The Development of the Arabic Theory in Semantics with Reference to Translation

Abstract

The present study aims at investigating the evolution of the Arabic theory of semantics. Semantics or the study of meaning is concerned with the meanings of grammatical constructions, sentences, words, and phrases. The term "semantic development" describes how the meaning of a certain word evolves over extended or brief periods of time. It may have an external or internal driving force. When speakers use words frequently and their intentions are not always precisely the same, meanings might change. It is hypothesized that semantic development is likely to occur when a word gains traction in usage and the speech community adopts a distinct meaning for it. Similar to other forms of linguistic change, semantic growth is universal, continuous, and gradual rather than abrupt.  It has been discovered that there are various types of semantic growth in Arabic, including specialization, generalization, and semantic shift. Certain word formation processes, including borrowing, production and invention, synthetic words, Arabicization, and blending, give rise to these types of semantic development. Need, social and cultural variables, emotional and psychological reactions, language deviation, metaphoric transition, historical factors, innovation, and purposeful and unintentional factors are some of the causes of these types of semantic growth.