PRAGMATIC INTERPRETATION OF THE CATEGORY OF EMPHASIS IN CLASSICAL ARABIC GRAMMAR AND MODERN ARABIC LINGUISTICS

Abstract

This article examines the morphosyntactic, semantic, and pragmatic features of the category of emphasis (al-tawkīd, التوكيد) within the system of dependent constructions in the Arabic language through the perspectives of the classical grammatical tradition (nahw) and contemporary linguistic paradigms. The formal and structural conditions of lexical and semantic emphasis are analyzed, while the scholarly debate between the Basran and Kufan schools regarding the emphasis of indefinite nouns (nakira) is reinterpreted on the basis of informativeness and the principles of Gricean maxims in pragmalinguistics. Furthermore, the meaning of totality and inclusiveness (iḥāṭa) expressed by the emphatic devices kull (كل) and jamīʿ (جميع) is logically modeled through the concepts of universal quantification (∀ operator) and reinforced universal quantification in formal semantics. The article concludes by demonstrating the methodological value of synthesizing the classical formal-morphological approach with the modern contextual-pragmatic approach for a deeper understanding of classical Arabic texts, particularly the syntax of the Qur’an.