Inconsistent Linguistic Functional Behaviours of Particleهل in the Holy Quran: A Critique of the Holy Quran Translation
AWEJ for Translation & Literary Studies, Volume3, Number1. February 2019 Pp.66-73
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.24093/awejtls/vol3no1.5
Inconsistent Linguistic Functional Behaviours of Particleهل in the Holy Quran: A Critique
of the Holy Quran Translation
Eyhab Abdulrazak Bader Eddin
English Department, faculty of Languages and Translation
King Khalid University, Saudi Arabia
Abstract:
Buried in the quicksand of ignorance and drowned in the deep reticence of the sea of linguistics, Arabic particles in general, and particle هل in particular have received little attention on translators’ part. This paper carefully examines the most widely-read translations of particle هل as held up through the Quran. It is a critique of the translation of the Quran. Contrary to the long-standing concept which perceives هل as solely an interrogative particle, this paper crosses t’s and dots i’s in relation to focusing translators’ attention on other almost-overlooked linguistic functions carried by هل, i.e. corroborative, negative and imperative. It is found that particle هل in all contexts is dealt with from the same perspective in the translations. This entails the translators’ failure to understand the inconsistent linguistic behaviors of هل. This paper has put efforts to plumb the depths of identifying the different functions expressed by هل, which have long stood in the face of translators, a knotty problem that has long escaped the notice of translators, and thus yielded inaccurate renditions of the هل. This paper may open up new horizons for scholars in their future studies, and act as a bedrock for researchers to follow suit.
Keywords: Corroborative, imperative, interrogative, linguistic functions, Particle هل, Quran, translation
Cites as: Bader Eddin, E. A.(2019). Inconsistent Linguistic Functional Behaviours of Particleهل in the Holy Quran: A Critique of the Holy Quran Translation. Arab World English Journal for Translation & Literary Studies, 3 (1) 66-73.
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.24093/awejtls/vol3no1.5