Hyperbole in the Tropological Quranic Text with Reference to Translation

Abstract

The present paper deals with the structural hyperbole in the tropological Quranic text and the possibility of translating this rhetorical trope into English. At the beginning, I attempt to present some preliminary remarks related to the subject in question such as the approaches which are adopted by Arab and non-Arab linguists and rhetoricians to define the concept of hyperbole in general. I also tackle the rhetorical and non-rhetorical considerations used in the interpretation of Quranic hyperbole. An attempt is made to study and analyze a number of Quranic tropological and non-tropological texts. This process has revealed some very subtle rhetorical features which are considered to be stylistically, semantically (rhetorically and aesthetically) powerful. This work touches upon other related issues such as the classification of hyperbolic structures in Arabic rhetoric and their various functions in Quranic texts. The researcher thinks that grasping and controlling these issues can very much help in the process of rendering Quranic structural hyperboles into English. Finally, a number of important conclusions have been arrived at which might provide the interested reader with deep insights into the subject of hyperbole in Arabic.