The Syntax and Semantics of Pronoun Reference in the Holy Quran

Abstract

Pronouns are parts of speech that stand for a noun or a noun phrase in order to avoid repetition and connect different parts of the text. Any text whatsoever, whether short or long, can hardly be found devoid of pronouns. Failure to identify the proper referent of a pronoun may lead to confusion, ambiguity and obscurity of meaning. Furthermore, identifying pronoun reference is crucial to the process of translation due to the fact that failing to identify the correct referent will inevitably lead to inaccurate translation. The Holy Quran is characterized by frequent use of pronominal anaphora. Therefore, resolving pronoun reference is crucial to the understanding of the Holy Quran. Besides, recognizing the correct reference will help provide accurate renderings of the meanings of the Holy Quran with respect to the issue of pronoun reference. This paper addresses some of the semantic and syntactic rules of assigning pronoun reference in the Holy Quran. The study reveals that reference switching is quite frequent in the Holy Quran. Arabic allows for reference switching, whereas English does not. Reference switching in Arabic occurs in person, number and gender. Besides, Arabic can allow for both lexical and semantic reference. English is strictly limited in this respect as it permits semantic reference only with collective nouns.