LessonsĪjāz, Iṭnāb and Musāwāh: Concision, Ellipsis, Expansion and EquivalenceQuiz

«أَمَّا الإِيجَازُ وَالإِطْنَابُ فَلِكَوْنِهِمَا نِسْبِيَّيْنِ»
Concision and expansion are relative categories.

Relative (نسبي) means that neither category is measured by a universal word count. It is compared with a recognized, appropriate manner of expressing that meaning in the relevant setting. This standard may change with genre, audience and purpose.

A brief answer can be eloquent in one context, while a fuller explanation can be more appropriate in another. However, wording so compressed that the intended meaning is lost is defective obscurity, not admirable concision.

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Why the three terms are relative

Ījāz, Iṭnāb and Musāwāh: Concision, Ellipsis, Expansion and Equivalence

«أَمَّا الإِيجَازُ وَالإِطْنَابُ فَلِكَوْنِهِمَا نِسْبِيَّيْنِ»
Concision and expansion are relative categories.

Relative (نسبي) means that neither category is measured by a universal word count. It is compared with a recognized, appropriate manner of expressing that meaning in the relevant setting. This standard may change with genre, audience and purpose.

A brief answer can be eloquent in one context, while a fuller explanation can be more appropriate in another. However, wording so compressed that the intended meaning is lost is defective obscurity, not admirable concision.