Patterns of Reasoning: Sībawayhi’s Analysis of the ḥāl

This is a somewhat experimental paper. If it succeeds it will show that Sībawayhi’s thinking is essentially non-linear, that is, he works with a complex array of interlocking notions, all of which are present in his mind simultaneously, rather than in a sequence of ideas, each following progressively from the previous one. If the paper fails, it will at least have demonstrated that Sībawayhi’s thinking is of a kind which lesser minds cannot reduce to some arbitrary scheme.