UseExampleMain implication
No exclusivityزَيْدٌ كَاتِبٌThe property is not confined to Zayd
No known referentزَيْدٌ رَجُلٌNo previously identified man is selected
Magnificationهُدًى لِلْمُتَّقِينَHigh worth is suggested
Disparagementمَا زَيْدٌ شَيْئًاLack of standing is implied
The same grammatical characteristic, indefiniteness, can serve distinct rhetorical aims. Its function must be inferred from affirmation or negation, the content of the utterance, and the hearer’s circumstances.
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Indefiniteness, Specification and Definiteness of the Predicate
UseExampleMain implication
No exclusivityزَيْدٌ كَاتِبٌThe property is not confined to Zayd
No known referentزَيْدٌ رَجُلٌNo previously identified man is selected
Magnificationهُدًى لِلْمُتَّقِينَHigh worth is suggested
Disparagementمَا زَيْدٌ شَيْئًاLack of standing is implied
The same grammatical characteristic, indefiniteness, can serve distinct rhetorical aims. Its function must be inferred from affirmation or negation, the content of the utterance, and the hearer’s circumstances.