, and Berber.

the researcher is intrigued to Sebbar's remark in a 2005 interview that she writes in French literature, conceiving it simultaneously her mother’s language and her mother-tongue, while integrating Arabic accents as her father's language.

this study relies on an analytical methodology based on three fundamental types of analysis that are central to stylistics: lexical, semantic, and pragmatic analysis, along with the theoretical foundations of deconstruction theories.

indeed, the analysis follows a chronological exploration of Sebbar's exposure to different languages, including classical Arabic, dialectal Arabic, and French, and their impact on her identity through the analysis of language changes in Shérazade, 17 Ans, Brune, Frisée, les Yeux verts (1982), Parle mon Fils Parle à ta mère (1984), le Fou de Shérazade (1991), la robe Interdite in la Jeune Fille au Balcon (1996), la Fille En prison in sept Filles (2003), je ne Parle pas la langue de mon Père (2003), L’arabe Comme un chant secret (2007).

in conclusion, the discussion reveals Sebbar's adept use of neutral French writing as a platform to intertwine diverse voices, allowing her to freely navigate and express multiple facets of her identity, encompassing both her father's Arabic and mother's French languages.