Some linguistic and cultural problems of English-Arabic translation and their implications for a strategy of Arabization

Al-Kenai, Jamal B. S (1985) Some linguistic and cultural problems of English-Arabic translation and their implications for a strategy of Arabization. PhD thesis, University of Glasgow.

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Abstract

The present study consists of eight chapters. Chapter One serves as an introduction to the entire work including brief discussions related to some broad aspects of translation in general and Arabization in particular. It also specifies the nature and scope of the problems being investigated and outlines the research approach. Brief accounts of each topic to be dealt with in later chapters are provided at the end of this chapter. The first pages of Chapter Two examine some linguistic features of Arabic along with its relation to other members of the Semitic family. The rest of the chapter furnishes a historical background to the origin, efflorescence, stagnation and revival of Arabic. This is a necessary step since it serves as a preliminary stage to what will be discussed later on. Chapter Three deals with spectroglossia, the first of a series of problems which jeopardise the current efforts aimed at reinstating Arabic as a workable modem language. The origins and the consequences of the problem are brought into focus. The second part of the chapter examines some features of modem standard Arabic (MSA) and the need to disseminate its usage as a possible pragmatic solution for bridging the gap between Classical Arabic and the regional dialects. Chapters Four and Five are dedicated to the discussion of the traditional and in fact most serious problem of Arabization, namely lexical deficiency and the problems of adopting foreign terminology. Chapter Pour begins by analysing some of the major problems of Arabic terminology such as non-standardization, the neglect of the proposals of the language academies and the hasty adoption of foreign words. The chapter proceeds to review some useful methodologies of lexical enrichment such as the revival of obsolete terms, derivation and semantic extension. On the other hand, Chapter Five, which is, in fact, an extension of Chapter Four examines some of the difficulties associated with the assimilation of foreign words into Arabic and the problems of transliteration. In Chapter Six some cultural and stylistic disparities between English and Arabic are reviewed so that difficulties and possible translation errors may be identified. Points of similarity and difference between some cultural and stylistic features of both languages are described and proposals for a successful transfer between them are formulated. Both Chapter Seven and Chapter Eight introduce further issues of a new dimension. For instance, Chapter Seven discusses some of the problems involved in Arabizing the educational system in the Arab world as an example of a real-life situation where, for the most part, Arabization, particularly at the higher level of scientific education, is still an ideal. On the other hand, Chapter Eight, the final chapter in this thesis endeavours to evaluate some programmes of teaching foreign languages (TFL) in the Arab world and the position given to translator---training in such programmes. Clearly, the present study could not have been written in vacuo. It is indebted to all previous scholarship in the fields of translation, Arabization and English-Arabic contrastive linguistics. Yet some contributions in arrangements and detail may be claimed for it, along with some specific analysis of certain problems of Arabization such as in Chapter Eight on the need to improve on the current TFL programmes as well as the upgrading of translator-training courses as a pre-condition for a more efficient execution of any future strategy of Arabization, is prominent among the other contributions of this study. Finally, a major characteristic of the present work is its attempt to encompass within a somewhat abridged form a variety of problems that have always been treated as separate areas of research.

Item Type: Thesis (PhD)
Qualification Level: Doctoral
Keywords: Linguistics, Translation studies
Date of Award: 1985
Depositing User: Enlighten Team
Unique ID: glathesis:1985-76557
Copyright: Copyright of this thesis is held by the author.
Date Deposited: 19 Nov 2019 14:09
Last Modified: 19 Nov 2019 14:09
URI: https://theses.gla.ac.uk/id/eprint/76557

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