MISHKAT

MISHKAT

Revisiting the Dynamics of Qur’anic Lexis and Semantic Shift: to a More Profound Understanding of Religious Texts

Document Type : Original Article

Author
Assistant Professor, Department of Islamic Studies, Farhangian University, Tehran, Iran
Abstract
Despite the undisputed importance of context in Qur’anic semantic analysis, previous studies have predominantly remained descriptive and lack a coherent analytical–applicative model. This article seeks to address this theoretical gap by designing and validating a thirteen-function context model for analyzing semantic dynamics in the Qur’an. Adopting an analytical–explanatory methodology and integrating the foundations of Qur’anic studies with modern linguistics (semantics and pragmatics), the study models the role of context in meaning-making. The core innovation of this model lies in its comprehensive typology, which articulates thirteen precise functions of context across four levels; semantic, syntactic, pragmatic, and discursive, thereby elevating context from a merely auxiliary clue to a systematic analytical tool. In addition to well-known functions, the model explicates novel dimensions such as the identification of speech acts and their role in shaping the semantic network of the text. These dimensions, in this degree of coherence, are unprecedented in previous research. The proposed model offers a practical framework for exegetes and translators of the Qur’an.
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