The relationship between structural deviation and semantic expansion in the Arabic language

ABSTRACT THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN STRUCTURAL DEVIATION AND SEMANTIC EXPANSION IN THE ARABIC LANGUAGE Shymaa Taha Abdalfatah Saad MANSOUR Doctoral Thesis, Department of Basic Islamic Sciences Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Musa ALP August 2025, 283 pages Deviation (al-Udûl) is a significant linguistic phenomenon in Arabic, central to both historical grammatical-rhetorical studies and contemporary stylistics. It offers expressive possibilities beyond conventional language, enabling artistic depths. While ordinary language represents the standard, deviation involves a departure from this norm, yet it's inherently linked to linguistic clues (qarā'in) crucial for message comprehension. Effective deviation requires the absence of ambiguity, which is only achieved when these clues are fully integrated. Ancient linguists used "expansion (al-Tawassu')" to describe deviation as a figurative application of rules. Semantic expansion is a result of deviation, though not always a direct consequence. The contextual clue (qarīnat al-siyāq) is paramount, as it imposes syntactic constraints that define multiple meanings. Lacking these constraints can lead to semantic expansion within a structure. The order clue (qarīnat al-rutba) refers to the conventional word arrangement in sentences for easy understanding. Violating this order through fronting and postposing (al-taqdīm wa al-ta'khīr) is a form of deviation, used by linguists for emphasis, specification, and semantic expansion. The cohesion clue (qarīnat al-tadāmm) binds words, facilitating sentence construction. Based on interdependence, linkage, and specialization, any breach of these principles constitutes a deviation from cohesion. Ellipsis (al-ḥadhf), a form of cohesive deviation, involves omitting an element, allowing the mind to infer the missing part. This process often results in semantic expansion. Furthermore, several rhetorical styles, such as utilization (al-istikhdām), shift in address (al-iltifāt), and metaphor (al-majāz), fundamentally rely on deviation from the apparent meaning. These are not mere formal deviations but expressive tools that enrich the text and broaden its semantic scope.