LessonsThree Types of Kināyah: Referent, Attribute, and AttributionQuiz

Parts of an utterance may be explicit while other relations within it remain allusive. In “generosity and honour are in a tent...,” the qualities are named, but their attribution to the tent’s occupant is indirect.

Simply observing that an attribute is mentioned is insufficient. Ask separately: What is expressed directly? and Which relation is inferred?

This distinction resolves many difficult borderline cases.

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How explicit statement and allusion can coexist

Three Types of Kināyah: Referent, Attribute, and Attribution

Parts of an utterance may be explicit while other relations within it remain allusive. In “generosity and honour are in a tent...,” the qualities are named, but their attribution to the tent’s occupant is indirect.

Simply observing that an attribute is mentioned is insufficient. Ask separately: What is expressed directly? and Which relation is inferred?

This distinction resolves many difficult borderline cases.