"Major Derivation" and Its Role in Constructing Semantic Fields: Quranic Examples Based on the Permutations of Sound Roots

Abstract

This research examines the relationship between Ibn Jinni’s concept of major derivation (al-ishtiqāq al-kabīr) and the theory of semantic fields through an analysis of selected patterns of permutation within sound Arabic roots as attested in Qur’anic usage and Arabic lexicographical sources. The study proceeds from the assumption that changing the order of the original root consonants does not always produce completely unrelated lexical items. Rather, in a number of roots, such permutations may reveal a degree of semantic affinity that can be represented within a semantic-field structure in which particular meanings are organized around a central meaning. However, this assumption is not treated as a fixed or automatic rule; instead, it is tested in light of lexical usage, Qur’anic context, and the varying degrees of directness or interpretive mediation required to relate the different permutations to a common semantic link. The study adopts the descriptive-analytical method and draws on semantic-field classification and the concept of semantic relations. These principles are applied to the roots z-l-f, n-f-ʿ, r-f-ʿ, ṭ-l-ʿ, n-ẓ-r, and d-b-r/q-d-r. The analysis shows that the most recurrent semantic relations in these examples are inclusion, synonymy, and opposition or contrast, although the strength of the semantic link varies considerably. Some roots provide direct lexicographical evidence, whereas others require intermediate interpretive steps. Moreover, the presence of unused or rare permutations limits the possibility of generalization. The study therefore concludes that the significance of major derivation does not lie in forcibly reducing all permutations to a single meaning, but rather in its usefulness as an exploratory tool for constructing semantic networks, provided that interpretation remains grounded in actual usage and context and that a distinction is maintained between central meaning and peripheral semantic features.