Information Structure and Translation in Quranic Texts

Abstract

Verb-initial constructions do not have the same information structure as noun-initial structures in Traditional Arabic – the language of the Qur'an. Translating Arabic noun-initial verbal constructions which are marked, into other languages like Persian and English, which in their unmarked order place subject in the initial position, requires thorough investigation. Initial nouns in verbal constructions play a specific part in discourse, and hence are pragmatically different from VSO structures in Arabic. Consequently, when translating these constructions we need to take great care of their syntactic structure. Persian, in comparison to English, because of its more flexible word order, provides more freedom in incorporating extralinguistic factors.