An Enunciation Study of T-aaiyat’s Deictics Abi Ishaq Al-Ilbiri

Abstract

Through this research paper, we present a linguistic and phonetic study of the Ta’iyyah of Abu Ishaq al-Ilbiri, who died in 460 AH. He composed it before his death, that is, in the fifth century AH. This poem is also known as the Al-Ilbiri Poem, which is a poetic poem that encourages the pursuit of knowledge and the adoption of good morals. In it, we reveal a different point of view regarding the numerous explanations that preceded it throughout the ages, in order to explore the extended meanings contained in this text. Given the value of this system, scholars required students of knowledge to memorize it after explaining it to them. Our study resulted from the application of modern linguistic mechanisms in reading a heritage text that carries an important Islamic intellectual and cultural legacy, which still requires the attention of researchers. Our approach in this study is to apply the mechanisms of verbal linguistics to search for the meaning that resonates between the three elements "I, now, here" as the components of the theory of enunciation, and to consider the poem as a fabric that constitutes an ongoing, actual exchange between the two poles of communication: I and you. One of the most important findings we have uncovered is the poet's striking use of the first person pronouns "I, you." The singular first person pronoun "I" appears in the poem as separate, connected, hidden, and integrated into the discourse. The referent of this pronoun throughout the poem is the poet. As for the second person pronoun "you," it appears in the poem as separate and connected, and the referent varies, sometimes to Abu Bakr, sometimes to the poet himself, and other times to the recipient in general. As for the absent pronouns in the poem, they are few, and they appear as connected, separate, and hidden, and their referent varies according to the context. The poem contains neutral temporal clues, so that the call for knowledge and righteousness is a message for humanity at all times. Spatial clues are absent, because the poet's purpose is to preach, advise, and guide humanity in general.  The verbal approach to the discourse signals in Al-Ilbiri’s Ta’iyyah revealed that the poet focused on these two pronouns, “I/you,” for the symbolism they contain in the exchange of roles in life by humans, regardless of their time and place. Sometimes they represent “I” and sometimes “you.”