Annotation Unit Levels
| Page information | |
|---|---|
| 🔗 Live DOI | 10.64393/balagha.annotation.levels |
| Date | 15 August 2026 |
| PDF JSON  | |
| BalaghaBase.org | P129 |
The Encyclopedia of Arabic Rhetoric provides up to three levels of granularity for the classification of Arabic rhetorical devices. These levels represent progressively finer subdivisions within the taxonomy.
- Level 1 - Rhetorical device: The rhetorical device itself, represented by its primary annotation code, such as METAPH, SIMILE, or TAILHD.
- Level 2 - Subtype or Instance: The first level of subdivision within a rhetorical device. A Level 2 category identifies either a subtype or a recognised instance of the Level 1 device, depending on whether the classification is intended to be exhaustive.
- Level 3 - Sub-subtype: A further subdivision of a Level 2 category. It represents the finest level of granularity provided by the taxonomy.
Not every rhetorical device has all three levels. Some devices have no recognised subtypes and therefore exist only at Level 1; others extend to Level 2 but not Level 3. The existence of a Level 3 classification does not imply that the phenomenon is inherently more complex, more specific, or linguistically different from phenomena classified at Level 2 elsewhere in the taxonomy.
In particular, where Level 3 occurs, Level 2 may function as an analytical perspective or organising dimension under which more specific subtypes are distinguished. The numerical level should therefore be understood primarily as a device's position within its local taxonomic hierarchy, rather than as a statement about its linguistic operation, rhetorical importance, or analytical status.
Level 2 Subtypes and Instances
At Level 2, the Encyclopedia distinguishes between subtypes and instances according to whether the classification is intended to cover all occurrences of the parent rhetorical device.
- Subtypes form a collectively exhaustive classification: every occurrence of the Level 1 device is expected to belong to at least one Level 2 subtype.
- Instances identify particular configurations recognised in the sources without claiming to exhaust all possible occurrences of the Level 1 device. An occurrence may therefore belong to none of the listed instances.
This distinction affects the presentation of examples. Devices organised into subtypes should not have general examples that fall outside their Level 2 classification. Devices organised into instances may have general examples that do not belong to any listed instance, illustrating the non-exhaustive nature of the classification.
Examples of devices organised into instances include Feigned Ignorance, Differentiating Two Items, and Semantic Grouping.
The distinction is primarily terminological and taxonomic. Both subtypes and instances are represented and handled identically as Level 2 annotation units in the underlying taxonomy.
Application
The Encyclopedia provides a stable hierarchical taxonomy of Arabic rhetorical devices, and unique annotation codes for linguistic operations with the available levels of granularity. An annotation project does not need to operate at the finest available level. The appropriate level of annotation is determined by the annotator, project, corpus, or research question. For example, a project may annotate all instances at Level 1, distinguish Level 2 subtypes where useful, or use Level 3 distinctions where the additional granularity is relevant and can be identified reliably. The decision about how deeply within that hierarchy to annotate belongs to the user of the Encyclopedia.
Page History
- 2026-09-15 - Page created: Annotation Unit Levels.
