The Pragmatic Functions and Semantic Connotations of Coordinating Affirmative and Negative Verbal Sentences in Quran/ الوَظائفُ القَصديَّة والدَّلالات لعطفِ الجُمل الفعليَّة المُختلِفة إثباتًا ونفيًا في القُرآن
Abstract
The conjunction of verbal sentences with differing polarity (affirmative and negative) represents a distinctive stylistic feature of Qur'anic discourse. It frequently appears, particularly in contexts of argumentation and debate, as a deliberate rhetorical pattern that serves both semantic and pragmatic purposes. Each instance functions as a communicative strategy through which the speaker fulfills specific textual objectives within particular contexts. Although these coordinated sentences differ at the surface level through affirmation and negation, they remain unified at the deeper semantic level in meaning, intention, and purpose. This apparent structural contrast produces semantic harmony and aesthetic balance, generating profound meanings and enhancing the persuasive and rhetorical effect of the discourse on the audience.
The significance of this study lies in examining one aspect of the Qur'anic compositional system to reveal its linguistic and rhetorical subtleties. The Holy Qur'an is distinguished by the precision of its syntactic structures, the coherence of its discourse, and the integration of its textual components. One of its defining characteristics is its remarkable cohesion, whereby every part is meaningfully connected to what precedes and follows it. This cohesion is achieved through various cohesive devices, especially conjunctions, which play a central role in linking words and sentences, organizing meanings, and fulfilling rhetorical, aesthetic, and pragmatic functions.
The study investigates the rhetorical motivation for departing from the expected coordination of sentences sharing the same polarity in favor of coordinating affirmative and negative sentences. It explores the intentional purposes, semantic implications, and communicative functions arising from this stylistic pattern, despite the conventional expectation of structural and semantic correspondence between coordinated elements. By highlighting this phenomenon, the study demonstrates how polarity contrast contributes to the coherence, expressive richness, and persuasive force of Qur'anic discourse, revealing a subtle dimension of its linguistic and rhetorical inimitability.
Keywords: Conjunction of Sentences; Semantics; Functions; Affirmation and Negation; Verbal Sentences; Intentional Semantic and Pragmatic Functions.
Keywords
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.18860/ijazarabi.v9i4.44945
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