Words Indicating Inanimate Entities in the Language of the Companions: A Semantic Study

Abstract

This article examines the words denoting inanimate entities in the language of the Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, through semantic analysis. This research is derived from the author's doctoral thesis, "The Language of the Companions: A Lexicon and Semantic Study." The study addresses a fundamental issue related to understanding how the natural environment influenced the development of language and the formation of concepts among the Companions. The aim of the research is to analyze terms related to the sky, earth, natural materials, and manufactured entities to provide insights into how these words interact with their surrounding environment and how they reflect cultural perceptions. The researcher based the study on semantic field theory, classifying these words into groups with a shared meaning that forms a single semantic field. The study then proceeds with a semantic analysis using contextual theory, focusing on understanding the meanings carried by these words and how their connotations change based on the context in which they appear. The semantic analysis also explores how some words are connected through specific semantic features that distinguish them from others. The research begins with an introduction, then presents the classification of terms and semantic analysis, and concludes with a summary of the findings.