Equivalent Appositive [البَدَلُ]

Lesson-6

We are trying to learn Grammar [Morphology and Syntax] by following the teaching strategy of Grand Qur'aan on need to know basis. We have memorized that nouns in Arabic in their default state are always in nominative case [ ـُـُ  ـُ ] and whenever they are not as such in the text we must enquire the reason and find the agent influencing change of case ending. This phenomenon of variations in case ending is called grammatical inflection and is the heart of Arabic grammar. Experts say, "In Arabic grammar, we have this concept called grammatical inflection. It is the core of grammar and everything else revolves around it. Any discussion that the grammarians have is always rooted in grammatical inflection. Anything the grammarians talk about, they talk about only because it is related to grammatical inflection. Understand this concept is understanding the Arabic language and failing to understand it is failing to understand the language. Arabic grammar IS grammatical inflection.."***

The fact that the grammar of Arabic revolves around inflection is evidence that learning Arabic of Qur'aan is as easy as brains of children effortlessly learn the grammar of their native language merely by hearing and watching. Inflection in Arabic is just four signs at the end of words. We have already become familiar with these signs; nominative ـُ ; genitive [ـِ] and accusative  ـَ ;or same when doubled [ــًــٍــٌ  tanwīn symbols]. The fourth sign peculiar to verbs is [جَزْم] a small sign [] like at the end of this verb .

The first two words of Grand Qur'aan comprising of Prepositional Phrase and Possessive Phrase    shift the fixation point of our gaze to the next fixation point where with 100% acuity we find the word . The gaze signals to the brain that it is also in genitive case [ـِ]. This forces the brain to analyze and determine its reason as to why it is not in default state  ـُ . Since our brain had already analyzed the previous phrases, therefore, it rules out the possibility of it being genitive because of the influence of preposition or because of second noun of possessive phrase. Why is it then in genitive case?

We are familiar about the concept of "Apposition" in our native languages. "Apposition is the placing of a noun or noun phrase beside another noun and noun phrase, where it shares the same grammatical function, as in A portrait of Benjamin Disraeli, the famous statesman, in which the famous statesman is in apposition to Benjamin Disraeli. Words in apposition are called appositives. In this example, the appositive gives additional information, and is called non-restrictive; in other cases, the appositive is an essential part of the expression and is called restrictive, e.g. William the Conqueror, the author Penelope Lively".
"Apposition can either be restrictive, or non-restrictive where the second element parenthetically modifies the first. In a non-restrictive appositive, the second element parenthetically modifies the first without changing its scope. Non-restrictive appositives are not crucial to the meaning of the sentence. In a restrictive appositive, the second element limits or clarifies the foregoing one in some crucial way. For example in the phrase "my friend Alice", "Alice" specifies to which friend the speaker is referring and is therefore restrictive. On the other hand, in the above example: "my wife, a nurse by training, ..." the parenthetical "a nurse by training" does not narrow down the subject, but rather provides additional information about the subject, namely, "my wife". In English, a non-restrictive appositive must be preceded or set off by commas, while a restrictive appositive is not set off by commas."***

In Arabic too, there are Equivalent Appositive [البَدَلُ] and Explicative Appositive [عطف البيان]. "The Equivalent Appositive is a word which has attributed to it whatever is attributed to its principle while the subordinate is intended for the attribution not its principle" [*** Page-111]. In Arabic, when a noun is influenced indirectly it is termed Subordinate [التَّابِعُ] because it follows that which precedes it in case ending [إِعْرَابُ]. The preceding word it mimics is called the .مَتْبُوْع The apposition noun should agree with the preceding noun's case, gender and number.

Earlier we had memorized on seeing a word in genitive case [ـِ]  that it is either because of a preceding preposition, or because it is the second noun مُضَاف إلَيْه of Possessive Phrase. Not finding the third word of text in genitive case [ـِ] as either preceded by preposition or in construct with the preceding noun, we resorted to grammar of our native languages to know about uses of nouns in texts. And then consulted Arabic grammar books only to find that same phenomenon is in Arabic but easier to visually and effortlessly recognize. Now we should recall and memorize another point about the nouns in the text which are in genitive case [ـِ];

  Visual recognition of Adjectival Phrase