"Till", "Until" and "Ħattaa" in English and Arabic discourse

الملخص EN

This paper is an attempt to study and investigate the semantic and syntactic features of the English items till and until and compare them with their equivalent in Arabic, ħattaa.

The study is qualitative in nature drawing primarily upon books.

To achieve the goal of the study, the researcher relies on different viewpoints of some linguists who study the English items till and until (Swan (1983), Quirk et al (1985), Leech and Svartvik (1994), Freeborn (1995), and Quirk and Greenbaum (1996)), and the linguists who study the Arabic item ħattaa (Hassan (1973), Al-afghany (1977), As-sayyed (1977), Jacob (1983), Ibn Jinny (1988), Al- muradi (1992), Al-anbari (1995), and Al-fawzan (2003)).

The study exhibits different viewpoints about the subject.

For till and until, it is mentioned that they are used to perform the functions of a preposition and conjunction conveying the meanings of duration, purpose, or result.

On the other hand, the Arabic item, ħattaa, can be used as a preposition, conjunction, introductory particle, and causative particle.

Arab linguists have cast light on the meanings achieved by the use of ħattaa.

These meanings include indicating the last point of the temporal action (duration) direction of end the), أزٙبء اٌغب٠خ اٌضِبٔ١خ :γaϳa-al ?u?intihaa(? ((?intihaa?u ?al-γaϳa: خ١ٔىبٌّا خ٠غبٌا بءٙزٔا ,)the utmost end of any feature (?al-γaϳa: طفخٞ أ ِٓ خ٠غبٌا' ,(cause or purpose' (?at-ta؟liil: ً١ٍزؼٌا ,(result (?an-natiiʤah: غخ١زٌٕا ,)exclamation (?at-ta؟aʤub: زؼغتٌا ,)and exception (?al-?istiθnaa?: بءٕاالعزض .(