This section of the annotation guidelines provides an introduction and overview to verb forms in the Quran. More detailed explanations can be found in
standard references of traditional Arabic grammar. In the Quran, verbs, and other words that denote related semantic concepts, are formed through a system known as derivation. The idea is that words are derived from a stem or template that is defined by a sequence of letters known as radicals. These are often referred to as triliteral or quadriliteral radicals, for 3 or 4 root letters respectively.
Arabic shares this linguistic feature with other Semitic languages such as Hebrew, which has seven different verb forms. The basic rule of derivation in Quranic Arabic is that nearly all words are derived from a three root (triliteral) or a four root (quadriliteral) pattern system. The Arabic letters
fā ʿayn lām(
ف ع ل) are typically used as placeholders in verb patterns to denote three different radical letters, since
فَعَلَ is a prototypical verb that means "to do" or "to act". This is denoted by
F-
3-
L in figure 1 below. Roots in Arabic convey a basic meaning which then allow for more complex semantic concepts to be derived, whether these are verbs or nouns. Based on this system nouns and verbs can have up to fourteen to fifteen forms, although though ten is the norm for most roots.
Fig 1. Three roots in a triliteral pattern.
For example, take the three root concept of
D-
R-
S which gives the basic meaning of "to study". By adding letters to the three root template (before, in between or after the radicals in the stem) other more complex meanings are formed such as "school", "teacher", "lesson" or even "legislation". In figure 2 below the x's are the extra letters that can be added to the original 3 root letters. These additional letters do not have to all added at the same time. Notice that the root is still present in the template and has not changed. In some forms, the root letters are doubled, and in other forms vowels may be added or elongated.
Fig 2. Derivation of possible forms.
Using derivation system of roots and patterns, nouns (singular, dual, plural), and verbs (singular, dual, plural, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd person, imperatives and verbal nouns) are derived in an almost mathematical way, leaving little room for confusion as to the desired meaning of the word. Of course the ideal model of this derivation is the Quran, and as you look through the Quran you will see these in play. In the remainder of this section, examples are quoted from the Quran, so that it becomes easy to see the forms. These derived forms allow for the language to reflect the state of how a particular action (i.e. a verb) was performed. The derived forms even indiciate how many individuals participated in the action, and if it was reciprocal or not.
Triliteral Verb Forms
To illustrate the idea of derived forms, the examples below use a three letter root (although not all roots feature in all verb forms) and lists the first ten standard forms (I to X). When annotating Arabic verb forms, the convention in the Quranic Arabic Corpus is to use Roman numerals, e.g. IX denotes a form nine verb or noun. In the examples below, root letters are capitalized and their meanings are shown in brackets. The first column in the table below specifies the template used in the derivation, as found in
standard references of traditional Quranic Arabic grammar. Letters shown in capitals denote a radical that is part of the original root used in the derived verb form. Example words are taken from the Quran. You can click on an Quranic word below to see details of the verse in context.
Fig 3. Triliteral verb forms (I to X).
Quadriliteral Verb Forms
Quadriliteral verb forms have four radical root letters. These are much rarer than triliterals. In Arabic grammar, quadriliteral verbs have four standard forms, I to IV. The table below illustrates example quadriliteral verbs from the Quran.
Fig 4. Quadriliteral verb forms (I to IV).
See Also
ليست هناك تعليقات:
إرسال تعليق