Measurement in the three grammar schools (Basri, Kufic, and Andalusian)

Abstract

Every science has its essentials on which it builds and draws evidence and rules from it. Just as jurisprudence has essentials and interpretation has essentials, so does grammar have its essentials and sources, and the essentials of grammar are its evidence which branched out to sections and branches. The more powerful and multiple these sources are, it will reflected in the science itself. The grammar evidence on which linguists relied is many, but the most important of them are three: hearing, analogy, and consensus. The analogy is the most important of these sources, as all linguists have relied on it in different schools and ages, and everyone agrees to adopt it, but they differ in methodology and the way it used. In this research, I will explain with the three grammatical schools (Basra, Kufic, and Andalusian) and their attitude on analogy, with examples of the scholars of each school. The researcher concluded that the Basrans were the most stringent in taking analogies, and that they did not measure on the rare few, but on the most common. The Kufans were lenient in this and expanded on it so they measure on the one evidence and made a section for every issue, and as for the Andalusians (the latest), they benefited from the two schools and took a middle approach between them.