The Particle bal in Qur’anic Arabic

Abstract

This paper provides a linguistic characterization of the particle bal, roughly translated as ‘rather’ in English, in Qur’anic Arabic. In the Qur’an corpus, which includes 77880 words, the particle occurs 121 times, and in its various occurrences, the particle does not have the same syntactic categorization nor the same semantic meaning or function. Therefore, the present paper explores the syntactic and semantic features of the particle alongside its uses in its varying positions. It examines the positions, distributions, semantic meaning and functions of the particle in different contexts. The paper also sheds light on the recurrent linguistic aspects that characterize the structures in which the particle occurs. The method employed involves distributional and qualitative descriptive techniques. The study shows that, in terms of positions, the particle either introduces a clause or occurs between two equal elements. In terms of functions, the study highlights that the use of the particle involves transitioning from and, in certain instances, invalidating the proposition expressed by the preceding clause as well as affirmation of and, in certain instances, an intensification of the proposition expressed by the following clause. The study also indicates the polysemy of the particle and that it can be synonymous with e.g. lakin ‘but’, bi-l-2aHra: ‘rather’, Haqqan ‘indeed’, badalan min ‘instead of’ and the emphatic particles 2inna and 2innama:. Moreover, based on the investigation of the features of the particle bal in its varying contexts, the study proposes a number of categories through which the particle can be analyzed, which include: an adversative coordinator, a conjunctive adverb, and a complementizer. The findings thus highlight the diversity in the syntax and semantics of a single particle that is realized as bal in the contexts of Qur’anic Arabic, and the paper makes a contribution to literature in the understudied area of the syntax and semantics of Qur’anic Arabic.