Rhetorical Styles of the English Translation of Surah al-Takwir

Abstract

Rhetorical style, which is used to influence the language in an effective way to convey the message of the writer to the reader, is the dominant powerful aspect in the language of Qur`an. Qur`an has variety and unparalleled merits of rhetorical styles that play a significant role to create a perfect structure. The present study examines the rhetorical style of Qur`an in terms of sound, grammar and vocabulary aspects when translated into English. It aims to analyse the distinctive rhetorical stylistic features and their functions available in surah al-Takwir. To achieve the aim, the concept of style as a linguistic choice has been chosen for this study. Rhetorical stylistic analysis of both source text and target text (i.e. English version) was carried out to examine to what extent the rhetorical style of the Qur`an is conveyed from the translation to the translated text. The results of the current study have shown that the translator, sometimes, was able to convey the rhetorical features and functions of surah alTakwir. The unique, rhetorical and aesthetic style of the Qur`an, on the other hand, was not identical with the English translated text because of the inimitable and miraculous nature of the Qur`an.