The Phenomenon of Consonantal Assimilation between Arabic Heritage and Modern Linguistic Thought."

Abstract

This article discusses the phenomenon of i'qa' (inflexion) in Arabic poetry according to two different concepts. The first represents the vision of ancient linguists and their understanding of the phenomenon which has much evidence that indicates i'qa' (inflexion) as a deviation that occurs in some rhyme endings of a poem. Where the movement pattern alternates between nominative and genitive cases. The second represents the vision of some modern scholars who believed that i'qa' (inflexion) is simply a deviation from the rules of Arabic grammar that the poet resorts to in order not to break the continuity of rhymes and disturb the musicality of his poetry. The article has presented evidence that what the ancients believed is more accurate, and that modern scholars have confused between two different concepts in terms of meaning and evidence. It is concluded that i'qa' (inflexion) is only a rhetorical defect, nothing more.