The impact of multiple grammatical interpretations in Abu Saeed Al-Sirafi's commentary on Sibawayh's book: A study in interpreting meaning

Abstract

This research focuses on the work of Al-Sirafi, a scholar of the Basra school of grammar, which laid the foundations and rules of Arabic grammar. The study examines a crucial grammatical issue related to inflection (i'rab), its types, and the differing interpretations of inflectional forms used by grammarians to understand the intended meaning of words and phrases. It explores Al-Sirafi's perspective on this topic, his preferred interpretations in his commentary on Sibawayh's book, and his analysis of these interpretations. The research also presents the views of earlier and later grammarians on these interpretations, along with the supporting evidence they provided. Furthermore, it examines Al-Sirafi's stance on the various interpretations of inflection held by his predecessors, and the resulting differences in interpretation, which impacted the grammatical analysis of texts and examples, determining their conformity or contradiction with the chosen interpretations.