COGNITIVE ASPECTS OF THE TRANSFORMATION OF THE ARABIC GRAMMATICAL TRADITION DURING THE NAHḌA

Abstract

This article examines the transformation of the principles of organizing grammatical knowledge in the Arabic linguistic tradition during the Nahḍa (Arab Renaissance) period. Drawing on cognitive linguistics, the study analyzes the works of key 19th-century scholars, including Nāṣīf al-Yāziǧī, Rifāʿa al-Ṭahṭāwī, Buṭrus al-Bustānī, and the authors of the educational grammar Qawāʿid al-luġa al-ʿarabiyya. The analysis demonstrates that the modernization of Arabic grammar did not reject the classical heritage, but rather adapted it to contemporary educational needs. The paper highlights a fundamental shift from linear textual descriptions to spatial and visual representations of grammatical structures through the use of tables, paradigm classifications (such as ṯulāṯī, rubāʿī, ḫumāsī, and sudāsī verb forms), and pedagogical simplifications. These innovations can be understood as reducing cognitive load, enabling learners to build mental schemas of Arabic derivation (ism al-marra, ism al-nawʿ) and syntax more efficiently. Furthermore, the study explores the evolution of didactic terminology, conceptual categorization, and the applicability of prototype theory to grammatical categories, such as the laysa category within 19th-century grammatical treatises. By applying cognitive frameworks, the research reveals that Nahḍa scholars intuitively employed strategies such as structural alignment, pragmatic optimization, and spatial visualization that were only formalized in modern cognitive science much later. Ultimately, the article concludes that the Nahḍa period represented a qualitative leap in linguistic representation, establishing a new framework for organizing and transmitting grammatical knowledge in Arabic pedagogy.