Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: This study aimed to elucidate the grammatical and semantic function of the word "ma" in Arabic,revealing its categories and types, and clarifying the differences between its nominal and nominaluses in light of linguistic context and contextual clues. The study also sought to clarify the impactof context on determining the nature of "ma" and its grammatical and semantic function, whileexamining its most prominent forms in Qur'anic texts and poetic and grammatical examples. Thestudy's significance stems from its focus on a linguistic tool that is among the most diverse andwidely used in Arabic, as its functions are numerous, including negation, interrogation, condition,exclamation, and relative clause, among others. This makes it highly influential in understandinggrammatical and semantic structures. Furthermore, the study contributes to highlighting therelationship between grammatical structure and semantic context in Arabic. The study adopted adescriptive-analytical approach, tracing the uses of "ma" in classical and modern grammarbooks, analyzing Qur'anic and poetic examples, and utilizing relevant grammatical and linguisticsources and references. The study reached several conclusions, most notably that the noun (ma) isdetermined to be either a noun or a particle depending on its context and accompanying linguisticclues. It is a shared term that performs multiple grammatical and semantic functions, and it mayproduce a grammatical effect in some constructions while rendering them inoperative in others.The study emphasized that context is a fundamental factor in shaping meaning and determiningthe grammatical function of (ma). The study recommended further research into the meanings andvarious uses of (ma) in Arabic, and conducting comparative studies with its counterparts in otherSemitic languages, while paying attention to the semantic and contextual aspects of grammaticalanalysis.
Institution: University of Al-Butana
Language: Arabic
Subfield: Language and Linguistics
Field: Arts and Humanities
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W7220465340