MANHAJ NAHWU AND THE DIVISION OF KALAM (DESCRIPTIVE ANALYSIS OF TAMAM HASSAN)

Abstract

This study aims to explore Tamam Hassan’s concept of manhaj nahwu and his classification of kalam. Manhaj nahwu is an independent linguistic methodology used to analyze texts, with the division of kalam (speech or utterance) being one of its central elements. The research method applied is library research, using Tamam Hassan’s book Manahij al-Bahts fi al-Lughah as the main source of data. A qualitative descriptive approach is used to present Hassan’s perspectives on manhaj nahwu and his alternative approach to the classification of kalam in Arabic grammar. The findings indicate that Tamam Hassan’s manhaj nahwu emphasizes the functional meaning of words rather than merely their structural form. He stresses the importance of positional semantics and intonation, and views phonetics, phonology, morphology, and semantics as interrelated components of a unified grammatical system. Hassan proposes five steps to interpret words in the context of kalam: the written spelling, morphological distribution, contextual basis, the most common or functional meaning, and finally, the social function of the word. This study contributes to modern Arabic linguistic studies by introducing Tamam Hassan’s alternative framework. His theory highlights the functional and social dimensions of language, offering a broader and more dynamic perspective on grammar and speech classification, moving beyond the rigid, traditional structural approach.