Rhetorical and Phonetic Function of Elision and Ellipsis in the Quran with Some Reference to English

Abstract

Elision and ellipsis are found in world languages. Both mean leaving out or dropping parts of words or utterances. As far as Arabic is concerned, elision relates to dropping sounds and single letters whether in isolation or in the case of one-letter particles while ellipsis relates to dropping parts of speech and complete sentences but for the sake of enhancing the inimitability and sublime style of the Qur'?n. Ellipsis in Arabic and the Qur'?n in particular has a special rhetorical function which is totally absent in English since authoritative lexicons exclude its effect on meaning which is the corner-stone of rhetoric .This study concentrates on the rhetorical function of these two terms or concepts in the Qur'?n, which is employing both devices to enhance its inimitability and the superiority of its text over all other literary texts. Extensive verses have been given in original Arabic accompanied by their transliteration alongside their translations into English by three well-known translators to check whether the translator of the Qur'?n captures the fine function of elision or ellipsis or not. The study shows that some translators have managed to do so while others have failed to trace this fine rhetorical device.As far as English is concerned, the study argues counter to the commonest definitions of elision and ellipsis, by assuming that both elision and ellipsis have no role in any rhetorical function. The neutralisation of these two terms is caused by a "stiff", non-flexible and maybe artificial writing system which hinders the natural actualisation of letters into sounds matching their written form. Accordingly, the English writing system is considered defective because it allows consonant clusters to thrive at the expense of natural alternation of consonant and vowels which is crucial for the natural flow of Arabic speech which has helped in committing the whole Qur'?n to memory with little effort. The researcher supports this argument by referring to the physiological fact that the speech organs cannot produce two or even more consonants from the same point of articulation at the same time .The language of the Qur'?n, therefore, is largely superior to English because the latter neutralises  the linguistic and rhetorical role of these two concepts in sharp contrast to Arabic.

Key words: elision, ellipsis, Qur'?n, rhetoric, cohesion, consonant clusters, Arabic