Dirasat fi al-Nahw
- Author died
- 1422 AH
- Editions
- Dirasat fi al-Nahw
Dirasat fi al-Nahw (Studies in Grammar) is an Arabic grammatical work by the Syrian linguist and author Salah al-Din al-Zaablawi (d. 1422 AH / 2001–2002 CE) that examines key theoretical and applied topics in Arabic grammar, early linguistic methodology, and grammatical critique .
Composition and Scope
The work was completed in Damascus in February 1982 CE (dated 10 February 1982 / 10/2/1982) . It addresses core grammatical topics through both classical linguistic heritage and engagement with modern scholarly debates, aiming to clarify grammatical methodology, trace semantic progression within Arabic words, and resolve ambiguities surrounding grammatical rules .
Contents and Methodology
The treatise investigates several foundational areas of Arabic grammar and linguistic theory:
- Grammatical Analogy (al-Qiyas): Al-Za'balawi discusses the criteria employed by early linguistic authorities to collect spoken Arabic from trustworthy Bedouin informants, outlining the consensus on citing pre-Islamic (Jahili) and transitional (Mukhadram) poets as well as early Islamic poets such as Jarir and al-Farazdaq . He identifies Abd Allah ibn Abi Ishaq al-Hadrami (d. 117 AH) as the earliest authority to systematically formulate the principles of grammar, extend analogy, and explain grammatical causes ('ilal) based on the predominant and majority usage (al-akthar wa-al-aghlab), contrasting this systematic grammatical derivation with Abu al-Aswad al-Du'ali's foundational work on vocalization marks (naqt al-mushaf) .
- Prepositions and Particles (Huruf al-Jarr): The work examines the rules governing prepositions and their semantic functions, emphasizing their essential role in precise written expression and warning against non-standard usages that lead to stylistic weakness .
- Objects and Verbal Complements (al-Maf'ulat): Al-Za'balawi devotes analysis to verbal complements and engages in critical debate with modern scholars, particularly addressing and critiquing the views of the Iraqi scholar Mustafa Jawad in his work Dirasat fi Falsafat al-Nahw wa-al-Sarf (Studies in the Philosophy of Grammar and Morphology), defending classical grammarians against what he considered unjustified criticism .
- Linguistic and Lexicographical Methods: The book surveys classical lexicographical models—including those of al-Khalil ibn Ahmad in Kitab al-Ayn, Ibn Faris in Maqayis al-Lughah, and al-Jawhari in al-Sihah—and refers to major grammatical treatises such as Ibn Jinni's al-Khasa'is regarding grammatical governing agents (al-'awamil) . It also compares traditional definitions of the word (al-kalimah) with modern concepts in linguistics, such as phonemes and morphemes .
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