Bernhard Schieber

Ilm al-maani as contextual appropriateness

Knowledge

Ilm al-ma’ani, one of the later sciences of balagha, concerns the syntactic and contextual appropriateness of expression. It holds that what is said must fit audience, situation, purpose, and intended meaning, rather than satisfy a universal preference for beautiful wording.

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Provides a broad intellectual perspective within which multiple concepts, theories or investigations are developed. Traditions carry histories and commitments; metatheories examine how theories themselves are organized or related.

Executive Insight BriefBayan and Ilm al-Balagha: Make the Operative Meaning ManifestRead the brief →

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