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He distinguishes two kinds: one in which the reversed wording retains its meaning, and another in which reversal of a hemistich or some of its words changes the meaning.[5]", "linguisticOperation": "From the sources\nThe device is produced by reversing the arrangement of speech, so that an element placed in the first part is placed in the second part after inversion, and an element placed in the second part corresponds to what appeared first.[2][3]\nHeinrichs (1998) describes the mechanism as switching two terms after an idea involving them has been mentioned.[1]\nAbdul-Raof (2006) describes the corresponding device, labelled “Chiasmus (antimetabole)”, as occurring when two parts of the same proposition contain word order in which the first part is reversed and placed sentence-finally.[6]\nIbn al-Athīr distinguishes between reversal at the level of words (ʿaks al-alfāẓ) and reversal at the level of letters (ʿaks al-ḥurūf).[2]\nAl-ʿAskarī also describes a form in which a meaning is mentioned from one perspective and then reversed to give its opposite meaning.[2]\nUsāma ibn Munqidh defines it as one sentence being the reverse of another.[3]\nNābulsī distinguishes reversal that preserves the original meaning from reversal that produces a change in meaning.[5]\nThe reversal may involve a complete hemistich or only some of its words; in Nābulsī's second kind, the repeated words may also be used with different meanings.[5]", "recognition": "From the sources\nReversal of Word Order may be present when:\n\nAn idea involving two terms is mentioned and the two terms are then switched.[1]\nThe later part of the speech corresponds to the earlier part in reversed order.[2][3]\nTwo parts of the same proposition show reversed word order, with the first part reversed and placed sentence-finally.[6]\nThe reversal may preserve the meaning of the original wording or may produce a different meaning; the latter may arise through rearrangement alone or through repeated words being used in different senses.[5]\nEncyclopedia Interpretation\nThe following diagnostic tests aid identification. These criteria are not explicitly presented by the sources as a recognition checklist, but are derived from the source-attested mechanism of the device.\n\nIdentify two significant terms or units in the first clause or hemistich. Check whether the same terms or units reappear in the second clause or hemistich with their order reversed.\nCheck that the later wording does not merely repeat the first part, but reverses its arrangement.", "diagnosticCommunicativeEnhancements": "From the sources\nHeinrichs (1998) states that the switching of the two terms occurs in a “quasi-paradox”.[1]\nEncyclopedia Interpretation\nStructural reciprocity: The inversion creates an impression of mutual implication or reciprocal relation between the two terms, presenting the connection as formally balanced and self-contained.\nFormal symmetry and closure: By returning the original terms in reversed order, the utterance acquires a bounded and symmetrical structure, producing a sense of completeness and rhetorical finish.\nLogical or proverbial force: The balanced reversal can lend the statement an air of logical inevitability or aphoristic authority, as though the relationship expressed is internally coherent and self-sufficient.\nCognitive surprise and memorability: The reappearance of familiar terms in unexpected syntactic positions creates a momentary surprise, drawing attention to the craftsmanship of the utterance and increasing its mnemonic force.\nStructural intensification of contrast: When the reversed terms also carry semantic opposition, the inversion reinforces the contrast by enacting it syntactically as well as semantically, intensifying the force of the opposition.\nReciprocal framing of relations: In contexts involving mutual obligations, permissions, or relations, the inversion can foreground reciprocity itself by giving each side equivalent structural prominence.\n\nApplying the Recognition Framework\nThe information on this page can be used to evaluate whether this device is present in a candidate lexical item using the Specific Device Recognition part of the Universal Framework for Identifying Arabic Rhetorical Devices:\n\nUse the Definition, Mechanism, and Recognition sections of this page in Step 1.\nApply the substitution test in Step 2.\nConsider contextual indicators in Step 3.\nUse the Diagnostic Communicative Enhancements section of this page in Step 4.", "differentFrom": "From the sources\nPARONOM: Paronomasia - Ibn al-Athīr explicitly distinguishes reversal of words (the device treated here) from reversal of letters.[2]\nTardīd - both devices may repeat the same wording, but al-tardīd is based on recurrence, whereas al-ʿaks requires reversal or rearrangement. Nābulsī rejects defining al-ʿaks merely as using a word earlier and later in the discourse because such a definition would also encompass al-tardīd.[5]\nEncyclopedia Interpretation\nAntithesis- al-ṭibāq operates through semantic opposition between two terms. al-ʿaks operates through inversion of position; the two may co-occur.\nParallel Antithesis - al-muqābala operates through parallel oppositional sequencing, whereas al-ʿaks operates through inversion of terms.", "notes": "Terminology — The device is attested under multiple names, including al-ʿaks, al-tabdīl, al-maʿkūs, taʿākus al-jumal, al-inʿikās, al-qalb, and al-qahqarā.[2][3] Nābulsī notes that some authorities call this device al-qalb, but reserves that term for Palindrome, which he treats separately.[5]\nEnglish equivalent — Abdul-Raof (2006) identifies the device with “Chiasmus (antimetabole)”.[6]\nScope of the English terminology — The distinction between “chiasmus” and “antimetabole” in wider English rhetorical terminology is not discussed in the uploaded sources. It has therefore not been used as a source-grounded distinction in this entry.", "references": [ { "@type": "balagha:Reference", "@id": "https://al-balagha.com/wiki/REVWORD:_Reversal_of_Word_Order#cite_note-rf-1", "citationNumber": 1, "citationKey": "rf", "text": "W. P. Heinrichs, ‘Rhetorical Figures’, in Encyclopedia of Arabic Literature, ed. Julie Scott Meisami and Paul Starkey (London: Routledge, 1998), 657, ISBN 0415068088. DOI: 10.4324/9780203020425", "html": "W. P. Heinrichs, ‘Rhetorical Figures’, in Encyclopedia of Arabic Literature, ed. Julie Scott Meisami and Paul Starkey (London: Routledge, 1998), 657, ISBN 0415068088. 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Inversions", "balagha:balaghaScore": "CC-2", "balagha:openAlex": "W4415372270", "balagha:sourceCount": 5, "inDefinedTermSet": { "@type": "DefinedTermSet", "name": "ARDT v0.1.0" } }, "balagha:subtypes": [], "balagha:examples": [ { "@type": "balagha:Example", "exampleType": "source", "exampleOf": "REVWORD", "exampleOfName": "Reversal of Word Order", "sourceReferences": [ "cite_note-abdul-raof-6" ], "id": "ASNAX", "url": "https://al-balagha.com/wiki/REVWORD:_Reversal_of_Word_Order#ASNAX", "exampleOfEntity": { "@id": "https://balaghabase.org/entity/Q73" }, "inLanguage": "ar", "arabic": "عادات السادات سادات العادات", "english": "The habits of the masters are the masters of the habits.", "explanation": "The words ʿādāt (habits) and sādāt (masters) are reversed between the two parts of the sentence.[2][6]" }, { "@type": "balagha:Example", "exampleType": "source", "exampleOf": "REVWORD", "exampleOfName": "Reversal of Word Order", "sourceReferences": [ "cite_note-nasif-4" ], "id": "5MMSJ", "url": "https://al-balagha.com/wiki/REVWORD:_Reversal_of_Word_Order#5MMSJ", "exampleOfEntity": { "@id": "https://balaghabase.org/entity/Q73" }, "inLanguage": "ar", "arabic": "قَوْلُ الْإِمَامِ إِمَامُ الْقَوْلِ", "english": "The speech of the imam is the imam of speech.", "explanation": "The terms qawl (speech) and al-imām (the imam) are reversed between the two parts of the sentence.[4]" }, { "@type": "balagha:Example", "exampleType": "source", "exampleOf": "REVWORD", "exampleOfName": "Reversal of Word Order", "sourceReferences": [ "cite_note-nasif-4" ], "id": "SYLU4", "url": "https://al-balagha.com/wiki/REVWORD:_Reversal_of_Word_Order#SYLU4", "exampleOfEntity": { "@id": "https://balaghabase.org/entity/Q73" }, "inLanguage": "ar", "arabic": "حُرُّ الْكَلَامِ كَلَامُ الْحُرِّ", "english": "Free speech is the speech of the free man.", "explanation": "The terms ḥurr (free) and al-kalām (speech) are reversed between the two parts of the sentence.[4]" }, { "@type": "balagha:Example", "exampleType": "constructed", "exampleOf": "REVWORD", "exampleOfName": "Reversal of Word Order", "id": "RLK89", "url": "https://al-balagha.com/wiki/REVWORD:_Reversal_of_Word_Order#RLK89", "exampleOfEntity": { "@id": "https://balaghabase.org/entity/Q73" }, "inLanguage": "ar", "arabic": "حِكْمَةُ الْعُقَلَاءِ عُقَلَاءُ الْحِكْمَةِ", "english": "The wisdom of the sages is the sages of wisdom.", "explanation": "The terms ḥikma (wisdom) and ʿuqalāʾ (sages) reverse their syntactic positions between the two halves of the sentence." }, { "@type": "balagha:Example", "exampleType": "source", "exampleOf": "REVWORD", "exampleOfName": "Reversal of Word Order", "sourceReferences": [ "cite_note-rf-1" ], "id": "Z435Q", "url": "https://al-balagha.com/wiki/REVWORD:_Reversal_of_Word_Order#Z435Q", "exampleOfEntity": { "@id": "https://balaghabase.org/entity/Q73" }, "inLanguage": "ar", "arabic": "لا مجدَ في الدنيا لمن قلّ مالُهُ، ولا مالَ في الدنيا لمن قلّ مجدُهُ", "english": "There is no glory in this world for him whose wealth is little, and no wealth in this world for him whose glory is little.", "explanation": "The two terms majd (glory) and māl (wealth) appear in one order in the first clause and are switched in the second clause.[1]" }, { "@type": "balagha:Example", "exampleType": "source", "exampleOf": "REVWORD", "exampleOfName": "Reversal of Word Order", "sourceReferences": [ "cite_note-abdul-raof-6" ], "id": "NRL5F", "url": "https://al-balagha.com/wiki/REVWORD:_Reversal_of_Word_Order#NRL5F", "exampleOfEntity": { "@id": "https://balaghabase.org/entity/Q73" }, "inLanguage": "ar", "arabic": "لَا هُنَّ حِلٌّ لَّهُمْ وَلَا هُمْ يَحِلُّونَ لَهُنَّ", "english": "Quran 60:10 They (women) are not lawful for them (men), nor are they (men) lawful for them (women).", "explanation": "In the first clause, the feminine pronoun hunna precedes the masculine lahum; in the second clause, the masculine hum precedes the feminine lahunna.[2][6]" }, { "@type": "balagha:Example", "exampleType": "constructed", "exampleOf": "REVWORD", "exampleOfName": "Reversal of Word Order", "id": "QP5D3", "url": "https://al-balagha.com/wiki/REVWORD:_Reversal_of_Word_Order#QP5D3", "exampleOfEntity": { "@id": "https://balaghabase.org/entity/Q73" }, "inLanguage": "ar", "arabic": "لَا نَجَاحَ لِمَنْ يَفْقِدُ الصَّبْرَ، وَلَا صَبْرَ لِمَنْ يَفْقِدُ النَّجَاحَ", "english": "There is no success for one who lacks patience, and no patience for one who lacks success.", "explanation": "The terms najāḥ (success) and ṣabr (patience) appear in one order in the first clause and are switched in the second." }, { "@type": "balagha:Example", "exampleType": "source", "exampleOf": "REVWORD", "exampleOfName": "Reversal of Word Order", "sourceReferences": [ "cite_note-akkawi-3" ], "id": "Y634J", "url": "https://al-balagha.com/wiki/REVWORD:_Reversal_of_Word_Order#Y634J", "exampleOfEntity": { "@id": "https://balaghabase.org/entity/Q73" }, "inLanguage": "ar", "arabic": "وَلاَ تَخْشَ النَّاسَ وَاللَّهُ أَحَقُّ أَن تَخْشَاهُ", "english": "Do not fear the people, while God has more right that you should fear Him. Quran 33:37.", "explanation": "ʿAkkāwī (1996), citing Ibn Ḥujja al-Ḥamawī, gives this as an example where what is advanced in the speech is later delayed, and what is delayed is later advanced.[3]" }, { "@type": "balagha:Example", "exampleType": "source", "exampleOf": "REVWORD", "exampleOfName": "Reversal of Word Order", "sourceReferences": [ "cite_note-abdul-raof-6" ], "id": "8PFGM", "url": "https://al-balagha.com/wiki/REVWORD:_Reversal_of_Word_Order#8PFGM", "exampleOfEntity": { "@id": "https://balaghabase.org/entity/Q73" }, "inLanguage": "ar", "arabic": "يُخْرِجُ ٱلْحَىَّ مِنَ ٱلْمَيِّتِ وَيُخْرِجُ ٱلْمَيِّتَ مِنَ ٱلْحَىِّ", "english": "Quran 30:19 He brings the living out of the dead and brings the dead out of the living.", "explanation": "The terms al-ḥayy (the living) and al-mayyit (the dead) appear in one order in the first clause and in the reverse order in the second clause.[2][6]" }, { "@type": "balagha:Example", "exampleType": "constructed", "exampleOf": "REVWORD", "exampleOfName": "Reversal of Word Order", "id": "72PNT", "url": "https://al-balagha.com/wiki/REVWORD:_Reversal_of_Word_Order#72PNT", "exampleOfEntity": { "@id": "https://balaghabase.org/entity/Q73" }, "inLanguage": "ar", "arabic": "يَصْنَعُ الْعِلْمُ الرِّجَالَ، وَيَصْنَعُ الرِّجَالُ الْعِلْمَ", "english": "Knowledge makes men, and men make knowledge.", "explanation": "The terms al-ʿilm (knowledge) and al-rijāl (men) occupy subject position in the first and second verbal sentences respectively, with their roles as agent and object fully inverted." }, { "@type": "balagha:Example", "exampleType": "source", "exampleOf": "REVWORD", "exampleOfName": "Reversal of Word Order", "sourceReferences": [ "cite_note-akkawi1-2" ], "id": "PA27P", "url": "https://al-balagha.com/wiki/REVWORD:_Reversal_of_Word_Order#PA27P", "exampleOfEntity": { "@id": "https://balaghabase.org/entity/Q73" }, "inLanguage": "ar", "arabic": "أَصْبِرْ عَلَى خُلُقٍ مَنْ تُعَاشِرُهُ، وَاصْحَبْ صَبُورًا عَلَى مَنْ خَالَفَهُ", "english": "Be patient with the character of the one you associate with, and accompany one who is patient with whoever differs from him.", "explanation": "ʿAkkāwī (1996) cites this as an example of the form in which the inversion occurs between two related nouns in two sentences.[2]" }, { "@type": "balagha:Example", "exampleType": "constructed", "exampleOf": "REVWORD", "exampleOfName": "Reversal of Word Order", "id": "RTKDU", "url": "https://al-balagha.com/wiki/REVWORD:_Reversal_of_Word_Order#RTKDU", "exampleOfEntity": { "@id": "https://balaghabase.org/entity/Q73" }, "inLanguage": "ar", "arabic": "أَكْرِمِ الْكَرِيمَ تَنَلْ كَرَامَتَهُ، وَاحْذَرِ اللَّئِيمَ تَسْلَمْ مِنْ لُؤْمِهِ", "english": "Honour the generous man and you will receive his generosity; beware the base man and you will be safe from his baseness.", "explanation": "The two related nouns al-karīm (the generous man) and al-laʾīm (the base man) anchor parallel imperative clauses; the second noun and its attendant quality invert the moral and relational stance established by the first." }, { "@type": "balagha:Example", "exampleType": "source", "exampleOf": "REVWORD", "exampleOfName": "Reversal of Word Order", "sourceReferences": [ "cite_note-cachia55-5" ], "id": "NEXPQ", "url": "https://al-balagha.com/wiki/REVWORD:_Reversal_of_Word_Order#NEXPQ", "exampleOfEntity": { "@id": "https://balaghabase.org/entity/Q73" }, "inLanguage": "ar", "arabic": "يَا بَدَنِي بِالْفِرَاقِ مِتَّ كَمَدًا ۝ مِتَّ كَمَدًا بِالْفِرَاقِ يَا بَدَنِي", "english": "O body of mine, now we are parted, die of grief! Die of grief now we are parted, O body of mine!", "explanation": "Nābulsī gives this as an example of the first kind: the wording of the first hemistich is recast in reversed order in the second while the meaning is retained.[5]" }, { "@type": "balagha:Example", "exampleType": "constructed", "exampleOf": "REVWORD", "exampleOfName": "Reversal of Word Order", "id": "AVTMK", "url": "https://al-balagha.com/wiki/REVWORD:_Reversal_of_Word_Order#AVTMK", "exampleOfEntity": { "@id": "https://balaghabase.org/entity/Q73" }, "inLanguage": "ar", "arabic": "بِالْعِلْمِ يَرْتَفِعُ الْإِنْسَانُ ۝ يَرْتَفِعُ الْإِنْسَانُ بِالْعِلْمِ", "english": "Through knowledge a person rises; A person rises through knowledge.", "explanation": "The same elements, bi-l-ʿilm (through knowledge) and yartafiʿu al-insān (a person rises), occur in reversed order in the second part while expressing the same proposition, illustrating Nābulsī's first kind of reversal." }, { "@type": "balagha:Example", "exampleType": "source", "exampleOf": "REVWORD", "exampleOfName": "Reversal of Word Order", "sourceReferences": [ "cite_note-cachia55-5" ], "id": "A8N69", "url": "https://al-balagha.com/wiki/REVWORD:_Reversal_of_Word_Order#A8N69", "exampleOfEntity": { "@id": "https://balaghabase.org/entity/Q73" }, "inLanguage": "ar", "arabic": "أَحْدَاقُهُ مُلِئَتْ مِنَ الْأَقْدَاحِ ۝ أَمْ أَقْدَاحُهُ مُلِئَتْ مِنَ الْأَحْدَاقِ", "english": "Have his eyes been filled from the wine-cups, or have the wine-cups been filled from his eyes?", "explanation": "Nābulsī gives this as an example in which rearranging the terms changes the meaning.[5]" }, { "@type": "balagha:Example", "exampleType": "constructed", "exampleOf": "REVWORD", "exampleOfName": "Reversal of Word Order", "id": "AMXFS", "url": "https://al-balagha.com/wiki/REVWORD:_Reversal_of_Word_Order#AMXFS", "exampleOfEntity": { "@id": "https://balaghabase.org/entity/Q73" }, "inLanguage": "ar", "arabic": "يَخْدُمُ الْمُعَلِّمُ الطَّالِبَ ۝ يَخْدُمُ الطَّالِبُ الْمُعَلِّمَ", "english": "The teacher serves the student; the student serves the teacher.", "explanation": "The same principal terms, al-muʿallim (the teacher) and al-ṭālib (the student), occur in reversed syntactic positions. The reversal changes who performs the action and who receives it, and therefore changes the meaning, illustrating Nābulsī's second kind of reversal." } ], "author": [ { "@type": "Person", "@id": "https://marathe.org/#mandar", "honorificPrefix": "Dr", "name": "Mandar Marathe", "givenName": "Mandar", "familyName": "Marathe", "alternateName": "Dr Mandar Marathe", "url": "https://marathe.org/", "mainEntityOfPage": { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://marathe.org/" }, "identifier": [ { "@type": "PropertyValue", "propertyID": "ORCID", "value": "0000-0002-6927-6836", "url": "https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6927-6836" }, { "@type": "PropertyValue", "propertyID": "Google Scholar", "value": "w-bT-iYAAAAJ", "url": "https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=w-bT-iYAAAAJ" } ], "sameAs": [ "https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6927-6836", "https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=w-bT-iYAAAAJ", "https://www.scopus.com/authid/detail.uri?authorId=38961640000", "https://www.webofscience.com/wos/author/record/GRX-5034-2022", "https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Mandar_Marathe", "https://independent.academia.edu/MandarMaratheUK", "https://www.semanticscholar.org/author/Mandar-Marathe/34623281", "https://arxiv.org/a/marathe_m_1.html", "https://dblp.org/pid/413/7182", "https://www.soas.ac.uk/about/mandar-marathe", "https://www.linkedin.com/in/mandar-marathe-uk/", "https://x.com/DrMMarathe", "https://www.youtube.com/@drmandarmarathe", "https://balaghabase.org/entity/Q19", "https://balaghabase.org/wiki/Item:Q19" ], "affiliation": [ { "@type": "Organization", "name": "The Arabic Research Institute", "url": "https://arabicresearch.org/" } ], "owns": [ { "@id": "https://marathe.org/#website" }, { "@id": "https://rhetorical-density.com/#website" }, { "@id": "https://balaghascore.com/#website" }, { "@id": "https://project.balaghascore.com/#website" }, { "@id": "https://al-balagha.com/#website" }, { "@id": "https://balaghabase.org/#website" }, { "@id": "https://balagha-corpus.com/#website" } ] } ] }