Focalization and Topicalization in Selected Examples from al-Sahifah al-Sajjadiyyah: Based on Lambrecht’s Theory

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 PhD Candidate in Arabic Language and Literature, Kharazmi University, Karaj, Iran

2 Associate Professor, Department of Arabic Language and Literature, Kharazmi University, Tehran, Iran

3 Associate Professor, Department of Arabic Language and Literature, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

Abstract

Changing the position of sentence constituents in language gives rise to structures known as marked information structures. Among these structures are topicalization and focalization, in which topical and focal elements are moved from their original positions to other positions within the sentence. From the perspective of information structure, such displacement alters the semantic and pragmatic load of the utterance. Therefore, understanding these structures is especially important in the translation of religious texts, where the translator must carefully recognize and preserve the syntactic and communicative features of both the source and target languages. Two sentences may appear similar in meaning on the surface level, yet differ significantly in terms of communicative function and discourse effect. This study examines Elahi Qomshei’s translation of al-Sahifah al-Sajjadiyyah through a descriptive-analytical and comparative approach based on Lambrecht’s theory of information structure, with particular focus on the translation of marked structures. The findings indicate that the translator generally paid insufficient attention to the transfer of marked information structures, and that most marked constructions in the Arabic text were rendered as unmarked structures in Persian. In fact, the translator relied primarily on the ordinary syntactic patterns of the target language. Although this approach did not undermine the fluency of the translation, it nevertheless resulted, from the perspective of Lambrecht’s information structure theory, in the loss of part of the semantic and pragmatic force of the original utterances. Consequently, part of the speaker’s intended meaning was neglected, and communicative, discursive, and syntactic balance between the source and target texts was not fully achieved.

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References

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History

  • Receive Date: 14 April 2025
  • Revise Date: 16 July 2025
  • Accept Date: 30 August 2025

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