1887
Volume 17, Issue 2
  • ISSN 1598-7647
  • E-ISSN: 2451-909X
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Abstract

Abstract

This paper explores the translatability of Qur’anic pun. With reference to a phalanx of authoritative Qur’anic exegetes and three leading Qur’anic translations, and by drawing on ʿAtīq’s (1985) taxonomy of Arabic pun, and Delabastita’s (2004) model of pun translation, the study examines a four-fold classification of pun: (1) , (2) , (3) , and (4) . Given the semantic indirectness and sophistication immanent in punning, it is argued that Qur’anic pun, as a rhetorical device, is quite thorny from a translational standpoint. The study reveals that three out of nine translation strategies have been used: the , the , and the . The capitalizes on the immediate meaning, and ‘auctions off’ or ‘pulverizes’ the punning meaning, which, subsequently, may result in . The involves adding, , a descriptive word or phrase between brackets, and the advocates perspective. The study wraps up with a proposal for the , which hinges upon . This particular translation strategy has a greater emancipatory potential.

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/content/journals/10.1075/forum.18017.kha
2019-12-03
2025-02-15
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