Linguistic Antonomy in Arabic from the Perspective of Ibn Qutaybah (276 AH) and Al-Zamakhshari (538 AH)

Abstract

Arabic has distinguished itself from other languages by the many meanings inherent in its words and its ability to capture the common moral extensions of its foundations. One of the strangest linguistic phenomena in this language is the phenomenon of antonyms, which, despite what being said, remains constant in Arabic and its existence cannot be denied. This research aims to identify some of the views of linguists’ critics (Motakadimin) on the phenomenon of antonyms, especially among those who study the Koranic text as Ibn Qutaybah, as well as the views of jurists (Motaekhirin) such as Al-Zamakhshari, in order to determine the degree of interest of both critics and jurists in the phenomenon. The study also aims to reveal the points of convergence between Motakadimin and Motaekhirin about antonyms occurrence in Arabic. The research sought to achieve this by balancing the linguistic approach of two linguists, Ibn Qutaybah & Al-Zamakhshari, their approach to this phenomenon, and their treatment of its examples in Arabic based on our belief that they represent two different eras.