The Effect of Ellipsis on Differences between English Translations of the Holy Qur’an

Authors

  • Salar Manafi Anari
  • Qasem Faez
  • Narjes Khademi

Abstract

Ellipsis, as one of the rhetorical textual elements, is used in different languages in different ways. In ‎the Holy Qur’an, with all its unique miraculous rhetorical features which makes it stand on the highest ‎level of eloquence, ellipsis is used in three ways: ellipsis of the letters, ellipsis of the words and ellipsis ‎of the sentences; which leads to different results such as: simplification of understanding the concepts ‎of the verses, resolving the complications in comprehending the true meaning of the Qur’an, making ‎the meaning of the text more comprehensive, beautifying the rhythm and making the verses rhyming. ‎Considering the differences between Arabic and English structures, and the importance of translating ‎the Qur’an in a correct and meticulous way for the accurate understanding of the words of God, this ‎research studies different cases of the ellipsis in the verses of the Qur’an and compares them in the ‎four English translations (Arberry, Irving, Yusuf Ali and Qara’i) to understand how ellipsis can affect the ‎English translations of the Holy Qur’an and make them differ from each other. The result is that the ‎translations of Qara’i and Yusuf Ali are closest to the meaning of the verses by designating the omitted ‎words and phrases of the Holy Qur'an.‎

Published

2010-07-27

How to Cite

Manafi Anari, S., Faez, Q., & Khademi, N. (2010). The Effect of Ellipsis on Differences between English Translations of the Holy Qur’an. Iranian Journal of Translation Studies, 13(49). Retrieved from https://journal.translationstudies.ir/ts/article/view/287

Issue

Section

Academic Research Paper