Temporal Semiotics

‘... In fact, there is a certain temporal aspect to linguistics, which becomes apparent in the rhythm of the individual moras, stops, and stresses in language. This tends to be most clearly demonstrated in traditional readings of the Quran (tilāwah), with all its rules and structures for pronunciation: when vowels are lengthened, when consonants are stressed, when to stop and take a breath, and when to continue without stopping. Ahkam al-tajwid, the science and rules of reciting the Quran, is significant: each and every rule is clearly marked with its own symbol repeatedly. The introduction of these symbols into Arabic writing may or may not have been intended to standardize Quranic recitation—which according to Mitchell’s definition of modernity would suggest a modernizing initiative. Regardless, the effect is that the rhythm and tempo of the Qurān is marked with certain symbols, which suggests not just a specific awareness of time, but also an initiative to attribute a specific temporal meaning to each symbol. In the end, these markers refer to issues of the semiotics of time—hence the name, temporal semiotics.
Structurally, these temporal markings in the Quran are repeatedly revealed in the architecture, the Islamic patterns, and the designs of the artefacts of the time. For example, the page from a Mamluk Quran has a certain
rhythm, which is then repeated in the patterns and designs of a dome of the Mamluk mosque-madrasa. Moreover, the structure of the Quran exhibits similar uses of repetition and symmetry that are evident in Islamic patterns, design and architecture. The various rules and rhythm of the different pronunciations come into effect when features like qalqala, idgham, ghonna, madd and waqf take place. This depends on interpretations of the Quran and its readings. Is it possible, then, that the Quran and its teachings have their own structural and temporal language of rhythms, that is subconsciously and visually reproduced? Can this be applied to other ideologies and their visual constructions of themselves? Does for example, the rhythm of the Marxist Manifesto of the Communist Party reveal itself in communist architecture in Russia, China, and Latin America? Are there structural parallels between the Bible and the paintings, architecture, and other visual manifestations of the Christian ideology based on its time and rhythm? Does each ideology have its own temporal language that is revealed in its own visual manifestations? Is there a relationship between the oral and the visual in Islamic doctrine and Islamic architecture, designs, calligraphy, and patterns? Can the sounds and rhythms of the recitations be translated into architecture, form, and patterns? In turn, is it possible to translate the resulting architecture, form and patterns into sound?’