Qarîna

Device
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

An Arabic rhetorical device employing puns, homonyms, or double entendres to create layered or playful meanings in poetic discourse.

Detailed Definition
Qarîna is an Arabic poetic concept referring to a companion or parallel image that accompanies a primary metaphor or symbol to deepen its resonance, often functioning as a culturally specific allusion or intertextual echo; derived from pre-Islamic and classical Arabic poetics, qarîna enriches imagery by invoking a shared literary or mythological lexicon, so that a single image—like a desert wind—carries with it an entire constellation of associated meanings, emotions, and historical references, allowing poets like al-Mutanabbi to achieve layered, allusive density within concise lyrical forms.
Example
Example in poetry:
Qarîna, an Arabic poetic double or spiritual twin: “My qarîna whispers in dreams / what my tongue fears to speak.”; Pre-Islamic concept of a companion jinn; Modern reinterpretation: “She is my shadow-self, / writing the poems I censor.”
Additional Notes
Arabic rhetorical term for corresponding word pairs in parallel structures. Creates balance and symmetry. Related to parallelism. Study classical Arabic poetry examples.
Also Known As
Arabic balance Qasida balance Arabic parallelism Persian correspondence
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