NAMES: Meaningful Proper Nouns

    From The Encyclopedia of Arabic Rhetoric

    التوجيه
    NAMES: Meaningful Proper Nouns
    CategoryLinguistic Embellishments
    (‘ilm al-badī‘)
    SubcategoryIndirectness & Ambiguity
      
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    🔗 DOI10.64393/balagha.Q109
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    Taxonomy
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    Definition

    Meaningful Proper Nouns (al-tawjīh) is an Arabic rhetorical device in which the communicator incorporates a group of mutually related proper names or technical terms into an utterance so that the expressions function coherently within the discourse while also being recognisable as members of the related set.[1][2][3][4]

    Al-Hāshimī (2019) describes this as one of two forms called al-tawjīh, specifying the use of a group or groups of terms belonging to sciences or arts, or mutually related names.[2] Nāṣif et al. (2012) illustrate the device through mutually harmonious proper names,[1] while al-Nābulsī, as presented by Cachia (1998), illustrates it through a coordinated series of related technical terms.[3][4]

    Linguistic Operations

    • The communicator incorporates multiple mutually related proper names or technical terms into an utterance.[1][2][3][4]
    • The expressions form a recognisable related set through their status as proper names or technical terms, while the discourse employs their ordinary lexical meanings.[1][2][3][4]

    Two closely related proper-name operations are also included under Meaningful Proper Nouns in the Encyclopedia because they exploit the same fundamental property — the ability of a proper name to function as a name while its lexical form or meaning is simultaneously exploited. These are Extraction (al-ishtiqāq), in which an idea contributing to the rhetorical purpose is drawn from the lexical meaning or form of a proper name, whether through the whole name, its division into components, or part of the name,[5], and Suitability (al-ittifāq), in which the lexical meanings of actual names are exploited because they appropriately correspond to a situation.[6]

    Recognition

    Meaningful Proper Nouns may be present when:

    • An utterance contains multiple proper names whose lexical meanings contribute coherently to the surrounding discourse.[1][2]
    • An utterance contains multiple terms belonging to a common technical field or system that form a related series through their technical meanings, while the utterance itself employs their ordinary lexical meanings.[2][3][4]

    The device may also be annotated under the broader operational grouping used by the Encyclopedia when:

    • The lexical material or ordinary meaning of a proper name is deliberately exploited for a rhetorical purpose, as in Extraction.
    • The lexical meanings of actual proper names appropriately correspond to the situation in which their bearers occur, and that correspondence is rhetorically exploited, as in Suitability.

    Diagnostic Pragmatic Effects

    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 Rhetorical Effects section of this page in Step 4.

    Types

    The Encyclopedia distinguishes four forms according to the linguistic operation involved. The first two represent source-attested manifestations of al-tawjīh, while the latter two are closely related proper-name operations separately named by al-Nābulsī and grouped here editorially rather than treated as independent device entries.

    Type 1: Coordinated Proper Names

    Multiple mutually related proper names are incorporated into an utterance so that they form a recognisable series as names while their lexical meanings simultaneously contribute coherently to the discourse.[1][2]

    Source Example

    إِذَا فَاخَرَتْهُ الرِّيحُ وَلَّتْ عَلِيلَةً     بِأَذْيَالِ كُثْبَانِ الثَّرَى تَتَعَثَّرُ
    بِهِ الفَضْلُ يَبْدُو وَالرَّبِيعُ وَكَمْ غَدَا     بِهِ الرَّوْضُ يَحْيَا وَهُوَ لَا شَكَّ جَعْفَرُ

    When the wind rivals it and departs sickly, stumbling in the trailing hems of the sand-dunes' dust — through it al-Faḍl appears and al-Rabīʿ, and how many a morning the meadow lives through it, and he is without doubt Jaʿfar.

    Explanation
    The verse describes a river while incorporating the proper names al-Faḍl, al-Rabīʿ, and Jaʿfar, whose lexical meanings simultaneously contribute to the description and form a mutually harmonious series.[1]
    Constructed Example

    جَاءَ سَعِيدٌ فَسَعِدْنَا، وَأَقْبَلَ بَشِيرٌ فَاسْتَبْشَرْنَا، وَحَضَرَ صَالِحٌ فَصَلَحَ أَمْرُنَا.

    Saʿīd came, so we became happy; Bashīr arrived, so we rejoiced at the good news; and Ṣāliḥ attended, so our affairs were set right.

    Explanation
    Saʿīd, Bashīr, and Ṣāliḥ function as the proper names of three people while their ordinary lexical meanings — happiness, good tidings, and goodness or rightness — simultaneously contribute coherently to the statement.

    Type 2: Technical Series

    Multiple terms belonging to a common technical system, science, or art are incorporated into an utterance according to their ordinary meanings, while simultaneously forming a recognisable series through their related technical meanings.[2][3][4]

    Source Example

    أَيَا نَصْبَ عَيْنِي مَا لِهَجْرِكَ جَازِمٌ     عَلَى خَفْضِ قَلْبٍ فِيهِ رَفْعُكَ لَابِثُ

    O object of my gaze, why is your rejection intent
    On abasing a heart where you are always held high?

    Explanation
    The words naṣb, jazm, khafḍ, and rafʿ function in the verse according to their ordinary meanings, while simultaneously forming a related series of grammatical terms: accusative/subjunctive, jussive, genitive, and nominative/indicative respectively. Cachia (1998), presenting al-Nābulsī, notes that the expressions are related through their technical meanings but are incorporated into the discourse according to their ordinary meanings.[3]
    Constructed Example

    رَفَعَ العِلْمُ قَدْرَهُ، وَخَفَضَ الجَهْلُ قَدْرَ صَاحِبِهِ، وَجَزَمَ العَاقِلُ بِالحَقِّ.

    Knowledge raised his standing, ignorance lowered the standing of its possessor, and the wise man resolved upon the truth.

    Explanation
    The expressions rafaʿa (“raised”), khafaḍa (“lowered”), and jazama (“resolved”) function according to their ordinary meanings, while their corresponding nouns rafʿ, khafḍ, and jazm form a recognisable series of Arabic grammatical terms.

    Type 3: Proper-Name Extraction

    This form corresponds to Extraction (al-ishtiqāq), separately named by al-Nābulsī. It consists in drawing from a proper name an idea that contributes to the rhetorical purpose of the utterance.[5]

    Al-Nābulsī distinguishes three forms according to how the proper name is exploited:[5]

    Whole-Name Meaning

    The ordinary lexical meaning of the proper name is exploited in the utterance.[5]

    Source Example

    يَا صَالِحَ الخَيْرَاتِ مَا صَلَحَا     إِلَّا لَكَ التَّأْيِيدُ وَالْأَمْرُ

    O Ṣāliḥ, master of all bounties, these two befit only you: championing and authority.

    Explanation
    The proper name Ṣāliḥ is exploited through its ordinary lexical meaning and its relationship with ṣalaḥā (“befit”).[5]
    Constructed Example

    جَاءَ سَعِيدٌ فَسَعِدَ القَوْمُ بِمَجِيئِهِ.

    Saʿīd came, and the people were happy at his arrival.

    Explanation
    The whole proper name Saʿīd is exploited through its lexical relationship with saʿida (“was happy”).

    Whole-Name Segmentation

    The proper name is divided into meaningful components, and the resulting parts are exploited in the utterance.[5]

    Source Example

    أَحْرَقَهُ اللهُ بِنِصْفِ اسْمِهِ     وَصَيَّرَ الْبَاقِيَ صُرَاخًا عَلَيْهِ

    With half his name may God consume him,
    And may the rest be a lament for him!

    Explanation
    Ibn Durayd plays on the whole proper name Naftawayh by dividing it phonetically into two meaningful components. The first part is exploited as nafṭ (“naphtha”), something by which he might be burned, while the remainder is interpreted as an exclamation of lament equivalent to “Woe!”.[5]
    Constructed Example

    جَاءَ نُورُ الدِّينِ، فَأَشْرَقَ النُّورُ وَذُكِرَ الدِّينُ.

    Nūr al-Dīn came: the light shone and the faith was remembered.

    Explanation
    The proper name Nūr al-Dīn is divided into its two meaningful components, nūr (“light”) and al-dīn (“the faith/religion”), and both components are independently exploited in the statement.

    Partial-Name Exploitation

    Only part of the proper name is exploited for its lexical or formal possibilities.[5]

    Source Example

    قِيلَ فَخْرُ الدِّينِ فَخٌّ     قُلْتُ فَخٌّ وَزِيَادَهْ

    They said, “Fakhr al-Dīn is a snare.”
    I said, “A snare, and more!”

    Explanation
    Ibn al-Wardī exploits only part of the proper name Fakhr al-Dīn, playing on fakhr through its resemblance to fakhkh (“snare”).[5]
    Constructed Example

    حَضَرَ نُورُ الدِّينِ فَأَنَارَ المَجْلِسَ.

    Nūr al-Dīn attended and illuminated the gathering.

    Explanation
    Only the Nūr (“light”) component of the proper name Nūr al-Dīn is exploited through its lexical relationship with anāra (“illuminated”); the remaining component al-Dīn does not participate in the wordplay.

    Type 4: Situationally Apt Names

    This form corresponds to Suitability (al-ittifāq), separately named by al-Nābulsī. It occurs when the actual names of persons appropriately correspond in their lexical meanings to a situation and that correspondence is rhetorically exploited.[6]

    Source Example

    إِنَّمَا أَوْجَبَ التَّبَاعُدَ مِنَّا     أَنَّنِي سُكَّرٌ وَأَنَّكَ مِلْحُ

    Nothing causes us to remain apart except that I am Sugar and you are Salt.

    Explanation
    Cachia (1998) cites this verse attributed to Ibn Sukkara al-Hāshimī as an example of Suitability. Ibn Sukkara addresses a friend named Milḥ (“Salt”), exploiting the lexical meanings of their names — “Sugar” and “Salt” — as an explanation for their supposed incompatibility.[6]
    Constructed Example

    دَخَلَ سَعِيدٌ عَلَيْنَا يَوْمَ العِيدِ، فَقُلْنَا: جَاءَ السَّعِيدُ فِي اليَوْمِ السَّعِيدِ.

    Saʿīd came to us on the festival day, so we said: “The happy one has come on the happy day.”

    Explanation
    The person's existing proper name Saʿīd (“happy”) happens to correspond appropriately to the joyful occasion, and the communicator exploits that situational correspondence.

    Different From

    • Pun (al-tawriya) - al-Hāshimī (2019) distinguishes Pun from the form of al-tawjīh represented by Types 1 and 2 above. In Pun, a single word has two meanings by original lexical convention, with the remote meaning intended. In these forms of al-tawjīh, multiple related expressions are involved, and the expressions retain their ordinary intended meanings rather than each depending upon two lexically established meanings.[2]
    • Deliberate Ambiguity (al-ibhām) - al-Hāshimī (2019) applies the term al-tawjīh to both devices, but presents them as two distinct forms. In Deliberate Ambiguity, a construction admits two contradictory meanings with neither meaning preponderating. In Meaningful Proper Nouns, the communicator instead exploits a group of mutually related proper names or technical terms whose ordinary lexical meanings contribute coherently to the discourse.[2]

    Notes

    • Al-Hāshimī (2019) presents the operation described here as the second of two forms called al-tawjīh. His first form, in which a construction equally admits two contradictory meanings with neither preponderating, is treated in the Encyclopedia as Deliberate Ambiguity because it involves a different linguistic operation.[2]
    • Extraction (al-ishtiqāq) and Suitability (al-ittifāq) are separately named devices in al-Nābulsī's classification, as presented by Cachia (1998). The Encyclopedia groups these narrow proper-name operations under Meaningful Proper Nouns rather than treating them as independent devices.[5][6]

    See Also

    References

    1. ↑ a b c d e f g Ḥafnī Nāṣif, Muḥammad Diyāb, Sultan Muḥammad and Muṣṭafā Ṭammām, Durūs al-Balāgha (Beirut: Dār Ibn Ḥazm, 2012), 106-107, ISBN 9786144162798.
    2. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k Aḥmad al-Hāshimī, Jawāhir al-Balāgha fī al-Maʿānī wa-al-Bayān wa-al-Badīʿ (Windsor: Hindāwī Foundation, 2019), 379-380, ISBN 9781527316386.
    3. ↑ a b c d e f g Pierre Cachia, The Arch Rhetorician: Or The Schemer’s Skimmer: A Handbook of Late Arabic Badīʻ Drawn from ʻAbd al-Ghanī an-Nābulsī’s Nafaḥāt al-Azhār ʻala Nasamāt al-Asḥār, Studies in Arabic Language and Literature 3 (Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz, 1998), p. 44-45, ISBN 9783447040327.
    4. ↑ a b c d e f Pierre Cachia, The Arch Rhetorician: Or The Schemer’s Skimmer: A Handbook of Late Arabic Badīʻ Drawn from ʻAbd al-Ghanī an-Nābulsī’s Nafaḥāt al-Azhār ʻala Nasamāt al-Asḥār, Studies in Arabic Language and Literature 3 (Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz, 1998); §67, ISBN 9783447040327.
    5. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j Pierre Cachia, The Arch Rhetorician: Or The Schemer’s Skimmer: A Handbook of Late Arabic Badīʻ Drawn from ʻAbd al-Ghanī an-Nābulsī’s Nafaḥāt al-Azhār ʻala Nasamāt al-Asḥār, Studies in Arabic Language and Literature 3 (Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz, 1998), pp. 31-32; §51, ISBN 9783447040327.
    6. ↑ a b c d Pierre Cachia, The Arch Rhetorician: Or The Schemer’s Skimmer: A Handbook of Late Arabic Badīʻ Drawn from ʻAbd al-Ghanī an-Nābulsī’s Nafaḥāt al-Azhār ʻala Nasamāt al-Asḥār, Studies in Arabic Language and Literature 3 (Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz, 1998), p. 32; §52, ISBN 9783447040327.



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