The Grammatical Term "Interpreted as Another Form"

The Noun Interpreted as A Verb as A Case Study

Abstract

This research addresses the issue of the noun interpreted as a verb in Arabic grammatical theory, particularly in the context of conjunction (al-‘aṭf). In Arabic usage, it is possible to conjoin a noun to a verb or a verb to a noun, which appears to contradict the established grammatical principle requiring similarity between the conjunct and the conjoined element. The study aims to elucidate the basis upon which grammars have accounted for this phenomenon, namely the interpretation (ta’wīl) grounded in semantic unity of kind, especially when the relative article (al) is attached to the active participle (ism al-fā‘il), thereby rendering it functionally equivalent to a verb.
The research adopts a descriptive-analytical approach, based on an inductive study of grammatical texts and an analysis of evidence from the Qur’an and Arab speech, while tracing the terminology associated with this phenomenon and highlighting its verbal diversity yet conceptual unity. The study concludes that ta’wīl serves as a central mechanism for preserving grammatical rules from contradiction, as it restores anomalous usages to their foundational principles and reveals the flexibility of the grammatical system and its intrinsic connection to meaning.