Translation in Arabic language and literature
Majid Salehbek; Abdolghader Pariz; Parvin Sanei
Abstract
With a systematic and systematic view, Saussure considers language to be a set of signs, and therefore, in her linguistic theory, sign is the main keyword. Signs are also very important in translation, and the translator should be able to identify the relationships between them by knowing the words of ...
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With a systematic and systematic view, Saussure considers language to be a set of signs, and therefore, in her linguistic theory, sign is the main keyword. Signs are also very important in translation, and the translator should be able to identify the relationships between them by knowing the words of the text accurately and use these relationships for a more accurate translation; This issue is doubly important in the translation of the Holy Quran. Among the words used in the Holy Qur'an, whose semantic analysis requires attention and precision, is the word "Sehr". The present research, which was carried out in an analytical-descriptive method, tries to answer the question with a semantic-structuralist approach, how the different levels and layers of meaning of the word "Sehr" are formed in the Holy Quran, and the concept of "sohar" in the use of the Holy Quran, based on The axis of substitution and companionship is synonymous with which words? And the obtained result states that although both in the Persian original of the word "Sehr" and in the Arabic dictionary, one of its main meanings, "Nasab", is mentioned, but on the other hand, its association with the same word causes it to have a different meaning. To be therefore, translators have taken different approaches in this regard, and some of them have translated the two into relative and causative, taking into account the conflicting relationship between Nasb and Sahr. Some have translated these two as male and female. Also, although the meaning of son-in-law for the word Sahr is found in many sources, but in the ten translations examined in this article, only one of the sources, the translation of Fuladvand, gives such a meaning for this word.Keywords: Translations of the Qur'an, Relative, Ferdinand de Saussure, Succession and Cohabitation.IntroductionOne of the most important factors in the formation of meaning in a text is the relationships of substitution and association of words. Saussure, with a new and structuralist approach to language, shifted his focus from the word to the phrase, leading to a major revolution in linguistics. A part of Saussure's modern theories pertains to the two axes of substitution and association. One of the binary oppositions among signs is the contrast between two fundamental types of relationships, namely the associative relationship and the substitutive relationship or "syntagmatic" relationship in language. In other words, meaning is derived from the difference between signifiers, which are of two types: differences arising from association, also known as syntagmatic, and differences resulting from the axis of substitution.The substitutive relationship examines the reason for choosing a word for a phrase, and the associative relationship examines the reason for creating a specific order for the arrangement of words in a phrase. Thus, the substitutive relationship delves into the deeper layers of language, necessitating comparison and analogy since one must examine a word and its synonyms in various texts.The substitutive relationship is based on intertextual and intratextual relations. In this relationship, texts are always interacting with each other (Ostakhrian Haqiqi and Ahsant, 2019: 15). Chandler examines substitutive relationships in three layers: contrastive, analogical, and comparative; and associative relationships in three layers: sequential, spatial, and conceptual (Sajudi, 2019: 52).After Saussure, structuralists who have theorized about translation, including Catford and Nida, believe in the translatability of texts because they argue that what Saussure established are general rules that align with the principle of linguistic systems, and therefore, the substitutive and associative relationships that exist in one language can also be transferred to another language.Saussure specifically, and structuralism in general, hold a view aligned with translatability: "If all natural languages share a level called 'langue,' this is where translation is possible, and therefore, anything that can be expressed in one language can be expressed in another language as well, which means absolute translatability" (Mousavi Razavi, 2018: 562).Given the axes of substitution and association in Saussure's theory, the present article conducts a comparative analysis of the translation of the word "ṣahr" in Surah Al-Furqan, explaining its semantic aspects, synonyms, and related concepts. This word appears in the Quran in this form only once:﴿وَهُوَ الَّذِی خَلَقَ مِنَ الْمَاءِ بَشَرًا فَجَعَلَهُ نَسَبًا وَصِهْرًا وَکَانَ رَبُّکَ قَدِیرًا﴾ (Al-Furqan/54)and once in another form with a different meaning:﴿یُصْهَرُ بِهِ مَا فِی بُطُونِهِمْ وَالْجُلُودُ﴾ (Al-Hajj/20)which, given the semantic difference, does not seem to have the same root.The necessity of this research lies in its structuralist perspective, meticulously examining the axes of substitution and association to analyze and compare the translations of one of the disputed words in the Holy Quran.In this context, the study aims to answer the following questions:How are the different semantic levels and layers of the word "ṣahr" in the Holy Quran formed?With which synonymous words is the concept of "ṣahr" in its Quranic usage associated on the axis of substitution, and how does each synonym change the meaning of the verse?Literature ReviewNumerous articles have been written on the semantics of Quranic vocabulary, including:Akbari and Kabiri, in an article titled "The Semantics of the Word Makr in the Holy Quran" (2018), explained the verses related to this word and concluded that this term in the Quran is used for both good and evil deeds and has synonyms such as deceit, plot, arrogance, treachery, and betrayal.Among the articles addressing the subject of substitution and association are:Zafari et al., in a study titled "Semantic Components of the Word 'Nazul' with Emphasis on the Two Axes of Association and Substitution" (2017), examined the uses and derivatives of this word and its synonyms, concluding that the word has gained semantic breadth through its association with other concepts.Vafaei and Ali Nouri, in a study titled "Artistic Appropriateness in the Two Axes of Association and Substitution in the Poetry of Qaisar Aminpour" (2010), examined the poems of this poet and concluded that Aminpour deliberately chooses words on the axis of substitution to create the greatest semantic and lexical harmony in combination with other elements of speech on the axis of association.Parmehr Yabandeh et al., in a study titled "Semiotic Analysis of the Collection of Posters of the Art of Resistance Festival with Emphasis on the Two Axes of Substitution and Association of Signs" (2022), conducted an analytical-conceptual examination of these posters, concluding that in all the works, when a visual sign metaphorically expresses the concept of revolution and Iran, the understanding of the sign occurs on the axis of substitution, and the arrangement of textual and visual signs is based on the axis of association.Additionally, Mousavi Razavi, in an article titled "An Explanation of What Structuralism Is, Based on the Views of Saussure, Lévi-Strauss, and Propp, and Examining the Traces of Structuralist Thought in Contemporary Translation Theories" (2018), examined the views of structuralists on the translatability or untranslatability of texts and concluded that structuralism believes in the translatability of texts.Upon reviewing the studies related to the subject of the present article, it was found that no research has been conducted on this specific topic, thus indicating the innovation in this study.Research MethodologyTextual AnalysisCollect and analyze interpretive and lexical texts related to the term "صهر"from various sources such as Quranic dictionaries, lexicons, and Quranic commentaries.Examine the usage of the term "صهر" in Arabic poetry before and after the revelation of the Quran and compare it with its usage in the Quran. Collocation AnalysisInvestigate the term "صهر" in collocation with words that appear alongside it in Quranic sentences. This includes analyzing the relationship between the term "صهر" and the term "نسب" in verse 54 of Surah Al-Furqan.Analyze different translations of the Quran and examine how various translators have rendered the term "صهر" in context with other words.Substitution AnalysisAnalyze the substitution axis of the term "صهر" with words that can replace it. For example, substituting the term "صهر" with "بعل" and "الأقربین".Examine the impact of substituting the term "صهر" with other words on the meaning of the sentence and the overall concept of the verse.Comparative AnalysisCompare different translations of the term "صهر" in the Quran and analyze their differences and similarities.Investigate the impact of substitution and collocation relationships on various interpretations of the term "صهر".Linguistic AnalysisExamine linguistic and semantic structures related to the term "صهر" using theories of linguistic semantics.Analyze the phonetic and pronunciation features of the term "صهر" and their impact on meaning.Sources and ReferencesThe Holy Quran and its various translations.Quranic commentaries including Tafsir Al-Mizan, Tafsir Majma' Al-Bayan, and Tafsir Nemooneh.Reputable lexicons such as Lisan Al-Arab, Taj Al-Aroos, and Quranic dictionaries.Articles and books related to semantics and theories of substitution and collocation.Pre-Islamic Arabic poetry and poetry after the revelation of the Quran.ConclusionThe word "sahr" (صهر) appears in the Quran only twice and in two different meanings: as "صِهْرًا" and "یُصْهَرُ." These two uses have no semantic connection and do not seem to share the same root. This paper analyzed the first usage of the word in verse 54 of Surah Al-Furqan and examined its translations based on Saussure’s theory in terms of substitution and collocation. The findings indicate that in terms of collocation, the association with the word "nasab" (نسب) plays a crucial role in the translation of "sahr" because, while one of its main meanings in both Persian and Arabic dictionaries is "kinship" (نسب), its collocation with this word gives it a different meaning. Consequently, translators have adopted various approaches regarding this term, with some translating it as "males" and "females."Although the meaning "son-in-law" for "sahr" is mentioned in several sources, only one out of the ten translations reviewed in this study, namely Fooladvand’s translation, uses this meaning.In terms of substitution, words such as "ba'al" (بعل), "al-aqrabin" (الاقربین), "arham" (ارحام), and "zawj" (زوج) are conceptually and semantically close to "sahr" and are mentioned in the Quran. However, the choice of "sahr" over these synonyms relates to the context of the verse. In the preceding verse, verse 53 of Surah Al-Furqan, Allah mentions: "He is the One who merges the two seas, one fresh and sweet, the other salty and bitter." Therefore, since verse 54 also speaks of water and its division into two opposites, it seems that "sahr" more effectively conveys the concept compared to its synonyms. Additionally, considering the preceding verse, translating "nasab" and "sahr" as opposites may be more accurate.
