The Aesthetics of Semantic Shift in Arabic Proverbs

Abstract

This research examines a stylistic phenomenon, namely semantic deviation and its aesthetics in Arabic proverbs. It constitutes a prominent feature and rhetorical tool in these proverbs, as they depart from the familiar language, which contains no deviation, to a metaphorical and suggestive language whose overall function is based on deviation, which gives the text a creative character that distinguishes literary language from expository language. Figurative images such as metaphor, metonymy, and allegory represent the most important tools of semantic deviation because they are a departure from literal expression to figurative expression in literary works. In this research, we attempt to identify the instances of semantic deviation in Arabic proverbs and thus reveal two meanings of the proverb: the first is the literal meaning when the proverb was first uttered in its context, and the second is the deviation meaning that is used when the proverb is applied to depict an event similar to the original. The proverb is repeated verbatim, but this time it carries a new meaning.