Morphological shift of hyperbolic patterns in the Quran, with reference to English translation

Abstract

Abstract This study addresses the use of hyperbole in the Quran at the word level and its English translation. It investigates the morphological shift of hyperbolic patterns such as ‘Fa’uul (فعول), Fa’eel (فعيل) and Fa’aal’ (فعال) and their corresponding English translations. We attempt to determine the implications underlying the translation strategies for the translation quality of the data under study. Under this circumstance, the translator applied a series of translation strategies, such as literal translation, paraphrase, transposition, and morphological strategies, with transposition being the most employed strategy. Such strategies were in some cases a problem for the functions of the Quranic hyperboles. As such, the translation quality was occasionally poor.