The lexicography and semantic theory in kurāʿ al-naml: The example of al-Munajjad fī al-luġha

When the formation and development of Arabic lexicography are examined, two main factors emerge: the concern to understand religious texts and the spread of Arabic over a wide geography. The systematic collection of Arabic vocabulary dates to the 2nd/8th century. At first, small-scale dictionaries were compiled to meet specific needs. Later, more systematic dictionaries began to appear. After these, specialized dictionaries devoted to particular subjects or purposes continued to be written. Among these works are dictionaries of homonymous words (words with the same form but different meanings). In this group, the book al-Munajjad fī al-luġha (المنجَّد في اللغة) by Kurāʿ al-Naml (كُراع النمل, d. 310/922) stands out for its scope and features. This dictionary is regarded as one of the earliest and most comprehensive works in Arabic on homonymous vocabulary. It contains about 850 entries and consists of six sections. The first five sections gather words from different semantic domains. In this respect, the work is not only a dictionary of homonyms; it can also be viewed as a monographic dictionary. The sixth section, arranged by a pronunciation-based alphabetical system (al-tartīb al-nuṭqī), includes words from all semantic fields and forms the most extensive part of the dictionary. In addition, Kurāʿ al-Naml is considered one of the first lexicographers to use this pronunciation-based system. This study examines Kurāʿ al-Naml's lexicographical method and his theory of meaning in al-Munajjad fī al-luġha as a dictionary of homonymous words. The analysis follows principles from semantics and lexicography and draws on classical and modern sources. The content, sections, method, and arrangement of entries are discussed, and the dictionary's contributions to Arabic lexicography are evaluated. This study consists of three chapters. The first chapter includes the methodology, research problem, aim, scope, significance, and literatüre review. The second chapter outlines the conceptual framework: lafẓ (word/form), maʿnā (meaning), dalāla (signification), waḍʿ (stipulation/conventional assignment), lexicography, lexical semantics, polysemy, and the history of Arabic lexicography. The third chapter offers findings, discussion, and interpretation. It introduces al-Munajjad fī al-luġha, examines the dictionary's features and sources in detail, and identifies the techniques Kurāʿ al-Naml uses to explain meaning, illustrating them with samples from the work. Using further samples, it analyzes the dictionary's lexicon, semantic relations, and the causes of polysemy, and seeks to set out the author's theory of meaning. Keywords: Arabic language, Kurāʿ al-Naml, كُراع النمل , al-Munajjad fī al-luġha, Polysemy, Semantics, Lexicography.