Metonymy in Medieval Arabic Rhetoric

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• Metonymy in Medieval Arabic Rhetoric
• Abdul Gabbar Al-Sharafi, Ph.D

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Classification of Majaz in Medieval Arabic
Rhetoric
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Triadic Representation of Contiguity in Arabic
Rhetoric
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Kinäyah (Covering)

• In his book Daläil al-ijäz, al-Jurjäni (d.
  1078) defines kinäyah as
• The situation in which the speaker wants to
  convey a meaning which he does not convey via the
  conventional word in the language. Rather he goes
  to a meaning which is adjacent and contiguous to
  that which he wants to convey so with this he
  indicates the conventional meaning, (See
  al-Jurjäni, 1964 52).

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Kinäyah (Covering)

• Al-Sakkäki (d. 1226) gives a quite different
  definition for kinäyah in which he states that
  kinäyah is
• to leave pronouncement of a term and resort to
  mentioning what that term entails to transfer the
  interpretation from the mentioned item to the
  left item, (See al-Sakkäki, 1937 189).

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Kinäyah (Covering)

• Al-Alawi (d. 1300) in his treatise Al-Tiräz
  traces the root of the word kinäyah which means
  to cover. This links with modern account of
  implicitness as euphemism

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Examples

• Tawïl al-nijäd.
• having a long sword
• Naüm al-dhuhä.
• a forenoon sleeper
• Kathïru ramädi al-qidr.
• having a lot of ash under his cauldron

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Majäz aqlï (Cognitive Transference)

• al-Jurjäni defines majäz aqlï as
• that type of figuration which does not involve a
  transfer in the meaning of a word but a transfer
  in the predication or rather in the attribution
  of actions to entities that do not normally do
  them.

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• Al-Sakkäki defines majäz aqlï as
• speech that is transferred from its conventional
  meaning for the purpose of creating some kind of
  indirect interpretation, (Al-Sakkäki, 1937 185).

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Examples

• uläika alladhïna ishtaraw al-dhalälata bil-
  hudä famä rabihat tijäratuhum. (2 16).
• they are those who bought error for guidance so
  their trade did not profit

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• yunbitu al-rabïu al-baql.
• the spring grows radish
• yashfï al-tabïbu al-marïdh.
• the doctor cured the patient
• banä al-wazïru al-qasr.
• the minister built the palace

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Majäz mursal (Loose Transference)

• Al-Sakkäki
• The transfer of the meaning of the word from its
  original meaning with the aid of a context to
  another meaning for the purpose of establishing a
  form of connectedness between the two respective
  meanings

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Examples

• Fadha Al-Nahr
• The river overflowed
• Sharibtu thalathatu Acwab min Al-Shay
• I drank three cups of tea

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Semiotic Representation of Metonymy in Medieval
Arabic Rhetoric
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A Metonymy-Based Model of Knowledge
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• Badaa nizäm hukm ar-raïs al-iräqi saddäm
  husayn hamlatan mukhattatatan litajfïf qitäätin
  wäsiatin min ahwär al-iräq kawasïlatin
  lihirmän al-mutamarridïn fi al-janüb min ayi
  ghitä, wa liijbär sukkän alahwär nfusahum lä
  al-khudhü lisaytarati an-nizäm fï baghdäd.
• Translation
• The regime of the Iraqi President Saddam Hussein
  began a planned project to drain vast areas of
  Al-Ahwar in Iraq as a means of depriving the
  rebels in the south from any cover and to force
  the people of Al-Ahwar themselves to submit to
  the dominion of the regime in Baghdad.