The semantics of the language of Quran

Introduction

The language of Qoran is one of the most important recent topics in the science of exegesis. With the introduction of linguistics as an academic field of study in the scientific societies of the world, it is natural that a huge number of questions (and in many cases many skepticisms) be proposed in connection with the study of the language of Qoran. Thus, this topic must be presented and discussed in depth and the ambiguities must be eliminated. In this lesson, first, we will discuss Mafhoom Shenasi (semantics) of the language of Qoran and its history, and then we will analyze the different types of language used in Qoran.

The language of Qoran:

A. Semantics (Mafhoom Shenasi)
In Persian language, Zaban (the Persian word for tongue and language) refers to the moving organ in the mouth which is the major means of speaking and also to the language of a nation or a community. In linguistics terminology, language (langue) is human's special ability and talent to produce speech, to communicate and to convey messages, which is abstract and impersonal and is the basis of speech. But speech (parole) is the phonetic representation and practical application of this ability at the time of saying and comprehending sentences. In Qoran, the word 'Lesan' is used in the meaning of language.
وَمَا أَرْسَلْنَا مِن رَّسُولٍ إِلَّا بِلِسَانِ قَوْمِهِ ...2
However, sometimes it has had the meaning of 'speech and conversation'.
وَأَخِي هَارُونَ هُوَ أَفْصَحُ مِنِّي لِسَاناً...3
And sometimes it means the means 'conversation and speech'.
وَلِسَاناً .وَشَفَتَيْن...4ِ
The word 'Bayan', in the verse «علّمه البيان» 5, refers to language. Allameh Tabataba'i states "Bayan means revealing something and it refers to revealing inner things" 6.
Saussure , the Swiss linguist, defines language in the following way:
Language is a set (structure, system) of interconnected signs whose components are totally interrelated and the value of each unit is based on its combinational status 7.
By language of Qoran, we do not intend the language in which Qoran is written (Arabic), but we mean what characteristics (declarative or impositional [Enshai, sentences whose truth value cannot be rejected or confirmed, e.g., imperative, interrogative, wish sentences], literal or figurative, allegorical or mythical, monolayered or multilayered, etc.) Qoran has in terms of words, clauses, and sentences. Do Mofradat (arbitrary words whose meaning is not dependent on the parts of the word) used in Qoran imply the same conventionally assigned meanings by human beings or do they refer to real named entities (Mosammiyat)? What styles and methods (general, emotional, scientific, symbolic, etc.) has Qoran used in conveying messages?
There are two types of definition for the language of Qoran. First, inferential definitions, which can be found in the works of previous scientists and scholars of Qoran, such as Allameh Tabataba'i, Ayat Allah Khui, and etc. It will be proposed and investigated in Views section. Second, definitions by the contemporary writers and scholars who have clearly defined the language of Qoran. Some definitions are given below.
Some contemporary scholars have defined the language of Qoran in the following way: "The language of Qoran refers to the type of communication structure and the implications of words, phrases, as well as the whole text of Qoran, in encounter with its audience". A contemporary writer, describing the language of heavenly books like Qoran as the language of religion and faith, states "the chief language of Qoran is the language of guiding souls and hearts of people. It is advice of a spiritual, God-worshiping, afterlife-believing approach, throughout the whole life and during the hustle and bustle of daily life, to stimulate man's sense of duty and responsibility in front of the Almighty God" 8. Some other modern scholars consider the language of Qoran as the language of guidance and state
Presumably the best assumption regarding the language of Qoran is to take it as the language of guidance. Guidance means directing towards the ultimate goal of man's life and assigning directions to the two invitations of man to moral ascendancy and piety, so that his human capabilities and talents bear fruit and he achieves the goal of his creation, human perfection.
Another contemporary scholar considers the language of Qoran as a language which compiles and conflates different types of speech (literal, figurative, metaphoric, and argumentative, etc.) and has various aspects and functions. It has speech functions (e.g., declaring actions religiously obligatory or unlawful) and its propositions are moral-awareness bestowing (Marefat Bakhshi) and have cohesion and coherence and longitudinal and cross-sectional levels (Sotooh Tooli and Arzi) in speech and comprehension.
Reminder: These definitions will be investigated and critiqued in section Views on the Language of Qoran.

B. History
Some aspects of the language of Qoran have long been noticed by vocabulary specialists, the literati, and eloquent writers and speakers and many works are produced in this regard.
In the contemporary time, modern linguistics (modern science of language) started with the ideas and thoughts of the Swiss linguist, Ferdinand de Saussure (1913 AD). The books God and man in Qoran (Isotsoo), Analysis of the language of Qoran and the epistemology of comprehending it (Mohammad Baqer Saidi Roshan), Language of Qoran (Maqsood Farasatkhjah), Language of religion and Qoran (Abolfazl Sajedi) are all written about the language of Qoran. Also, some books have discussed this topic in proportion, for examples, Dr. Mohammad Kazem Shaker in Basics and methods of exegesis, Ali Akbar Reshadi in Philosophy of religion, and Dr. Rezai Esfahani in Logic of exegesis.
Some contemporary scholars have moved out of the common sense of the terminology of our time (the language of Qoran) and have worked on the language in which Qoran is written (Arabic), under the name of 'the language of Qoran'. For instance they have questioned if the revelation (Nozool) of Qoran was in Qoreishi, Hejazi, Tamimi, Ka'b ebni Qoresh, Ka'b ebni Khazai, Mozer, or seven languages or all vernaculars of Arabic, and finally they have concluded that none of the above have any valid evidence 9.
Others have studied the new approaches to the language of religion (e.g., nihilism –Bi Ma'ni Engari-, functionalism –Karkerad Gerai-, and symbolism- Nemadin Engari) and have compared them to the language of Qoran and have rejected them. Then they have preferred the same conversational language and intellectual comprehension for the language of Qoran 10.
We must remember that some scientists and scholars of Qoran, too, have made some references to the language of Qoran, but since the topic of the language of Qoran was ambiguous for them and irrelevant to their field, they did not attempted to provide a clear and direct definition for the language of Qoran. However, they have stated some features for the language of Qoran and we can derive their view on the language of Qoran out of those statements. For instance, Ayat Allah Seyyed Abolqasem Khoiee, in his Albayan, refers to the general conventional language of Qoran. And the works by Allamneh Tabataba'i, Imam Khomeini, Shahid Motahhary, Ayat Allah Javadi Amoli, and Ayat Allah Marefat imply that the language of Qoran is a specific conventional language, though these scholars disagree on the quality and nature of specific conventional language.
Reminder: These views will be discussed and evaluated in the Views section.

C. Types of language and the investigation of their existence in Qoran
Language is categorized and named in different ways. We will point to the major types of language and investigate the existence of each type in Qoran.

1- Declarative and impositional languages
One of the themes within linguistics is the topic of declarative and impositional propositions, which has long been noted in syntax, logic, semantics and speech, principles of jurisprudence (Osool al Feqh), as well as in the study of the language of Qoran 11. Declarative language is a basic topic in asserting that the propositions of Qoran are moral-awareness bestowing (Ma'refat bakhsh). And impositional language (Zaban Enshaee, sentences whose truth value cannot be rejected or confirmed, e.g., interrogative, imperative, wish sentences) is a basic topic in the functions of the language of Qoran, such as emotional stimulation. According to a logical categorization, sentences, considering their meaning and content, are of two types:
First, declarative sentences, whose truth value could be verified, for example, "Hasan came". In holy Qoran, there are many declarative sentences in the areas of Qoranic stories, the Nature, etc. For instance,
ذلِكَ الْكِتَابُ لاَ رَيْبَ فِيهِ هُدىً لِلْمُتَّقِينَ 12
الشَّمْسُ تَجْرِي لِمُسْتَقَرٍّ لَّهَا 13
Notice: declarative statements in Qoran point to truths and real events, since Qoran is true and righteous and there is nothing untrue or unrighteous in it. 12.
إِنَّ هذَا لَهُوَ الْقَصَصُ الْحَقّ 14
لاَ يَأْتِيهِ الْبَاطِلُ مِن بَيْنِ يَدَيْهِ وَلاَ مِنْ خَلْفِهِ 15
Second, impositional sentences, whose truth value cannot be verified and which are issued to bring about some state or object (e.g., come here, Hasan!).
Impositional sentences include imperative, prohibitive, interrogative, hope, wish, exclamation, one-sided law practice, contract, reprimand, admiration, curse, oath, … sentences.
There are many impositional sentences (Jomalati Enshaee) in Qoran in the areas of religious rules, prayers etc. For example:
اهْدِنَا الصِّرَاطَ الْمُسْتَقِيم 16َ
أَقِمِ الصَّلاَة 17
رَبَّنَا آتِنَا فِي الدُّنْيَا حَسَنَةً وَفِي الْآخِرَةِ حَسَنَةً وَقِنَا عَذَابَ النَّار 18ِ

2- Literal and figurative language
An important subject in the meaning of expressions is the topic of literal, figurative, ironic, or symbolic languages and simile, which are noticed in principles of jurisprudence (Osool alfeqh), semantics and speech (Ma'ani va Bayan), Qoranic sciences, and principles of exegesis (Qawaedi Tafsir), and have a great influence on the comprehension and interpretation of Qoran. In contemporary age, this area has been regarded as one of the sub-disciplines of the language of Qoran. Whether the language of Qoran is true and literal is one of the basic topics in asserting that the remarks of Qoran are moral-awareness bestowing. In contrast to literal language, there is a continuum of language types, such as figurative language, irony, and etc. We will discuss the most important ones.

Reasons indicating that language of Qoran is true
The qualities of moral-awareness bestowing (Ma'refat Bakhshi), reality- representing (Vaqe' Nemai) and being real, as the characteristics of the language of Qoran, are noted by many authors and they have provided numerous definitions for theses concepts. Of course, being real, representing reality, and bestowing moral awareness all refer to one concept, although there are slight differences in their meaning and reference and they occasionally become specific or general. The fact that the language of Qoran is moral-awareness bestowing asserts that the language of Qoran is not to express mere emotions; and it is not a mythical language or some type of symbolic languages (e.g., interpretations of Soophyian and Batenian). But it is a meaningful language which discusses outside realities and real events and its truth value is verifiable. By reality- representing, we mean the congruence between what is in Qoran and outside realities, and by being literal, we mean the congruence between words and their conforming meanings (Ma'ani Motabeqi).
As, according to intellectual proof, veracity of reality (Esalatol Haqiqah) is the case in conversations to comprehend the speech of the religion guide (e.g., Qoran), moral-awareness bestowing and reality-representing principles are the case, unless there is an indication against the fact, which include inside-text indicators (Qarineh) and outside-text indicators (intellectual proofs). As Tabador (one meaning taking over other meanings), inaccuracy of Salb (words and sentences which leave out some meanings), and veracity of Haml Lafz bar Ma'na (determining a word for a meaning) are signs of truthfulness. But all statements in Qoran are not expected to be literal and have conforming meaning (Madlooli Motabeqi) and sometimes figurative language is used in Qoran. However, both literal language and figurative language have the quality of bestowing moral-awareness and are not imaginary and untrue. All sentences in Qoran refer to reality, whether tangible or intangible reality and all Qoranic stories tell historical events which have happened and are not mythical.
Readers should notice that first the moral-awareness bestowing quality of Qoran will be discussed and investigated and then the qualities of representing reality and being real. In other words, mortal-awareness bestowing quality of the language of Qoran involves literal language and figurative language (different kinds of figures of speech such as allegory, metaphor and irony). Regarding the two qualities of the language of Qoran, bestowing moral-awareness and reality- representing, we can point to numerous inside-Qoran and outside-Qoran reasons.