A pragmatic analysis of conversational implicature in selected Qur'anic texts

Abstract EN

The Holy Qur'an is highly structured and constructed.

It is a rich source of using rhetorical and metaphorical devices in spite of its simple language.

Therefore, some meanings in the Holy Qur'an cannot be captured literally.

Rather it requires an essential knowledge to get the right meaning.

So, this paper aims at investigating the most important types of implicature, the conversational implicature, that are found in the Holy Qur'an.

The study selects specific Qur'anic verses that contain invisible meanings.

The model that has been adopted in this study is Grice (1975).

However, the study provides first a brief account of the area of pragmatics and the notion of the context, and then it continues to discuss the three issues of Gricean implicature in general, and maxims of conversation, and the conversational implicature in particular.

Then the study analyzes the implied conversational meanings that are found in seven Holy Qur'anic verses.

The Qur'anic verses are analyzed according to Grice's maxims (quantity, quality, relevance, and manner).

implicature