Illustration of the Widespread Linguistic Phenomenon of " Qualifier Replacement for Qualified" in Pre-Islamic Arabian Odes

Reading the Arabian poems attributed to pre-Islamic era, especially Mu’allaqat, one constantly faces a widespread linguistic phenomenon that somehow impedes the process of understanding “the signified” and the meaning of the poems. This linguistic technique is characterized by deletion of the qualified and replacement of one or more qualifiers for it. The present study is trying to elaborate on the reasons for such a linguistic phenomenon and find out whether this phenomenon is a superficial and accidental matter, or it is rooted in recognizable factors.
Theoretical Framework: The linguistic technique being discussed takes place with the omission of the qualified and replacement of one or more qualifiers for it. In some references on meaning and locution of knowledge, this phenomenon is discussed as “figurative language based on qualifiers” and in some others, it is being accounted as “semantic collocation in figurative style”(Safavi, 2004,p.257).The researcher hypothesizes that the occurrence of this linguistic usage in pre-Islamic Arabian poetry is not a superficial and accidental occurrence, but a linguistic approach which has its own reasons. These reasons can be recognized through the influence of environment and temperament of the nomadic desert dwellers on ancient Arabian Peninsula; therefore, the present conditions confirm the artistic verity of those poems. In this study, the sample of poems were chosen from the works of pre-Islamic poets such as: “Shanfara”, “Nabegheh Zobyani”, “Aa’sha”, and the followers of Mu’allaqatsaba’, because these poems are representative of artistic authenticity and the apex of verbal creativity in that era; moreover, they are the patterns which are followed by Arabian classical poets.
The Research method in the present study is descriptive, analytical, and historical. Disjunction and description of various manifestations of the qualifiers, attributed to the pre-Islamic era, which appear in the replacement of their qualified, and also the historical, artistic, and linguistic analysis of the effective factors on the occurrence of such a replacement are beyond the scope of this study. In fact, the procedure of this research is argumentative and aims at elaborating on the conditions and circumstances of the question.
The co-occurrence of qualifier and qualified is a kind of semantic collocation and accounts for the descriptive aspect of language. “Qualified deletion” and the replacement of qualifier in line with the procedure of semantic transition, is a kind of “morsal” figurative which is accounted as a good replacement for metaphorical figurative in ancient poetry; furthermore, it has displayed a sort of literary equivalence. Replacement of qualifier for qualified in pre-Islamic poetry has reasons and manifestation. These qualifiers can be observed as the following forms: singular and real qualifiers (these qualifiers are mostly derivative such as the qualifier “awja’” for camel), metaphorical compound qualifiers (such as the qualifier “tawi al kashh” for the description of body slenderness), appellative (it is accompanied by words such as Ibn, Omm , Bani, etc. as in the qualifier “bani al qabra’” which is a metaphor for the poor). The qualifiers which appear as proper nouns that are used with their own proper qualified (such as the qualifier “jai’al” for the noun hyena), metaphorical qualifiers (such as the qualifiers “sahil” and “mobram” which are used as qualifiers for one-fold thread and manifold thread respectively, but they are used as metaphors for “weakness and strength” conditions. This study confirms the assertion that the abundance and prominence of this phenomenon, that is the replacement of qualifiers for qualified, has reasons which are significantly relevant to the life style, mental, cultural, and social conditions of the pre-Islamic Arabs. Themajority of these reasons are:1- The narrowness of cognitive field and intuitive approach toward knowledge and conception; 2- Historical and geographical monotony and deep-rooted attachment of Arabs to the monotonous conditions of the desert; 3- Lack of development in metaphorical and figurative field, and using the technique of “qualified deletion” in line with the “morsal” figurative language in order to provide literary equivalence; 4- The interest of nomadic Arabs in describing the objects and phenomena and their frequent use of qualifiers; 5- The impact of “qualified deletion” on enhancing the speech literariness; 6- Shortage of time for nomadic Arabs to ponder over the issues and their inclination toward omission and succinctness;7- Poetic necessity and the restrictions with regard to the rhythm and rhyme.
Findings of the present study indicate that this linguistic phenomenon has a strong relationship with environmental factors, geographical and cultural conditions, and life style of the pre-Islamic poets. Restriction of the scope of knowledge and sparseness of flora and fauna in deserts, causes theemotional attachment of nomadic poets, and lack of time and experience for them to ponder over the extraterrestrial life have restricted the language, proper nouns, and the field of qualifiers, and these conditions have inspired the pre-Islamic talented poets to delete qualified and replace it with a qualifier, as a linguistic technique, and due to these conditions, there is no need for the poet to repeat the very few qualified (nouns) around him boringly. Furthermore, the descriptive orientation of the pre- Islamic poet influenced the appearance of so many qualifiers and their frequent use. In sum, it can be mentioned that, the environmental factors, emotional and mental attachments of the poet, rhetoric techniques, and restrictions with regard to the rhythm and rhyme of the Arabian poetry, had agreat influence on the appearance of such a technique, and along with other circumstances had a congruence with the addressees’ conditions in that era.