Arab World English Journal
AWEJ Volume. 3 Number. 1 March,2012 pp.147- 169
A Componential Analysis of Call for Help Meaning in Qur`anic Vocative Sentence with
Reference to Translation
Nida S. Omar
English Department, University of Malaya
Salahuddin Bin Mohd
Arabic Department, University of Malaya
Kais A. kadhim
English Department, University of Malaya
Abstract:
This study investigates the semantic shift in call for help in vocative sentence in some qur`anic texts when translated into English. The present study aims at exploring a message change in call for help in vocative sentence in the glorious qur`an when translated into English. It also aims at following the syntactical and grammatical shift that might be affected in bringing out the meaning of call for help in vocative sentence when translated into English .To achieve this aim, a componential analysis of both the ST and the TT is adopted to uncover the similarities and differences in the message content of both Arabic and English languages. To assess the message of both languages, Newmark’s approaches to translations are used in this study, including the use of his terminologies such as overtranslation, undertranslation, replacement translation, and inaccurate translation. The Quranic texts and their English version are analyzed according to Katz and Fodor’s (1963) theory to observe the differences in the message of both ST and TT. The results of the current study show how the meaning is preserved in some occasions and lost in other occasions.
Keywords: componential analysis, translation, Qur’an, call for help and vocative.