In the Arab world, there was a great distinction between "al-fus'ha" (quality language) and "al-ammiyyah" (language of the common people). Not many writers would write works in this "al-ammiyyah" or common language and it was felt that literature had to be improving, educational and with purpose rather than just entertainment. This did not stop the common role of the "hakawati" or story-teller who would retell the entertaining parts of more educational works or one of the many Arabic fables or folk-tales, which were often not written down in many cases. Nevertheless, some of the earliest novels, including the first philosophical novels, were written by Arabic authors.