{"id":135,"date":"2009-09-30T10:00:03","date_gmt":"2009-09-30T08:00:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/elanguage.net\/blogs\/booknotices\/?p=135"},"modified":"2010-02-25T12:04:19","modified_gmt":"2010-02-25T10:04:19","slug":"qur%e2%80%99anic-stylistics-a-linguistic-analysis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/journals.linguisticsociety.org\/booknotices\/?p=135","title":{"rendered":"Qur\u2019anic stylistics: A linguistic analysis"},"content":{"rendered":"
Qur\u2019anic stylistics: <\/strong>A linguistic analysis. <\/strong>By Hussain Abdul-Raof<\/strong>. (Languages of the world 32.) Munich: LINCOM Europa, 2004. Pp. 251. ISBN 3895868175<\/a>. $106.68.<\/div>\n

Reviewed by \u2020Alan S. Kaye<\/strong>, California State University, Fullerton<\/em><\/p>\n

This volume is a detailed description of stylistic variation in the Qur\u2019an. The author states that this phenomenon \u2018is a prototypical feature of Qur\u2019anic genre\u2019 (236). To cite an example, let me mention tense (or, better, aspect) shifting (Arabic \u0294<\/em>iltifaat<\/em>), illustrated by the following verse (Q25:10): tabaaraka lla<\/em>\u00f0<\/em>ii <\/em>\u0294<\/em>in \u0161aa<\/em>\u0294<\/em>a ja<\/em>\u0295<\/em>ala laka xayran min <\/em>\u00f0<\/em>aalika . . . wa yaj<\/em>\u0295<\/em>alu laka qu<\/em>\u1e63<\/em>uuran<\/em> \u2018Blessed is He, if he willed, could have made for you something better than that . . . and could make palaces for you\u2019. Here it is important to note that the first verb ja<\/em>\u0295<\/em>ala<\/em> \u2018made\u2019 is in the perfect (author\u2019s \u2018past tense\u2019), while the second yaj<\/em>\u0295<\/em>alu<\/em> \u2018makes\u2019 is in the imperfect (author\u2019s \u2018present tense\u2019). While I agree with Abdul-Raof that \u0294<\/em>iltifaat<\/em> is \u2018frequently encountered\u2019, I am reluctant to accept his analysis that it \u2018is employed as a rhetorical means that aims to achieve psychological comfort for the reader\u2019 (236). The reason for my skepticism is that the term \u2018psychological comfort\u2019 is vague, difficult to describe and explicate, and therefore unscientific.<\/p>\n

The next example A-R discusses of the very same stylistic shift, however, is explained in more convincing terms (Q22:25): ?inna lla<\/em>\u00f0<\/em>iina kafaruu wa yu<\/em>\u1e63<\/em>adduuna <\/em>\u0295<\/em>an sabiili llaahi<\/em> \u2018Indeed, those who have disbelieved and avert people from the way of God\u2019. As in the first example, the first verb is in the perfect, but through the use of the second, imperfect yu<\/em>\u1e63<\/em>adduuna<\/em>, \u2018the componential feature of [+Continuity of Action] can be attributed to the subject\u2019 (236). Here, English is capable of rendering this stylistic shift; however, there are numerous occasions where English does not translate the stylistic flavor of the original Arabic. This has been pointed out by A-R, who correctly asserts: \u2018This is due to the fact that Arabic and English are linguistically and culturally incongruous languages\u2019 (12), although this is not explained in detail here or elsewhere in the publication.<\/p>\n

Let me take up a general conclusion, viz., that each and every instance of stylistic variation \u2018occurs for a good reason and is context and co-text sensitive\u2019 (8). In Q 16:70-83 \u2018And God created you . . . and God has favoured some of you over others . . . and God has made for you from yourselves mates . . . and they worship besides God that which does not possess for them . . . God presents an example\u2019 (15), we note that the first three sentences begin with Allaah<\/em> \u2018God\u2019, the next three start with a verb, and the following three begin with a noun Allaah<\/em>, and the tenth with a verb. I do not believe much can be made of this variation. Even A-R himself states that \u2018stylistically, the Arabic sentence starts with either a verb or a noun\u2019 (15).<\/p>\n

The book abounds in typographical and other errors. Let me mention but a few instances: \u2018semantically-oriented\u2019 should not be hyphenated (8); \u2018situaltionally-distinctive\u2019 for \u2018situationally distinctive\u2019 (9); \u2018pbonetic\u2019 for \u2018phonetic\u2019 (10); \u2018agiven\u2019 for \u2018a given\u2019 (10); \u2018stylsitic\u2019 for \u2018stylistic\u2019 (11); \u2018sigular\u2019 for \u2018singular\u2019 (11); \u2018reads\u2019 should be \u2018read\u2019 in \u2018In order to make the English sentence reads smoothly\u2019 (11); and so on. As for the short bibliography (247\u201348), the transcriptional diacritics are left off, rendering the Arabic inaccurate.<\/p>\n

Let me conclude with some stylistic remarks of my own. Many sentences in this tome detract from its overall usefulness and effectiveness and contribute to a wordiness, causing the reader to lose interest in the subject matter. Consider the opening and closing sentences of the work: \u2018Language is a complex entity\u2019 (9). Of course it is! And: \u2018Variation in Arabic linguistic structures is an intriguing stylistic phenomenon that merits a linguistic analysis\u2019 (246). A good editor would have clipped both of these statements as \u2018stylistically infelicitous\u2019.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Qur\u2019anic stylistics: A linguistic analysis. By Hussain Abdul-Raof. (Languages of the world 32.) Munich: LINCOM Europa, 2004. Pp. 251. ISBN 3895868175. $106.68. Reviewed by \u2020Alan S. Kaye, California State University, Fullerton This volume is a detailed description of stylistic variation in the Qur\u2019an. The author states that this phenomenon \u2018is a prototypical feature of Qur\u2019anic […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/journals.linguisticsociety.org\/booknotices\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/135"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/journals.linguisticsociety.org\/booknotices\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/journals.linguisticsociety.org\/booknotices\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/journals.linguisticsociety.org\/booknotices\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/journals.linguisticsociety.org\/booknotices\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=135"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/journals.linguisticsociety.org\/booknotices\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/135\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":138,"href":"https:\/\/journals.linguisticsociety.org\/booknotices\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/135\/revisions\/138"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/journals.linguisticsociety.org\/booknotices\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=135"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/journals.linguisticsociety.org\/booknotices\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=135"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/journals.linguisticsociety.org\/booknotices\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=135"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}