TRANSFR: Relational Transfer

    From The Encyclopedia of Arabic Rhetoric

    المجاز
    TRANSFR: Relational Transfer
    CategoryFigurative Speech
    (ʿilm al-bayān)
    SubcategoryConceptual Transfer
    Built upon8 sources
      
    Annotation Unit
    ARDT CodeTRANSFR
    Level1 (Rhetorical device)
       ↳ Has 2 subtypes
         ↳ Has 22 sub-subtypes
      
    Included in Taxonomy
    ARDTv0.1.1
    v0.1.0
      
    External Identifiers
    BALAGHAScoreB-3
    BalaghaBaseQ59
    OpenAlexW4415342185
      
    Applications
    BalaghaCorpusSee examples
     
    Cite this page
    🔗 Live DOI10.64393/balagha.Q59
     
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    Definition

    Relational Transfer (al-majāz) is an Arabic rhetorical device in which the communicator either (a) uses word or expression in other than its original, conventionally assigned meaning, or (b) attributes an action or quality to other than its real agent or source. In both cases, there is a recognised relationship (ʿalāqa) between the original and intended meanings, together with a contextual clue (qarīna) that prevents the literal reading from being intended.[1][2][3][4]

    Classical Arabic rhetorical tradition considers Metaphor (al-istiʿāra), Predicative Transfer (al-majāz al-ʿaqlī), and Associative Transfer (al-majāz al-mursal) together under the umbrella term al-majāz. However, in the Encyclopedia of Arabic Rhetoric, Metaphor is given a separate entry for analytical granularity, and Relational Transfer comprises Predicative Transfer (al-majāz al-ʿaqlī) and Associative Transfer (al-majāz al-mursal) only.

    Linguistic Operations

    • Relational Transfer requires the use of a word, expression, or predication in other than its original or proper usage.[1][2][4]
    • The transfer requires a relationship (ʿalāqa) between the original meaning or attribution and the intended meaning.[1][2][4]
    • The transfer requires a contextual clue (qarīna) that prevents the original or literal meaning from being intended.[2][4] The contextual clue may be lexical (qarīna lafẓiyya) — something in the wording itself — or rational (qarīna ʿaqliyya) — common sense or the communicative situation rendering the literal reading impossible or absurd.[2][5][6]
    • When the relationship is similarity, the transfer is treated as Metaphor; when the relationship is not similarity, it falls under Associative Transfer; when the transfer occurs in attribution rather than in the individual word, it falls under Predicative Transfer.[2][4][7][5][6]
    • In this encyclopedia, the mechanism is described as a transfer from an original literal wording or attribution to an intended non-literal meaning or attribution, governed by a recognised relationship and signalled by a contextual clue.
    • If the transfer lies in attribution, it is classified here as Predicative Transfer.
    • If the transfer lies in the word itself and the relationship is not similarity, it is classified here as Associative Transfer.
    • If the relationship is similarity, the expression belongs instead to Metaphor.

    Recognition

    Relational Transfer may be present when:

    • A word, expression, or attribution cannot be understood literally without difficulty, impossibility, or contextual contradiction.
    • A contextual clue prevents the literal or original meaning from being intended.
    • A recognised relationship can be identified between the literal wording or attribution and the intended meaning.
    • The relationship is not based on similarity; if it is based on similarity, the expression should be considered under Metaphor.

    The following diagnostic tests aid identification:

    • If the non-literalness lies in who or what an action or quality is attributed to, classify the case as Predicative Transfer.
    • If the non-literalness lies in a word being used for something related to it by cause, effect, part, whole, place, state, time, instrument, or another non-similarity relationship, classify the case as Associative Transfer.
    • If the literal meaning remains fully intended and no blocking clue is present, do not classify the expression as Relational Transfer.

    Communicative Enhancements

    • Relational Transfer may produce concision, because the transferred expression can convey the intended meaning more briefly than an explicit literal formulation.[4]
    • It may strengthen expression through skilful selection of the relationship between the original and intended meanings.[4]
    • It may make the meaning more vivid or pictorial by presenting it through a related image or association.[4]
    • It may involve effective exaggeration, especially where part and whole, cause and effect, or related associations intensify the expression.[4]
    • Figurative expression may be considered more eloquent and more affecting than direct literal expression when used appropriately.[6][8]

    Applying the Recognition Framework

    The 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:

    • Use the Definition, Mechanism, and Recognition sections of this page in Step 1.
    • Apply the substitution test in Step 2.
    • Consider contextual indicators in Step 3.
    • Use the Diagnostic Communicative Enhancements section of this page in Step 4.

    Subtypes of Relational Transfer

    In this encyclopedia, Relational Transfer is organised into two major types:

    TRANSFR-PTF: Predicative Transfer (al-majāz al-ʿaqlī)

    Annotation Unit
    ARDTTRANSFR-PTF
    Level2 (Subtype)
       ↳ Has 6 sub-subtypes
    BalaghaBaseQ591
    Official Arabic nameal-majāz al-ʿaqlī[9]

    A form of Relational Transfer in which an action, event, or attribute is assigned to something other than its real agent or source. The individual words may remain literal, but the attribution itself is figurative. The addressee is required to infer the real agent, cause, or source behind the statement. There is a contextual clue at the level of the predication, signalling that the attribution itself is non-literal rather than that any single word is being used figuratively.

    The relationship between the attributed subject and the real subject may take one of several forms:

    TRANSFR-CAS: Predicative Transfer by Causality Relationship (al-ʿalāqa al-sababiyya)

    Annotation Unit
    ARDTTRANSFR-CAS
    Level3 (Sub-subtype)
    BalaghaBaseQ593
    Official Arabic nameal-ʿalāqa al-sababiyya[10]

    A form of Relational Transfer in which an action or event is attributed to something that caused or brought it about, rather than to the real agent that actually performed it.[2][4][5][6]

    بَنَى عَمْرُو بْنُ الْعَاصِ مَدِينَةَ الْفُسْطَاطِ.

    ʿAmr ibn al-ʿĀṣ built the city of Fusṭāṭ.

    Explanation
    ʿAmr ibn al-ʿĀṣ did not personally perform the building; rather, he ordered that the city be built. The act of building is attributed to him because he caused it to be carried out, rather than to the people who actually performed the construction.[6]

    أعلنت الحكومة قواعد جديدة.

    The government has announced new laws.

    Explanation
    The government is not literally a speaking individual. Rather, the communicator attributes the announcement to the government as the governing body responsible for it, while the actual speakers are government officials or representatives.

    مشى الأمريكيون على سطح القمر عام 1969.

    The Americans walked on the moon in 1969.

    Explanation
    The communicator mentions "Americans" in general, but in reality only a very small number of individuals actually walked on the moon. The action is attributed to the nation as the broader agent behind the achievement.

    Note: A causality relationship also appears in Associative Transfer (section 2c below). In Predicative Transfer, the action is attributed to the cause as its apparent agent. In Associative Transfer by Causality Relationship, the word for the cause is used to mean its effect. The converse lexical relationship is treated separately under Associative Transfer by Effect Relationship.

    TRANSFR-TIM: Predicative Transfer by Time Relationship (al-ʿalāqa al-zamāniyya)

    Annotation Unit
    ARDTTRANSFR-TIM
    Level3 (Sub-subtype)
    BalaghaBaseQ594
    Official Arabic nameal-ʿalāqa al-zamāniyya[10]

    A form of Relational Transfer in which an action or quality is attributed to the time or period in which it occurs, rather than to the real agent who performs or produces it during that time.[2][4][5][6]

    نَهَارُهُ صَائِمٌ وَلَيْلُهُ قَائِمٌ.

    His day fasts and his night stands in prayer.

    Explanation
    The day and night do not literally fast or pray. The action of fasting is attributed to the daytime — the period in which it occurs — rather than to the person who actually fasts. Similarly, the standing in prayer is attributed to the night rather than to the person who prays during it.[5][6]

    يمر الوقت بسرعة في العطلة.

    Time passes fast in the holidays.

    Explanation
    Time does not literally "pass" as an acting entity. The communicator attributes the experience of short duration to time itself.

    TRANSFR-PLA: Predicative Transfer by Place Relationship (al-ʿalāqa al-makāniyya)

    Annotation Unit
    ARDTTRANSFR-PLA
    Level3 (Sub-subtype)
    BalaghaBaseQ595
    Official Arabic nameal-ʿalāqa al-makāniyya[10]

    A form of Relational Transfer in which an action or quality is attributed to the place in which it occurs, rather than to the people or things that actually perform or produce it within that place.[2][4][5][6]

    يَجْرِي النَّهَرُ.

    The river runs.

    Explanation
    The river does not literally run — it is the water within it that flows. The action of running is attributed to the place (the river) rather than to the water that actually moves within it.[5][6]

    تلهم المدينةُ الإبداع.

    The city inspires creativity.

    Explanation
    The city itself is not literally an acting mind. The communicator attributes inspiration to the city, while the real source is the environment, people, institutions, and experiences associated with it.

    Note: A place-related relationship also appears in Associative Transfer as the State relationship (al-ʿalāqa al-ḥāliyya). The two are distinct: here in Predicative Transfer, the non-literalness lies in the attribution — an action is assigned to a place rather than to its real agent. In the State relationship, the non-literalness lies in the word itself — something occupying or existing in a place (ḥāl) is mentioned while the place (maḥall) is intended.

    TRANSFR-SRL: Predicative Transfer by Source Relationship (al-ʿalāqa al-maṣdariyya)

    Annotation Unit
    ARDTTRANSFR-SRL
    Level3 (Sub-subtype)
    BalaghaBaseQ596
    Official Arabic nameal-ʿalāqa al-maṣdariyya[10]

    A form of Relational Transfer in which an action is attributed to an abstract verbal noun (maṣdar), rather than to the real agent who performs it, so that the abstraction itself appears to act.[2][4][5][6]

    سيذكرني قومي إذا جدَّ جدُّهم

    My people will remember me when their endeavour grows earnest.

    Explanation
    In this line by Abū Firās al-Hamdānī, the earnestness (الجِدّ) is attributed to itself as an abstract noun — "earnestness was earnest" — rather than to the real agent, the person who strives earnestly. The verbal noun stands in for the one who performs the action.[4][5][6]

    تكاد عطاياه تُجَنُّ جنونها.

    His gifts are almost driven to madness.

    Explanation
    The madness (جنون) is attributed to itself as a verbal noun rather than to the one who is driven mad. The source of the action stands in for its real agent.[6]

    أَنْهَكَ السَّهَرُ جِسْمَهُ.

    Sleeplessness wore his body down.

    Explanation
    Sleeplessness (السَّهَر) is an abstract verbal noun — it does not literally act on the body. The communicator attributes the exhaustion to the abstraction itself rather than to the real cause behind it.

    TRANSFR-OBR: Predicative Transfer by Object Relationship (al-ʿalāqa al-mafʿūliyya)

    Annotation Unit
    ARDTTRANSFR-OBR
    Level3 (Sub-subtype)
    BalaghaBaseQ597
    Official Arabic nameal-ʿalāqa al-mafʿūliyya[11]

    A form of Relational Transfer in which an active or agent form is attributed to the object or patient of an action, rather than to the one performing it. In other words, a word built on the agent pattern (فاعل) is used where a patient pattern (مفعول) is intended.[2][4][5][6]

    لَا عَاصِمَ الْيَوْمَ مِنْ أَمْرِ اللهِ إِلَّا مَنْ رَحِمَ.

    There is no protector today from the command of God, except one whom He has shown mercy.

    Explanation
    The word عاصم (protector — active/agent form) is used but the intended meaning is مَعصوم (the one protected — patient form). The attribute of the one who protects is transferred to the one who is protected. The Quranic contextual clue — that no one can protect themselves from God's command — signals the intended meaning.[4][5][6]

    منزل عامر بنعم الله.

    A home flourishing with God's blessings.

    Explanation
    عامر (active: one who flourishes/builds) is used but the home is not literally building or flourishing by its own agency — it is the one that has been made to flourish. The agent form is attributed to what is in reality the patient.[5][6]

    هَذَا مَاءٌ دَافِقٌ.

    This is gushing water.

    Explanation
    دَافِق is built on the active/agent pattern (the one who gushes) but the water does not gush by its own agency — it is the thing being gushed. The agent form is applied to what is in reality the patient of the action.

    TRANSFR-SUR: Predicative Transfer by Subject Relationship (al-ʿalāqa al-fāʿiliyya)

    Annotation Unit
    ARDTTRANSFR-SUR
    Level3 (Sub-subtype)
    BalaghaBaseQ598
    Official Arabic nameal-ʿalāqa al-fāʿiliyya[11]

    A form of Relational Transfer in which a passive or patient form is attributed to the agent or subject of an action, rather than to the one receiving it.A word built on the patient pattern (مفعول) is used where an agent pattern (فاعل) is intended.[2][4][5][6]

    جعلت بيني وبينك حجابًا مستورًا.

    I placed between you and me a veiled barrier.

    Explanation
    مستور (passive: veiled/concealed) is used, but the barrier is not itself concealed — it is the one that conceals. The patient form is attributed to what is in reality the agent. The contextual clue is the logical function of a barrier, which covers rather than being covered.[4][5][6]

    هٰذَا سِرٌّ مَكْتُومٌ.

    This is a hidden secret.

    Explanation
    The passive form is used while the intended force lies in the active concealment surrounding it.

    TRANSFR-ATF: Associative Transfer (al-majāz al-mursal)

    Annotation Unit
    ARDTTRANSFR-ATF
    Level2 (Subtype)
       ↳ Has 16 sub-subtypes
    BalaghaBaseQ592
    Official Arabic nameal-majāz al-mursal[12]

    A form of Relational Transfer in which a word is used in other than its original meaning on the basis of a recognised non-similarity relationship such as cause, effect, part, whole, place, time, state, or instrument. The transfer lies in the relationship between the literal and intended meanings rather than in resemblance.

    TRANSFR-WFP: Whole-for-Part Associative Transfer (al-ʿalāqa al-kulliyya)

    Annotation Unit
    ARDTTRANSFR-WFP
    Level3 (Sub-subtype)
    BalaghaBaseQ599
    Official Arabic nameal-ʿalāqa al-kulliyya[13]

    A form of Relational Transfer in which the whole is mentioned but only a part is intended.[1][2][4][8][7][5][6]

    ﴿وَجَعَلُوا أَصَابِعَهُمْ فِي آذَانِهِمْ﴾ [نوح: ٧]

    They put their fingers in their ears. [Quran 71:7]

    Explanation
    ʿAtīq analyses aṣābiʿahum (their fingers) as Associative Transfer with a whole-for-part relationship (al-kulliyya). The whole fingers are mentioned, but only the fingertips (anāmil) are intended, since the whole finger cannot be inserted into the ear. The word for the whole is therefore used to refer to one of its parts.[6]

    شَرِبْتُ مَاءَ النِّيلِ.

    I drank the water of the Nile.

    Explanation
    It is impossible to drink the entire Nile. The communicator mentions the whole — the Nile — while intending only a part, the portion of water actually consumed.[1][2][6]

    رأيت لندن في عطلتي.

    I saw London in my holiday.

    Explanation
    The communicator does not mean that the whole of London was seen during the holiday. By mentioning "London", it is understood that certain specific areas were actually visited.

    TRANSFR-PFW: Part-for-Whole Associative Transfer (al-ʿalāqa al-juzʾiyya)

    Annotation Unit
    ARDTTRANSFR-PFW
    Level3 (Sub-subtype)
    BalaghaBaseQ600
    Official Arabic nameal-ʿalāqa al-juzʾiyya[14]

    A form of Relational Transfer in which a part is mentioned but the whole is intended.[1][2][4][8][7][5][6]

    ﴿فَتَحْرِيرُ رَقَبَةٍ مُؤْمِنَةٍ﴾ [النساء: ٩٢]

    Then the freeing of a believing neck. [Quran 4:92]

    Explanation
    ʿAtīq analyses رَقَبَة (literally “neck”) as Associative Transfer with a part-for-whole relationship (al-juzʾiyya). The neck is only one part of the enslaved person, but the whole person is intended. The word for the part is therefore used to refer to the whole.[6]

    تعال إلى بيتي لتناول الشاي الساعة 4 مساءً.

    Come to my house for tea at 4pm.

    Explanation
    The communicator invites the addressee for tea, but the intended meaning is the broader visit or social occasion of which tea is only one part.

    TRANSFR-PLC: Associative Transfer by Place Relationship (al-ʿalāqa al-maḥalliyya)

    Annotation Unit
    ARDTTRANSFR-PLC
    Level3 (Sub-subtype)
    BalaghaBaseQ601
    Official Arabic nameal-ʿalāqa al-maḥalliyya[15]

    A form of Relational Transfer in which the word for a place is used to mean the people, institutions, or things that occupy or are associated with it.[1][2][4][8][7][5][6]

    قَرَّرَ الْمَجْلِسُ ذَلِكَ.

    The council decided that.

    Explanation
    The council building does not decide anything — its members do. The word for the place (the council chamber) is used to mean the people who occupy and constitute it.[7][5][6]

    يمكن أن تكون المحاكم في الهند فاسدة.

    The courts in India can be corrupt.

    Explanation
    The communicator refers not to the physical court buildings but to the legal system, judges, or institutions associated with them.

    زرتُ عائلة صديقي.

    I visited my friend's family.

    Explanation
    The communicator mentions the friend's family, but the intended meaning may extend to the household or place associated with them.

    Note: A place relationship also appears in Predicative Transfer (section 1c above), where an action is attributed to a place. Here in Associative Transfer, the word for a place is used to mean the people or things associated with it. See section 1c for the attributional form of this relationship.

    TRANSFR-CSL: Associative Transfer by Causality Relationship (al-ʿalāqa al-sababiyya)

    Annotation Unit
    ARDTTRANSFR-CSL
    Level3 (Sub-subtype)
    BalaghaBaseQ602
    Official Arabic nameal-ʿalāqa al-sababiyya[12]

    A form of Relational Transfer in which the communicator mentions a cause but intends the effect produced by it.[2][5][6][4]

    Note: A causality relationship also appears in Predicative Transfer (section 1a above), where the action is attributed to the cause. Here in Associative Transfer, the word for the cause is used to mean its effect. See section 1a for the attributional form of this relationship.

    [1][2][4][8][7][5][6]

    رَعَيْنَا الْغَيْثَ.

    We grazed the rain.

    Explanation
    Cattle do not graze rain — they graze grass. Rain is the cause; the grass that grows from it is the effect. The word for the cause (rain) is used to mean its effect (the grass).[2][5][6]

    صديقي فتح عيني على الفساد في المجتمع.

    My friend opened my eyes to the corruption in society.

    Explanation
    The communicator mentions the opening of the eyes — the cause — while the intended meaning is awareness or realisation — the effect.

    TRANSFR-EFT: Associative Transfer by Effect Relationship (al-ʿalāqa al-musababiyya)

    Annotation Unit
    ARDTTRANSFR-EFT
    Level3 (Sub-subtype)
    BalaghaBaseQ603
    Official Arabic nameal-ʿalāqa al-musababiyya[12]

    A form of Relational Transfer in which the communicator mentions the result, but the cause is intended.[1][2][4][8][7][5][6]

    ﴿وَيُنَزِّلُ لَكُمْ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ رِزْقًا﴾ [غافر: ١٣]

    He sends down for you from the sky provision. [Quran 40:13]

    Explanation
    What descends from the sky is rain, not provision directly. Rain is the cause; provision (crops and sustenance) is its effect. The word for the effect (رِزْق — provision) is used to mean the cause (rain) that produces it.[2][5][6]

    العمل الجيد يضع الطعام على الطاولة.

    A good job puts food on the table.

    Explanation
    The communicator mentions the effect — food on the table — while intending the stable income that causes it.

    TRANSFR-PST: Associative Transfer by Past State Relationship (iʿtibār mā kāna)

    Annotation Unit
    ARDTTRANSFR-PST
    Level3 (Sub-subtype)
    BalaghaBaseQ604
    Official Arabic nameiʿtibār mā kāna[12]

    A form of Relational Transfer in which the communicator refers to something by the name it had in the past, even though that name no longer applies in the present.[1][2][4][8][7][5][6]

    ﴿وَآتُوا الْيَتَامَىٰ أَمْوَالَهُمْ﴾ [النساء: ٢]

    Give the orphans their property. [Quran 4:2]

    Explanation
    The instruction is not to give property to children who are still orphans, since they cannot yet manage it. The intended meaning is those who were orphans but have now reached adulthood. The word for their past state (يَتَامَى — orphans) is used to refer to them as they now are.[1][2][5][6]

    ترك طفلي المنزل للالتحاق بالجامعة.

    My child left home to attend university.

    Explanation
    The one who left home is now an adult, but the communicator refers to that person by an earlier state.

    TRANSFR-FUT: Associative Transfer by Future State Relationship (iʿtibār mā sayakūnu)

    Annotation Unit
    ARDTTRANSFR-FUT
    Level3 (Sub-subtype)
    BalaghaBaseQ605
    Official Arabic nameiʿtibār mā sayakūnu[14]

    A form of Relational Transfer in which the communicator refers to something by the name it will have in the future, even though it does not yet have that name.[1][2][4][8][7][5][6]

    ﴿إِنِّي أَرَانِي أَعْصِرُ خَمْرًا﴾ [يوسف: ٣٦]

    I see myself pressing wine. [Quran 12:36]

    Explanation
    The speaker is pressing grapes, not wine — wine is what the grapes will eventually become. The word for the future state (خَمْر — wine) is used to refer to what is currently only grapes, on account of what they will become.[1][2][5][6]

    أزرعُ شجرة تفاح.

    I am planting an apple tree.

    Explanation
    The communicator is planting a seed or sapling, but refers to what it will become.

    TRANSFR-OPP: Associative Transfer by Opposition Relationship (al-ʿalāqa al-ḍiddiyya)

    Annotation Unit
    ARDTTRANSFR-OPP
    Level3 (Sub-subtype)
    BalaghaBaseQ606
    Official Arabic nameal-ʿalāqa al-ḍiddiyya[16]

    A form of Relational Transfer in which a word is used to indicate its opposite, typically for the purpose of irony, sarcasm, or mockery. The contextual clue makes clear that the literal meaning is not intended.[2]

    ﴿فَبَشِّرْهُمْ بِعَذَابٍ أَلِيمٍ﴾ [آل عمران: ٢١]

    Give them glad tidings of a painful punishment. [Quran 3:21]

    Explanation
    The word بَشِّر literally means to announce good news and bring joy. Here it is used to mean its opposite — an announcement of punishment and suffering. The contextual clue is the explicit mention of painful punishment, which makes the literal meaning of glad tidings impossible.[2]

    قال المدير لموظفه المهمل: أحسنتَ يا نجم الشركة!

    The manager said to his negligent employee: Well done, you star of the company!

    Explanation
    The word "star" is used sarcastically to mean its opposite, with the employee's negligence serving as the contextual clue.

    TRANSFR-OCC: Associative Transfer by Occupancy Relationship (al-ʿalāqa al-ḥāliyya)

    Annotation Unit
    ARDTTRANSFR-OCC
    Level3 (Sub-subtype)
    BalaghaBaseQ607
    Official Arabic nameal-ʿalāqa al-ḥāliyya[15]

    A form of Relational Transfer in which the communicator mentions something occupying or existing in a place (ḥāl), but intends the place (maḥall) in which it exists.[4][7][5][6]

    ﴿وَأَمَّا الَّذِينَ ابْيَضَّتْ وُجُوهُهُمْ فَفِي رَحْمَةِ اللهِ هُمْ فِيهَا خَالِدُونَ﴾ [آل عمران: ١٠٧]

    Those whose faces have whitened are in the mercy of God, dwelling therein. [Quran 3:107]

    Explanation
    The mercy of God is a state or quality, not a place. The communicator uses the word for the state (رَحْمَة — mercy) to refer to the place associated with it — paradise, which is the abode of those who enjoy God's mercy.[7][5][6]

    توفي صديقي وهو الآن في رحمة الله.

    My friend passed away and is now in the mercy of God.

    Explanation
    The communicator mentions a state — mercy — while intending the place or condition associated with it.

    Note: A place relationship also appears in Predicative Transfer as the Place relationship (al-ʿalāqa al-makāniyya). The two are distinct: here in Associative Transfer, the non-literalness lies in the word itself — the word for something occupying or existing in a place is used to mean the place in which it exists. In the Place relationship, the non-literalness lies in the attribution — an action is assigned to a place rather than to its real agent.

    TRANSFR-ADJ: Associative Transfer by Adjacency Relationship (al-ʿalāqa al-mujāwara)

    Annotation Unit
    ARDTTRANSFR-ADJ
    Level3 (Sub-subtype)
    BalaghaBaseQ608
    Official Arabic nameal-ʿalāqa al-mujāwara[17]

    A form of Relational Transfer in which a word is used to refer not to what it literally names, but to something physically adjacent or immediately proximate to it.[2][5]

    طعنتُ بالرمح ثيابَه.

    I stabbed his garment with the spear.

    Explanation
    Literally, the garment is named, but the intended referent is the body immediately beneath it.[2][5]

    أَصَابَتِ الرَّصَاصَةُ قَمِيصَهُ.

    The bullet struck his shirt.

    Explanation
    The shirt is named, but the intended referent is the body wearing it. The word for what is adjacent to the body — the garment — is used to refer to the body itself.

    TRANSFR-NEC: Associative Transfer by Necessary Requirement Relationship (al-ʿalāqa al-malzūmiyya)

    Annotation Unit
    ARDTTRANSFR-NEC
    Level3 (Sub-subtype)
    BalaghaBaseQ609
    Official Arabic nameal-ʿalāqa al-malzūmiyya[14]

    A form of Relational Transfer in which the communicator mentions something whose existence necessarily entails another thing (the malzūm), while intending that necessary concomitant (the lāzim).[4]

    ملأت الشمس المكان.

    The sun filled the room.

    Explanation
    The sun cannot be present without its light also being present — light is entailed by the sun. The communicator uses "the sun" but intends "sunlight": that which the sun necessarily brings with it.[4]

    دَخَلَتِ الشَّمْسُ مِنَ النَّافِذَةِ.

    The sun entered through the window.

    Explanation
    The sun itself does not enter a room — its light does. The existence of the sun necessarily entails the existence of sunlight, so the communicator uses the entailing thing (the sun) to refer to what it entails (sunlight).

    Note: This relationship overlaps in some cases with the causality relationship (d) above. The distinction is that causality refers to a contingent cause-and-effect chain, whereas the necessary requirement relationship refers to a logically or naturally entailed condition.

    TRANSFR-ENL: Associative Transfer by Entailment Relationship (al-ʿalāqa al-lāzimiyya)

    Annotation Unit
    ARDTTRANSFR-ENL
    Level3 (Sub-subtype)
    BalaghaBaseQ611
    Official Arabic nameal-ʿalāqa al-lāzimiyya[14]

    A form of Relational Transfer in which the communicator mentions something that necessarily accompanies another thing (the lāzim), while intending that which it necessarily accompanies (the malzūm).[4]

    خرج ضوء النهار.

    The light of day has come out.

    Explanation
    The communicator mentions daylight, but the intended meaning is the sun, which necessarily entails it. This relationship overlaps in some cases with the causality relationship (d) above. The distinction is that causality refers to a contingent cause-and-effect chain, whereas the necessary requirement relationship refers to a logically or naturally entailed condition.[4]

    سَمِعْنَا الْأَذَانَ فَاسْتَيْقَظْنَا.

    We heard the call to prayer and woke up.

    Explanation
    The call to prayer cannot occur without the dawn having arrived — the dawn is the necessary condition that the call to prayer entails. The communicator mentions the call to prayer while the intended meaning is the dawn itself.

    Note: The necessary requirement relationship (k) and the entailment relationship (m) form a converse pair. In (k), the entailing thing (the malzūm) is mentioned while its necessary concomitant (the lāzim) is intended. In (m), the necessary concomitant (the lāzim) is mentioned while that which it accompanies (the malzūm) is intended. Both differ from the causality relationship (d), which involves a cause-and-effect relationship rather than necessary concomitance.

    TRANSFR-INS: Associative Transfer by Instrument Relationship (al-ʿalāqa al-āliyya)

    Annotation Unit
    ARDTTRANSFR-INS
    Level3 (Sub-subtype)
    BalaghaBaseQ610
    Official Arabic nameal-ʿalāqa al-āliyya[14]

    A form of Relational Transfer in which the communicator mentions the instrument or tool, but the intended meaning is what that instrument produces or the action it performs.[1][5][6]

    وصلني منك لسان لا أحبه.

    A tongue from you reached me that I do not like.

    Explanation
    The communicator mentions the tongue — the instrument of speech — while intending the words or speech produced by it.[1][5][6]

    لَهُ قَلَمٌ بَلِيغٌ.

    He has an eloquent pen.

    Explanation
    The pen is the instrument of writing but does not itself possess eloquence. The communicator mentions the instrument while intending what it produces — eloquent writing or prose.

    TRANSFR-RTG: Associative Transfer by Restriction-Then-Generalisation (al-ʿalāqa al-taqyīd wa-l-iṭlāq)

    Annotation Unit
    ARDTTRANSFR-RTG
    Level3 (Sub-subtype)
    BalaghaBaseQ612
    Official Arabic nameal-ʿalāqa al-taqyīd wa-l-iṭlāq[14]

    A form of Relational Transfer in which a word that originally carried a restricted or specialised meaning is used in a more general sense, having been transferred from its restricted original to a broader application.[4]

    جُرح مِشفر زيد.

    Zaid's lip was wounded.

    Explanation
    The word مِشفر originally denotes specifically the lip of a camel. It has been transferred to mean any lip (restriction to generalisation), and then further applied to a human lip. The word carries the trace of its restricted origin even as it is used in a broader context.[4]

    وَضَعَ يَدَهُ عَلَى خَدِّهِ.

    He placed his hand on his cheek.

    Explanation
    The word خَدّ originally denotes specifically the cheek of a human face. Through extended use it has been applied more broadly to the side of any object. Here it retains a trace of its original restricted human application while being used in a generalised sense.

    TRANSFR-SUB: Associative Transfer by Substitute Relationship (al-ʿalāqa al-badaliyya)

    Annotation Unit
    ARDTTRANSFR-SUB
    Level3 (Sub-subtype)
    BalaghaBaseQ613
    Official Arabic nameal-ʿalāqa al-badaliyya[9]

    A form of Relational Transfer in which the communicator mentions something that serves as a substitute for something else, while intending that for which it substitutes.[4]

    فَإِذَا قَضَيْتُمُ الصَّلَاةَ [النساء: ١٠٣]

    When you have completed the prayer [Quran 4:103]

    Explanation
    The word الصلاة (prayer) is mentioned, while the intended meaning is الأداء (performance). Hāshimī classifies the relationship as al-badaliyya because the mentioned thing functions as a substitute (badal) for something else.[4]

    TRANSFR-SBF: Associative Transfer by Substituted-for Relationship (al-ʿalāqa al-mubdaliyya)

    Annotation Unit
    ARDTTRANSFR-SBF
    Level3 (Sub-subtype)
    BalaghaBaseQ644
    Official Arabic nameal-ʿalāqa al-mubdaliyya[9]

    A form of Relational Transfer in which the communicator mentions something for which another thing serves as a substitute, while intending that substitute.[4]

    أَكَلْتُ دَمَ زَيْدٍ.

    I consumed Zayd's blood.

    Explanation
    The word الدم (blood) is mentioned, while the intended meaning is الدية (blood-money). Hāshimī classifies the relationship as al-mubdaliyya because the mentioned thing, blood, is that for which the blood-money is substituted.[4]

    Different From

    • METAPH: Metaphor — Metaphor is based on a similarity relationship between the original and intended meanings. Relational Transfer, as treated here, is based either on attributional transfer or on non-similarity relationships such as cause, effect, part, whole, place, state, time, or instrument.[2][4][7]
    • SIMILE: Simile — Simile makes the comparison explicit through a comparison structure or particle. Relational Transfer does not present an explicit comparison.
    • IMPREF: Implicit Reference — Implicit Reference also uses an expression whose literal meaning remains possible, but unlike Relational Transfer it does not require a qarīna blocking the literal reading. In Implicit Reference, the literal and intended meanings may both be simultaneously valid; in Relational Transfer, the qarīna specifically prevents the literal meaning from being the intended one.[2][4]
    • Literal Meaning (al-ḥaqīqa) — Literal Meaning uses a word or attribution in its proper or original sense, whereas Relational Transfer requires a contextual clue preventing that original sense from being intended.[2][4]

    See Also

    Notes

    • In annotation practice, the primary objective is to identify the presence of Relational Transfer reliably. Subclassification into Predicative Transfer and Associative Transfer should only be made when the mechanism is clear.
    • Some expressions may plausibly be analysed in more than one way. If a straightforward lexical substitution resolves the expression, this points toward Associative Transfer. If the expression depends on a shifted attribution, this points toward Predicative Transfer.
    • Where the distinction is uncertain, annotators may tag the expression as Relational Transfer without specifying a subtype, and may add a note flagging the ambiguity for review.

    References

    1. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Hussein Abdul-Raof, Arabic Rhetoric: A Pragmatic Analysis (Oxford: Routledge, 2006), 226-232, ISBN 9780415386098. DOI: 10.4324/9780203965399
    2. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af Ayman Amin Abd Al-Ghani, Al-Kāfī fī al-Balāgha: Al-Bayān, wa al-Badiʿ wa al-Maʿānī (Cairo: Dār al-Tawfīqiyya lil-Turāth, 2011), 121-150.
    3. ↑ W. P. Heinrichs, ‘Majāz’, in Encyclopedia of Arabic Literature, ed. Julie Scott Meisami and Paul Starkey (London: Routledge, 1998), 495-6, ISBN 0415068088.
    4. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an Aḥmad al-Hāshimī, Jawāhir al-Balāgha fī al-Maʿānī wa-al-Bayān wa-al-Badīʿ (Windsor: Hindāwī Foundation, 2019), 297–344, ISBN 9781527316386.
    5. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag Faḍl Ḥasan ʿAbbās, Al-Balāgha: Funūnuhā wa-Afnānuhā - ʿIlm al-Bayān wa-al-Badīʿ (Amman: Dār al-Furqān lil-Nashr wa-al-Tawzīʿ, 2007), 133-161.
    6. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz ʿAtīq, ʿIlm al-Bayān (Cairo: Dār al-Āfāq al-ʿArabiyya, 2006), 93-114, ISBN 977344077X.
    7. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l Ḥafnī Nāṣif, Muḥammad Diyāb, Sultan Muḥammad and Muṣṭafā Ṭammām, Durūs al-Balāgha (Beirut: Dār Ibn Ḥazm, 2012), 97-100, ISBN 9786144162798.
    8. ↑ a b c d e f g h Inʿam Fawwal ʿAkkawi, al-Muʿjam al-Mufassal fi ʿUlum al-Balagha: al-Badiʿ wa-l-Bayan wa-l-Maʿani (Beirut: Dar al-Kutub al-ʿIlmiyya, 1996), 637-640.
    9. ↑ a b c Aḥmad al-Hāshimī, Jawāhir al-Balāgha fī al-Maʿānī wa-al-Bayān wa-al-Badīʿ (Windsor: Hindāwī Foundation, 2019), 300, ISBN 9781527316386.
    10. ↑ a b c d Aḥmad al-Hāshimī, Jawāhir al-Balāgha fī al-Maʿānī wa-al-Bayān wa-al-Badīʿ (Windsor: Hindāwī Foundation, 2019), 300-301, ISBN 9781527316386.
    11. ↑ a b Aḥmad al-Hāshimī, Jawāhir al-Balāgha fī al-Maʿānī wa-al-Bayān wa-al-Badīʿ (Windsor: Hindāwī Foundation, 2019), 301, ISBN 9781527316386.
    12. ↑ a b c d Aḥmad al-Hāshimī, Jawāhir al-Balāgha fī al-Maʿānī wa-al-Bayān wa-al-Badīʿ (Windsor: Hindāwī Foundation, 2019), 297, ISBN 9781527316386.
    13. ↑ Aḥmad al-Hāshimī, Jawāhir al-Balāgha fī al-Maʿānī wa-al-Bayān wa-al-Badīʿ (Windsor: Hindāwī Foundation, 2019), 297-298, ISBN 9781527316386.
    14. ↑ a b c d e f Aḥmad al-Hāshimī, Jawāhir al-Balāgha fī al-Maʿānī wa-al-Bayān wa-al-Badīʿ (Windsor: Hindāwī Foundation, 2019), 298, ISBN 9781527316386.
    15. ↑ a b Aḥmad al-Hāshimī, Jawāhir al-Balāgha fī al-Maʿānī wa-al-Bayān wa-al-Badīʿ (Windsor: Hindāwī Foundation, 2019), 299, ISBN 9781527316386.
    16. ↑ Ayman Amin Abd Al-Ghani, Al-Kāfī fī al-Balāgha: Al-Bayān, wa al-Badiʿ wa al-Maʿānī (Cairo: Dār al-Tawfīqiyya lil-Turāth, 2011), 149.
    17. ↑ Ayman Amin Abd Al-Ghani, Al-Kāfī fī al-Balāgha: Al-Bayān, wa al-Badiʿ wa al-Maʿānī (Cairo: Dār al-Tawfīqiyya lil-Turāth, 2011), 144-145.

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