Research Information System
Thesis Type: Doctorate
Institution Of The Thesis: Gazi University, Eğitim Bilimleri Enstitüsü, Arap Dili Eğitimi Bilim Dalı, Turkey
Approval Date: 2020
Thesis Language: Turkish
Student: AYŞE İSPİR KURUN
Supervisor: Musa Yıldız
Abstract:
World and everything in it are subject to constant change and transformation. Accordingly, it is inevitable that language, which is, among others, an instrument of communication, changes as well, along with the meanings that it denotes and conveys. As language is not the only instrument conveying meaning, linguistics is not the only discipline examining meaning—the study of meaning is an interdisciplinary endeavor. However, meaning is explored in this study largely from a linguistic perspective. Semantic changes are commonly explored by historical semantics. In this study, semantic change of three words, fath, jihâd, and shahîd, are traced by using the tools of historical semantics. These words entered a particular semantic realm as soon as they became Islamic religious terms and therefore their meanings have been transformed from pre-Islamic era to the Islamic era, i.e. after the advent of Islam. The first part of this study is theoretical preliminaries addressing the theoretical concerns of this study in semantics and semantic change. Then, pre-Islamic (Jahiliyya) sources, the Qur’an, major classical Arabic dictionaries, four commonly-used Qur’anic exegeses, and several major modern Arabic dictionaries are scrutinized to detect the occurances of these terms. Lastly, the semantic contexts in which these terms are used are analyzed to track how their meanings have evolved over time. Key words: semantics, historical semantics, semantic change, religious term, contextual analysis.