The Methodological Rules of Arabic Grammar

The underlying foundations of Arabic grammar are built on a few principles or premises. This paper deals with the following principles only: Labelling, equilibrium, symmetry, priority, and consistency. The methodological rules perform an important explanatory function in Arabic grammar. They are part and parcel of the discipline’s rich fabric of explanation (taʿlīl). The discussion of the methodological rules shows that an underlying level of unifying principles binds sets of rules together into what may be loosely called thematic groups. An interesting feature of this classification is that it seems to relate to views in Islamic/Arabic culture concerning the nature of man and the universe.