آفاق الحضارة الاسلامية

آفاق الحضارة الاسلامية

The Pragmatics of Conversational Implicature in the Poetry of Sulaiman Al-Nabhani

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors
1 Ph.D. candidate of Arabic Language and Literature, Persian Gulf Universityof Bushehr,iran.
2 Associate professor, Department of Arabic Language and Literature, Persian Gulf University of bushehr, iran
3 Professor, department of Arabic language and literature, shahid chamran University of Ahvaz, Ahvaz, iran
4 Associate Professor, Department of Arabic Language and Literature, Persian Gulf University of Bushehr, iran
Abstract
Conversational implicature is a central concept in pragmatic theory, referring to those indirect meanings and implications that the listener infers through the violation of socially established conversational rules, rather than from the direct, literal meaning of the words. This mechanism is based on the "Cooperative Principle" between speakers, formulated by the philosopher Paul Grice into four basic maxims: Quantity, Quality, Relation, and Manner. The poetry of Sulaiman al-Nabhani was chosen as a distinctive creative model, characterized by its richness in implicit meanings, innovative metaphors, and a blend of authentic Arabic formulation with intellectual and emotional depth in content.
The research adopted the pragmatic approach, which focuses on analyzing language within its context of use, employing Grice's theory of the Cooperative Principles as an analytical framework for reading the texts. The analysis revealed al-Nabhani's remarkable skill in artistically and consciously employing these principles. He adhered to the maxim of Quantity in his advisory and wisdom poetry, while deliberately violating it in his love poetry through elaboration to create a sense of wonder. He maintained artistic truthfulness regarding the maxim of Quality even with poetic exaggerations. His poetry exhibited strong thematic coherence in line with the maxim of Relation, while he excelled in creatively violating the maxim of Manner through complex rhetorical deviations that enriched meaning. These intelligent strategies of employing or violating the conversational maxims are what transform al-Nabhani's poems into a successful model of constructive implicit dialogue.
 
 
 
 
Introduction
Conversational implicature is a fundamental concept in the field of linguistic pragmatics,which studies meaning in its communicative context, starting from the idea that the intended meaning of speech often goes beyond the literal meaning of the words.
Based on this concept, this study comes to apply it to the poetry of Sulaiman bin Sulaiman Al-Nabhani, who represents one of the most prominent poets of Oman in the Al-Nabhani era. His poetry embodies a rich literary heritage and is characterized by its thematic diversity and linguistic richness, in addition to the poet's distinguished status as a king and poet, which gave his discourse profound political and social dimensions. This research aims to uncover the hidden semantic layers in Al-Nabhani's poetry through the mechanisms of conversational implicature, seeking to understand how language is used to produce implicit meanings and their impact on the recipient. The importance of this study lies in its attempt to link two cognitive fields: pragmatic linguistics and literature, which opens new horizons for reading Omani poetic heritage in a contemporary way, demonstrating its ability to produce meanings and influence the recipient through the dialogic strategies used by the poet. The study seeks to provide critical insights that contribute to enriching contemporary poetic studies and expanding our perceptions for understanding poetic texts in their interactive, dialogic dimension.
 
Materials&Methods
This study relied on the pragmatic approach,which is concerned with studying language in its realistic, utilitarian context and analyzing the communicative intentions and goals of speakers.
 
Dicussion&result
Concept of Conversational Implicature
Conversational implicature is a central concept in pragmatics and is considered one of the most prominent concepts in pragmatic studies concerned with meaning in the context of communication. This concept was developed by the English philosopher Grice. He argued that in their dialogues, people may say what they mean, may mean more than they say, and may mean the opposite of what they say. The speaker intentionally violates the rules on the surface level to achieve the desired cooperation on a deeper level, which is termed a type of flouting of the rules. Grice formulated the "Cooperative Principle" to solve a problem: How is it possible for a speaker to say something and mean something else? And then, how is it also possible for the listener to hear something and understand something else? Grice concluded that all discourse between interlocutors must be subject to conversational rules under what he called the "Cooperative Principle" to achieve communication between them. Grice's efforts in discussing the Cooperative Principle and conversational implicature opened an avenue for defining pragmatic principles to understand the methods of dialogue and infer meanings by establishing organized rules. "Grice's principle is considered the first seed of conversational implicature. Grice started from the idea that a sentence in language indicates explicit and implicit meanings determined within the context, and this is called conversational implicature."
Conversational implicature has four principles (or maxims):
· The Maxim of Quantity: Make your contribution as informative as required. Do not make your contribution more or less informative than is required.
· The Maxim of Quality: Do not say what you believe to be false. Do not say that for which you lack adequate evidence.
· The Maxim of Relation (Relevance): Be relevant. Make your contribution relevant to the topic.
· The Maxim of Manner: Be perspicuous. Avoid obscurity, avoid ambiguity, be brief, be orderly.
 
Conclusion
This article concludes that Al-Nabhani's poetry represents a fertile field for the manifestations of conversational implicature and the cooperative principles formulated by Grice. The analysis reveals that the poet did not adhere to these principles mechanically but dealt with them with great flexibility. Through the maxim of quantity, Al-Nabhani's ability to balance brevity and elaboration emerged, providing precise and concise information in some texts sufficient to construct meaning. Regarding the maxim of quality, the poet adhered to truthful expression of his personal experience and emotions. At the level of the maxim of relation, Al-Nabhani maintained clear thematic coherence in most of his texts, with verses revolving around a single central idea, along with a remarkable ability to connect partial images and diverse metaphors into a unified structure. Concerning the maxim of manner, the study revealed the poet's skill in violating the rules of clarity and direct order by using positive ambiguity, syntactic deviation, and complex metaphors, which added deep semantic layers and transformed language from a tool of communication into a tool for interpretation and aesthetic stimulation.
Keywords
Subjects

 

کاربردشناسی استلزام ارتباطی در شعر سلیمان النبهانی

 

سيد شبر محسني حسین پور[1]

علی خضری[2]

رسول بلاوی[3]

محمدجواد پورعابد[4]

ناصر زارع [5]

 

جکیده

استلزام گفتگویی مفهومی محوری در نظریه کاربردشناسی است که به آن معانی و دلالت‌های غیرمستقیمی اشاره دارد که مخاطب از طریق نقض قواعد پذیرفته‌شده اجتماعی مکالمه استنباط می‌کند، نه از معنای ظاهری و تحت‌اللفظی واژه‌ها. این مکانیسم بر «اصل همکاری» بین گویندگان استوار است که توسط فیلسوف، پل گریس، در چهار اصل بنیادی طبقه بندی شده است: کمیت، کیفیت، ارتباط و شیوه. اشعار سلیمان النبهانی به عنوان الگویی خلاقانه و متمایز انتخاب شده که از غنای معانی ضمنی، استعارات نوآورانه و تلفیق اصالت بیانی عربی با عمق فکری و عاطفی در محتوا برخوردار است.

این پژوهش بر روش شناسی پراگماتیک تکیه کرده که بر تحلیل زبان در بافت کاربردی آن متمرکز است و از "نظریه «اصل همکاری» گریس به عنوان چارچوب تحلیلی برای خوانش متون بهره برده است. تحلیل، مهارت چشمگیر النبهانی را در به کارگیری هنرمندانه و آگاهانه این اصول نشان داد. او در اشعار پندآمیز و حکیمانه خود به اصل کمیت پایبند بود، در حالی که در غزلیات با اطناب و درازگویی عمدی آن را نقض می‌کرد تا شگفتی ایجاد کند. او در اصل کیفیت، حتی با اغراق‌های شاعرانه، صداقت هنری را حفظ کرد. اشعار او از انسجام موضوعی قوی مطابق با اصل ارتباط برخوردار بود، در حالی که در نقش آفرینانه اصل شیوه از طریق انحرافات بلاغی پیچیده که معنا را غنی می‌ساخت، مهارت داشت. این راهبردهای هوشمندانه در به کارگیری یا نقض عمدی اصول گفتگو، اشعار نبهانی را به الگویی موفق برای گفتگوی ضمنی سازنده تبدیل می‌کند.

 

کلیدواژه‌ها: استلزام ارتباطی، کاربردشناسی ، اصل همکاری، سلیمان النبهانی

 



[1] -- دانشجوی دکتری زبان و ادبیات عربی،  دانشگاه  خليج فارس، بوشهر، ايران.  mohseni1341962@gmail.com     

[2] - دانشیار گروه زبان و ادبیات عربی، دانشگاه خليج فارس، بوشهر، ايران. (نویسنده مسئول)     alikhezri@pgu.ac.ir

[3] -  استاد گروه زبان و ادبیات عربی، دانشگاه شهيد چمران اهواز، اهواز، ايران..   r.balavi@scu.ac.ir 

[4] - دانشیار گروه زبان و ادبیات عربی، دانشگاه خليج فارس، بوشهر، ايران.    m.pourabed@pgu.ac.ir

[5] - دانشیار گروه زبان و ادبیات عربی، دانشگاه خليج فارس، بوشهر، ايران..   nzare@pgu.ac.ir 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Volume 28, Issue 2 - Serial Number 56
Autumn & Winter
February 2026
Pages 235-262

  • Receive Date 16 October 2025
  • Revise Date 10 December 2025
  • Accept Date 15 December 2025
  • Publish Date 01 February 2026