LessonsPurposes of Tashbih: Possibility, State, Degree, Reinforcement, Beautification, Disparagement and InversionQuiz

To identify a rhetorical purpose, the presence of kāf or kaʾanna is not enough. We consider the speech situation, the listener's prior knowledge, the quality compared, and the speaker's tone.

A listener who doubts whether a remarkable quality is possible may need an analogy of possibility. Someone ignorant of the state needs an illustration of its nature. Someone already aware of the state may need to know its degree.

Thus we should not automatically label every attractive comparison beautification or every emphatic comparison reinforcement. The communicative objective controls classification.

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Context determines the intended effect

Purposes of Tashbih: Possibility, State, Degree, Reinforcement, Beautification, Disparagement and Inversion

To identify a rhetorical purpose, the presence of kāf or kaʾanna is not enough. We consider the speech situation, the listener's prior knowledge, the quality compared, and the speaker's tone.

A listener who doubts whether a remarkable quality is possible may need an analogy of possibility. Someone ignorant of the state needs an illustration of its nature. Someone already aware of the state may need to know its degree.

Thus we should not automatically label every attractive comparison beautification or every emphatic comparison reinforcement. The communicative objective controls classification.