Implicit Utterances in Aḥmad Shawqī’s Poetry for Children and Adolescents: A Pragmatic Approach

Abstract

This paper investigates the hidden or implied meanings in Aḥmad Shawqī’s poetry aimed at young audiences by applying a pragmatic framework that centers on how language functions in context. By analyzing contextual indicators, shared knowledge, and inferential processes, the study shows how Shawqī’s communicative intent aligns with his readers’ competence to generate specific effects. After defining the genre of children’s and adolescent poetry, the research reviews foundational pragmatic concepts—speech acts and implicit utterances—and the tools for discourse analysis in an introduction, a preface and three sections. In its applied section, the paper examines selected poem samples to illustrate how Shawqī skillfully uses both direct and indirect speech acts, as well as vivid similes and metaphors, to persuade and engage, all while accommodating the evolving cognitive and perceptual awareness of children and adolescents.