Measuring the Compound to the Singular in Al-Kitaab by Sibawayh: A Study in Grammatical Thought

Abstract

Abstract

Al-kitaab by Sibawayh was and still is a perennial source, from which scholars derive knowledge and methods of thinking that we do not find in any other book. Among the phenomena in this book is the measuring the compound to the singular, where the singular is the origin and the measured is the compound, the derivative. therefore, throughout this books, it can be noted that Sibawayh standardly use some expressions such as: (single name, single thing, single letter, and single word) in describing attributive and non-attributive compounds such as the subject and the predicate, the verb and the subject, and subordinate compounds, as well as the mixed compound and other compounds.

The current study aims to uncover this unique phenomenon in the book, which is echoed in subsequent grammarians' books, such as Al-Muqtadhib by Al-Mubarrad, Al-Usul by Ibn Al-Siraj, Al-Mufasal by Al-Zamakhshari and its explanations, as well as in books of the later. The study is based on identifying the similarity between the measured (compounds) and the measurement (singular), and explaining the rationale and judgments based on principles of grammar.

Keywords: Measurement, Singular, Compound, Single Noun, Single Thing, Single Word, Single Letter, Generality, Specificity.