Language and Meaning in Linguistic and Philosophical Approaches

30-09-2025

Language and Meaning in Linguistic and Philosophical Approaches
The Department of Linguistic and Translation Studies at Bayt al-Hikma, in cooperation with the Department of Philosophical Studies, organized a scientific symposium titled “Language and Meaning in Linguistic and Philosophical Approaches” on Monday, September 29, 2025, at Dr. Mahmoud Ali Al-Dawood Hall. The event was attended by Dr. Qahtan Naama Hassan Al-Khafaji, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Bayt al-Hikma, and Professor Dr. Mohammed Hussein Al-Yassin, President of the Iraqi Scientific Academy.
The session was chaired by Professor Dr. Ridha Kamel Al-Moussawi and  the rapporteur  was Senior Translator Ferdos Mousa from Bayt al-Hikma, with the participation of a distinguished group of professors and researchers in the fields of linguistics and philosophy.
The symposium participants discussed the importance of the problem of meaning as a common axis between linguistic inquiry and philosophical analysis, emphasizing that the development of modern studies has revealed the significance of interdisciplinary approaches in understanding texts and discourse.
Professor Dr. Hadi Nahr presented a paper titled “Language and the Duality of Mind and Thought”, which explored the relationship between language, mind, and thought, clarifying the distinct meanings of these terms and highlighting their interconnections.
Dr. Youssef Al-Idrisi, from Qatar University’s College of Arts and Sciences, delivered a paper titled “Constructing Meaning in Classical Arabic Criticism”, in which he examined the philosophical and religious ideas that shaped Arab literary criticism, focusing on the concept of “meaning,” its relationship to language, and modes of its formation and expression.
Professor Dr. Huda Salah Rasheed, from Tikrit University’s College of Education for Women, presented her paper “From Word to Semantic Networks: Redefining the Relationship Between Form and Meaning in Light of Cognitive and Neural Linguistics.” She proposed a shift from a linear conception of the word-meaning relationship to a network-based perspective, reflecting a cognitive transformation in understanding the mechanisms of meaning production and reception.
Professor Dr. Lama Abdul Qader, from the University of Al-Qadisiyah’s College of Arts, presented a paper entitled “Patterns of Self-Evaluation in Arabic from a Grammatical and Semantic Perspective.” She discussed how the self influences discourse through two dimensions: personal references and expressions of opinion or stance.
Professor Dr. Ihsan Ali Al-Haidari, from the University of Baghdad’s College of Arts, presented his paper “The Course of Meaning – A Study in the Development of Philosophical Theories from Theology to Language.” His research traced the shift of meaning from a transcendent divine truth in the Middle Ages to the thinking human subject in modernity, eventually becoming centered in language itself, where it became fragmented in the twentieth century.
Finally, Assistant Lecturer Nada Talal Ahmed, from the University of Mosul’s College of Arts, presented a study titled “Logical Atomism in Contemporary Philosophy of Language – Selected Models.” She examined the realistic value of two major schools of contemporary philosophical thought: analytic philosophy, represented by Bertrand Russell, and logical positivism, represented by Ludwig Wittgenstein.
The symposium was attended by a wide group of researchers, specialists, and professors of linguistics and philosophy, who enriched the discussions with their interventions and commentaries.

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