and this point is useful in the study of “names and languages,” “the foundations of religion,” and “jurisprudence,” as well as in understanding “translation between languages.”

Moreover, in ordinary usage, speakers do not all pronounce a given language or expression in precisely the same way, without any variation whatsoever. If the intended purpose is achieved by all these pronunciations, then the same applies to a single meaning. Although languages differ, translation may still convey the essential intended meaning. The same applies to meanings, for translation concerns both wording and meaning. This is why the Muslims called Ibn ʿAbbās the interpreter of the Quran: he interpreted its wording.