Ideology and the translation of Arabic-English paratactic and hypotactic structures

الملخص EN

This study aims to assess and criticize the ideology held by some western linguists and authors; specifically, Kaplan (1966) and Johnstone (1987and 1991) who claim that Semitic languages, Arabic in particular, are mainly paratactic and not hypotactic.

Their claims on which their studies are based will be critically presented, analyzed and discussed with much intention to find out whether Arabic is structurally paratactic or hypotactic.

It is hypothesized that Arabic uses hypotactic structure at discoursal level as English does; and this kind of structure, which has a rhetorical function, is related to the overall discourse structure and ideology.

From a discourse analysis perspective, the analysis reveals that the claims made by the two authors are intended purposefully to prove that Arab mentality cannot sustain a long stretch of argument via language / text; hence Arabic is based on parataxis.

With reference to the results of analysis, these claims have been established on blatantly erroneous methodology, that is proved to be based on unreasonable opinions without enough thought or knowledge of Arabic discourse.

This study serves as a call for translators, particularly in the Arab world, to pay more attention to the conceptual dichotomy between parataxis and hypotaxis as two underlying communicative functions of discourse structure that mirrors text producer's thought and ideology.