The Vocabulary of Human Creation in Kifāyat al-Mutaḥaffiẓ wa Ghāyat al-Mutalafẓ by Ibn al-Ajdābī (470 AH): A Study in Semantic Differences

Abstract

The phenomenon of semantic differences is considered one of the systems within the Arabic language, and it has attracted the attention and care of linguists both in ancient and modern times. While Al-Furūq al-Lughawiyyah (Linguistic Differences) by Abū Hilāl al-ʿAskarī (d. ca. 400 AH) is regarded as one of the most prominent classical works in this field, modern linguistics recognizes that synonymy in language does not imply complete equality in meaning between two words. Rather, it indicates a closeness in meaning. In precise linguistic expression, no word can fully substitute for another or take its exact place.