Lafz and Ma'na: Lafz is the word; Ma'na is the meaning the word points to. Meanings are either Kulli (universal) or Juz'i (particular).
Kulli and Juz'i, explained: A Kulli meaning can apply to many things at once: the meaning of "human" applies to Zayd, Maryam, and Ali — all of them share it. A Juz'i meaning applies to one specific thing only: "this Zayd" refers to one person and no one else.
The foundation of what follows: This distinction is the foundation of everything that follows: Session 3 is entirely about the five kinds of Kulli, and Session 5 is about how Kulli and Juz'i appear inside propositions ("All humans…" is Kulli; "Some humans…" is Juz'i).
Example
'Tree', tested both ways: The word "tree" is Kulli — it covers every tree in the world. The words "that tree in my garden" are Juz'i — they pick out one tree only.
Key Terms
- Ma'na (المعنی) — meaning
- Kulli (الکلي) — universal
- Juz'i (الجزئي) — particular/individual
Quran or Hadith
None in the reconstructed material.
Fresh diagram to be drawn: Two circles diagram: one big circle labelled Kulli covering many small figures; one small circle labelled Juz'i around a single figure. To be drawn in Project Desk colours.
- Lafz is the word; Ma'na is the meaning the word points to.
- The word "tree" is Kulli — it covers every tree in the world. The words "that tree in my garden" are Juz'i — they pick out one tree only.