A CONTRASTIVE SEMANTIC STUDY OF ARABIC WORDS (TAQWĪM, TAQYĪM) AND THEIR ENGLISH COUNTERPARTS
Keywords:
Lexical Analysis, Semantics, Modern Coinage Semantics, Componential AnalysisAbstract
This study looks at two Arabic words from the same root *q-w-m* (ق و م): taqwīm (تقويم) and taqyīm (تقييم). Both are used today to talk about evaluation and assessment, but they have different histories. Taqwīm comes from the verb qawwama (قوَّم) and has two meanings in classical Arabic: (1) straightening or correcting something, and (2) determining value or price. Taqyīm comes from qayyama (قيَّم) but does not appear in any classical Arabic dictionary. It seems to be a modern word influenced by foreign languages like English (evaluation, assessment) and French (évaluation).
Using classical dictionaries such as Lisān al-ʿArab, Al-Qāmūs al-Muḥīṭ, and Tāj al-ʿArūs, as well as modern ones like Al-Muʿjam al-Wasīṭ, this study traces where these words came from and analyzes their meanings. It also looks at the 2002 decision by the Academy of the Arabic Language in Cairo to approve qayyama.
The study finds that taqwīm can express both corrective and evaluative meanings, while taqyīm only expresses evaluation. More importantly, taqwīm alone is enough because context always makes the meaning clear. The introduction of taqyīm was unnecessary. It is a modern invention influenced by foreign languages. The study ends with advice for translators and writers on how to use these terms correctly.
