AbstractIn this study, the word orders of the Arabic dialect of Arabkhaneh in South Khorasan have been investigated from a typological point of view. Arabkhaneh is a region consisting of several villages, 90 kilometers south of the center of South Khorasan whose mixed Arabic-Persian dialect, has been heavily influenced by the surrounding Persian language at all linguistic levels (morphological, syntactic, and phonological features). In this research, Dryer’s (1992) “The Word Order Correlations” and Dabir-Moghadam’s (1402) “Typology of Iranian Languages” were chosen as the frameworks to investigate the word order of Arabkhaneh's dialect. In the present study, the question that occupied the minds of researchers were as follows: 1) In which linguistic components has the Arabkhaneh dialect been deviated from standard Arabic typological patterns, and 2) in which components it has approached Persian linguistic typological patterns? In this research, in addition to using the questionnaire, certain interviews were conducted with 10 native speakers of Arabkhaneh who were illiterate (5 men and 5 women) and over 60 years old. After gathering the data, plenty of time was spent on data transcription using International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) and the analysis of data. Analyzing the data, as regards to the typological behavior of the Arabkhaneh dialect, demonstrated that the dialect has diverged from standard Arabic patterns in certain components while in other components, the criterion has approached Persian. Furthermore, regarding components where standard Arabic accommodates two types of linguistic behavior, the Arabkhaneh dialect has accepted the Persian type and has shown no inclination towards using the second typeIntroductionThis research aims to identify the word orders of the Arabic dialect of Arabkhaneh from a typological point of view. Arabkhaneh, a region in the southeastern part of South Khorasan Province, is home to a mixed Arabic-Persian dialect heavily influenced by surrounding Persian across at all linguistic levels. Currently, Arabkhaneh is among the most densely populated areas within the Sardaran District, Nehbandan County, with approximately 3,600 residents. The historical origins of the Arab community's settlement in southern Khorasan have remained undocumented and ambiguous. However, linguistic analyses of Arabic-speaking populations in South Khorasan, along with historical accounts of the Naderi era, suggest that the people of Arabkhaneh were not part of the initial Arab settlers who entered southern Khorasan during the early Islamic conquests. Evidence indicates that they were likely relocated to southern South Khorasan by Nader Shah from the southern ports of Iran.Literature ReviewThis section reviews typological studies relevant to Standard Arabic and the Arabkhaneh dialect. Typological studies have illuminated the impact of language contact on syntactic and morphological shifts in dialects. The Arabkhaneh dialect, a unique mix of Arabic-Persian spoken in South Khorasan, is an example of such linguistic influence. Deeply affected by Persian at various linguistic levels, it diverges from standard Arabic norms. Studies like Al-Sha'er (2019) have underscored the strong verb-medial tendencies in Standard Arabic, while Mofidi (2019) explored case-marking systems, revealing diverse nominal structures. Furthermore, Rahmeh (2020) provided a comparative typological analysis of Persian and Arabic, identifying crucial syntactic variations. Despite these valuable contributions, typological analysis of the Arabkhaneh dialect remains sparse, particularly concerning its deviation from Arabic and alignment with Persian. Comprehensive studies specifically targeting Arabkhaneh include Nasseh (2008), who examined Persian-Arabic interactions in Arabkhaneh, and Jani (2008) who studied Arabkhaneh's linguistic divergence from other South Khorasan Arabic dialects. However, a systematic typological analysis employing Dryer's (1992) word order correlations and Dabir-Moghaddam's (2023) Iranian language framework has been largely absent. This study addresses that gap and focuses on word order patterns to identify where Arabkhaneh diverges from Arabic and approaches Persian.Materials and MethodsThe linguistic community of this study consists of 10 semi-literate native speakers from the Arabkhaneh region (5 men and 5 women over the age of 60). Data were gathered from natural conversations involving the participants and their companions. In conducting this research, the authors have followed the framework outlined in Typology of Iranian Languages by Dabir-Moghaddam (2023), which is based on Dryer's 24 universal components. As mentioned before, Dryer (1992) introduces 23 universal components and provides a separate table for each one. In addition to these 23 components, the researchers utilized 6 other components that Dryer added to his database and shared with Dabir-Moghaddam. These additional components were incorporated into the study of the Arabkhaneh dialect. Following the analysis, it was found that four of these components do not apply to the Arabkhaneh dialect. Consequently, the final investigation proceeded with 25 components, which were employed to identify the typological features and syntactic behaviors of the dialect. The four non-applicable components were as follows: 1) The order of plural noun and noun, 2) The order of main verb and negative auxiliary, 3) The order of noun and free morpheme, 4) The order of negative affix and verb. To enable implicit comparative analysis of the linguistic behavior of Arabkhaneh with Standard Arabic, the researchers sought consultation from an experienced Arabic language instructor. For each example from the Arabkhaneh dialect across the various components, its Standard Arabic equivalent was provided in quotation marks and was italicized. Among the 25 examined components, eight typological features of the Arabkhaneh dialect are highlighted below. These features illustrate its divergence from Standard Arabic and its convergence toward Standard Persian. Additionally, there are instances where Standard Arabic presents two different syntactic structures, yet the Arabkhaneh dialect exclusively adopts the form aligned with Standard Persian, showing no inclination toward the alternative structure. Collectively, these examples reflect the linguistic influence of Persian on the Arabkhaneh dialect through language contact. It is noteworthy that the numbering of the components in this study aligns with the sequence presented in Typology of Iranian Languages by Dabir-Moghaddam (2023).ResultsThe results reveal that the Arabkhaneh dialect exhibits distinctive word order patterns that significantly differ from Standard Arabic and mirror Persian structures. The analysis of 25 typological features indicates that Arabkhaneh consistently adopts Persian-like word orders including:a) Adverbs preceding verbs, contrasting the standard Arabic structure; b) Subjects preceding verbs, aligning with Persian syntax;c) Interrogative markers ('هل' or 'أ') are absent, replaced by intonational cues similar to Persian;d) Predicate adjectives and demonstratives precede nouns, following Persian ordering.DiscussionThe syntactic alignment of Arabkhaneh with Persian reflects the profound bilingualism in South Khorasan, where Persian dominates as the primary medium in educational and administrative settings. Unlike the verb-initial order typical of Arabic, Arabkhaneh adopts the subject-verb structure as a basic characteristic of Persian. This realignment suggests a syntactic restructuring beyond mere lexical borrowing, driven by consistent language contact. The positioning of adverbs and interrogatives mirrors Persian conventions and signifies a typological convergence that reshapes Arabkhaneh's linguistic identity. These syntactic changes not only influence everyday communication but also challenge the preservation of Arabic's typological integrity in the region.ConclusionThis study underscores the typological transformation of the Arabkhaneh dialect as a consequence of sustained Persian influence. Its divergence from Arabic and approaching Persian exemplify the fluidity of grammatical structures under prolonged language contact. Further research is recommended to investigate the sociolinguistic factors driving these shifts and to assess their implications for the dialect's sustainability and linguistic identity preservation.