LessonsʿIlm al-Maʿānī: Predication, Emphasis, and Rational MetaphorQuiz

Declarative speech normally involves a musnad ilayh (what the judgment concerns), a musnad (what is predicated), and isnād (the attribution joining them).

زَيْدٌ عَالِمٌ — Zayd is learned.
Subject of attribution: زَيْدٌ
Predicate: عَالِمٌ
Attribution: affirming learning of Zayd.

The text also introduces complements of verbs. In “كَتَبَ زَيْدٌ الرِّسَالَةَ فِي الْبَيْتِ” the writing is accompanied by an object and a place. These complements receive fuller treatment in the fourth chapter, but their inclusion or omission can already affect what the utterance conveys.

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The two terms and their predication

ʿIlm al-Maʿānī: Predication, Emphasis, and Rational Metaphor

Declarative speech normally involves a musnad ilayh (what the judgment concerns), a musnad (what is predicated), and isnād (the attribution joining them).

زَيْدٌ عَالِمٌ — Zayd is learned.
Subject of attribution: زَيْدٌ
Predicate: عَالِمٌ
Attribution: affirming learning of Zayd.

The text also introduces complements of verbs. In “كَتَبَ زَيْدٌ الرِّسَالَةَ فِي الْبَيْتِ” the writing is accompanied by an object and a place. These complements receive fuller treatment in the fourth chapter, but their inclusion or omission can already affect what the utterance conveys.