The Correlation of Form and Meaning in at-Takwir Chapter of the Qur’an and Its English Translation ‎from the Viewpoint of Acoustic Features

Abstract

This study was aimed to investigate the relationship between form and meaning in at-Takwir chapter ‎of the Qur’an as compared with its English translation. The analysis was done on the basis of vowel ‎duration and sonority of verse endings as representatives of form. Firstly, measuring the duration of ‎vowels in this chapter showed that there was a relationship between vowel duration and the meaning ‎of verses so that the vowel duration of the first 14 verses, which were connected with threatening ‎concepts and wrath, was significantly less than that of the other 15 verses, those that were rendered ‎in a quiet manner. Analyzing the English translation of this chapter, nonetheless, showed the reverse ‎trend. Secondly, the sonority of the last consonant of each verse of at-Takwir chapter was ‎investigated. Results indicated that in the first 14 verses all the last consonants were obstruent. On the ‎other hand, in the second 15 verses, the sonorant sounds outnumbered the obstruent ones. Both ‎these trends were compatible with meaning. Furthermore, comparing this chapter with its English ‎translation showed that in both sections of English translation the number of sonorant consonants was ‎more than that of the obstruent ones which suggested lack of a meaningful pattern compatible with ‎meaning in English verse endings.‎