Features of Structuralist Thought in the Arabic Linguistic Heritage of Sibawayh, Al-Jahiz, and Abd al-Qahir al-Jurjani in Light of Modern Structuralism: A Descriptive, Analytical, and Comparative Study.

Abstract

This study aims to investigate the structural dimensions inherent in the Arabic linguistic heritage by examining the ideas of three prominent scholars of Arabic language and

riticism: Sibawayh (d. 180 AH), Al-Jahiz (d. 255 AH), and Abd al-Qahir al-Jurjani (d. 471 AH), and comparing their ideas with the concepts of modern structuralism as developed by Ferdinand de Saussure, Roman Jakobson, and Claude Lévi-Strauss. The study is based on the hypothesis that ancient Arab thought had established concepts that were close to the structuralist conception of language as a system of relations, despite the differences in the epistemological foundations and scientific objectives between the two schools.

The study concludes that there are clear points of convergence between Al-Jurjani's concept of Nazm (ordering/composition) and the modern concept of linguistic structure, as well as between Sibawayh's theory of the grammatical agent (al-ʿamil) and syntagmatic relations. It also highlights Al-Jahiz's recognition of the functional role of internal relations in the production of meaning.