Formulation of the Claim
Understanding Qur’anic discourse requires a linguistic-semiotic analysis of the network of pronouns.
Explanation
Arkoun links the understanding of Qur’anic discourse to paying attention to pronouns as part of the structure of meaning, not merely as secondary grammatical tools. The pronominal network helps determine the positions of discourse and the shifts in its modes of address; therefore, it is not enough to deal with the text at the level of apparent meaning alone.
This analysis also belongs to Arkoun’s tendency to dismantle the conditions for the production of meaning in the Qur’anic text through the tools of linguistics and semiotics. The aim is not to isolate pronouns from context, but to read them in their arrangement within discourse in order to uncover its internal mechanisms.
Its Place in the Book’s Argument
This atom falls within Arkoun’s broader effort to renew the approach to the Qur’an by means of modern analytical tools, in opposition to readings that confine understanding to traditional exegesis or to direct meaning. It is close to his general thesis, which makes the study of Qur’anic discourse a study of its structure and its pragmatic and semantic articulations, not merely of receiving its content.
Limits of the Claim
This atom should not be taken to mean that it explains the entirety of Qur’anic discourse or replaces the other tools of historical and semantic reading. Nor does it mean that pronouns alone are sufficient to produce understanding; rather, they are one entry point among others within a broader project.