A Pragma-Stylistic Assessment of English Interpretations of Arab Leaders' Speeches at the UN General Assembly
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.30564/fls.v7i12.10894Abstract
The current study provides a pragma-stylistic assessment of the English interpretation of Arab leaders' speeches delivered at the United Nations General Assembly. The main problem of the study is that the English interpretation of Arab leaders' speeches contains some differences in the pragma-stylistic fundamentals usually found in the Arabic texts of these speeches. It investigates the impact of the variances in pragmatic and stylistic elements produced in the English interpretation of their Arabic counterparts, aiming to understand the speech acts' intentions, and to propose improvements for each element with inappropriate renderings in English. To realize the preceding aims, the study hypothesizes that (1) The explicit pragma-stylistic elements of Arabic are frequently lost in the interpretation. (2) The interpreters fail to express the Arabic implicit pragma-stylistic criteria. The study is implemented by using a comparative textual analysis of original Arabic speeches and their simultaneous English renditions at successive United Nations General Assembly debate sessions. Elizabeth Black's model of assessment, which covers five criteria selected for the analysis and discussion of the texts, recognises some aspects of pragmatic alteration and stylistic weaknesses that change the speakers' proposed oratorical force, political position, and cultural significance. The study concludes with practical recommendations to improve the capability of interpreters to grasp and comprehend the deep meaning of such speeches, which are realised through extensive courses of interpreter training and procedures for guaranteeing greater loyalty and effect in the English versions of Arab leaders' speeches at the United Nations General Assembly.
Keywords:
Pragmatics, Stylistics, Leaders' Speeches, Interpreters, Debate SessionsReferences
[1] David, M.K., 2014. Language, Power and Manipulation: The Use of Rhetoric in Maintaining Political Influence. Frontiers of Language and Teaching. 5(1), 164–170.
[2] Allott, N., 2010. Key Terms in Pragmatics. Routledge: London, UK.
[3] Vanderveken, D., 2005. Logic, Thought and Action, Vol. 2. Springer: Berlin, Germany.
[4] Austin, J.L., 1962. How to Do Things with Words. Oxford University Press: London, UK.
[5] Searle, J.R., Vanderveken, D., 1985. Foundations of Illocutionary Logic. Cambridge University Press: Cambridge, UK.
[6] Searle, J.R., 1979. Expression and Meaning: Studies in the Theory of Speech Acts. Cambridge University Press: Cambridge, UK.
[7] Yule, G., 1996. Pragmatics. Oxford University Press: Oxford, UK.
[8] Huang, Y., 2015. The Oxford Handbook of Pragmatics. Oxford University Press: Oxford, UK.
[9] Black, E., 2006. Pragmatic Stylistics. Edinburgh University Press: Edinburgh, UK.
[10] Lakoff, R.T., 1989. The Limits of Politeness: Therapeutic and Courtroom Discourse. Multilingua: Journal of Cross-Cultural and Interlanguage Communication. 8(2–3), 101–129. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/mult.1989.8.2-3.101
[11] Crystal, D., Davy, D., 1969. Investigating English Style. Longman Group: London, UK.
[12] Merriam-Webster Dictionary, 2002. Style. Available from: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/style (cited 10 May 2025).
[13] Nasser, L.A., Safi, S.H., 2014. Readership and the Translation of Figurative Language in the Shakespearian Tragedy “Julius Caesar” into Arabic. Adab Al Rafidayn. 69, 43–62.
[14] Safi, S.H., 2024. Translating Personification in Prophetic Hadith into English. Journal of Language Studies. 8(10), 286–304.
[15] Bradford, R., 2013. Stylistics. Routledge: London, UK.
[16] Thomas, J., 1995. Meaning in Interaction. Longman Group: London, UK.
[17] Hickey, T., 1993. Identifying Formulas in First Language Acquisition. Journal of Child Language. 20(1), 27–41.
[18] Davies, W.A., 2007. An Introduction to Applied Linguistics. Edinburgh University Press: Edinburgh, UK.
[19] Nørgaard, N., Montoro, R., Busse, B., 2010. Key Terms in Stylistics. Continuum: London, UK.
[20] Ibn Faris, A., 1963. Al-Sahibi in the Filology of Linguistics and Arabs’ Traditions of Speech. Badran Foundation for Printing and Publishing: Beirut, Lebanon. (in Arabic)
[21] Sahrawi, M., 2008. Pragmatics in Arabic Scholars: A Pragmatic Study of Speech Acts in Arabic Linguistic Heritage, 1st ed. Dar Al-Tali'ah: Beirut, Lebanon. (in Arabic)
[22] Al-Zabīdī, M.M., 1984. The Bride’s Crown in the Jewels of Dictionary of Al-Tawhidi, Vol. 71. Dār Maktabat al-Ḥayāt: Beirut, Lebanon. (in Arabic)
[23] Al Saud, P.F.F., 2024. Saudi Arabia – Minister for Foreign Affairs Addresses General Debate, 79th Session. In Proceedings of the 79th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, New York, NY, USA, 24–30 September 2024. Available from: https://webtv.un.org/en/asset/k18/k18amq22po (in Arabic)
[24] Abbas, M., 2023. Palestine – President Addresses General Debate, 78th Session. In Proceedings of the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly, New York, NY, USA, 9–23 and 26 September 2023. Available from: https://media.un.org/avlibrary/en/asset/d309/d3093470 (in Arabic)
[25] Al-Sabah, S.K.A., 2021. Kuwait – Prime Minister Addresses General Debate, 76th Session. In Proceedings of the 76th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, New York, NY, USA, 21–27 September 2021. Available from: https://media.un.org/avlibrary/en/asset/d265/d2659032 (in Arabic)
[26] Al-Khatami, M., 2022. Iraq – Prime Minister Addresses General Debate, 77th Session. In Proceedings of the 77th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, New York, NY, USA, 20–26 September 2022. Available from: https://media.un.org/avlibrary/en/asset/d293/d2938441 (in Arabic)
Downloads
Issue
Article Type
License
Copyright © 2025 Ra'ed Esma'il Ahmed, Abdulrahman Ahmed Abdulrahman

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.


Ra'ed Esma'il Ahmed 
