ANALYSIS OF THE SEMANTIC (RELATIONAL) MEANINGS OF PREPOSITION IN THE ARABIC LANGUAGE

Abstract

In this article, the semantic and relational meanings of  preposition (ḥarf) in the Arabic language are thoroughly analyzed. Particles (ḥurūf) are considered as essential linguistic tools that express various types of relations between words, phrases, and clauses in Arabic. In particular, the study focuses on ḥarf al-jar (حروف الجر) and the genitive relations, spatial and temporal relations, as well as cases of semantic extension and restriction that they generate.

The article analyzes the semantic load of various particles (such as fī – “in,” ʿalā – “on,” min – “from,” ilā – “to”) through examples, and explains their relational meanings in the language. It also demonstrates that the same particle may carry different meanings in different contexts. For instance, the particle min can denote cause, location, source, or separation, showing the polysemous nature of particles in Arabic.

Furthermore, the role of particles in meaning-making is comparatively examined with analogous linguistic devices in other languages. Through this analysis, the semantic and pragmatic features of Arabic particles are substantiated from the perspective of linguistic theory.