Structural Independence and Dialogic Coherence in Qur’anic Texts: A Syntactic Analytical Study

Authors

  • Albatool Abalkheel

    Department of English Language and Literature, College of Languages and Humanities, Qassim University, Qassim, Saudi Arabia
  • Maha Sourani

    Department of Translation, Faculty of Literature and Humanities, Jinan University, Tripoli, North Lebanon, Lebanon
  • Sawsan El Zohbi

    Arabic Language Department, Faculty of Letters, Tripoli University, Tripoli, North Lebanon, Lebanon

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.30564/fls.v7i2.8333
Received: 1 December 2024 | Revised: 22 January 2025 | Accepted: 23 January 2025 | Published Online: 7 February 2025

Abstract

The Qur’an’s strategic utilization of dialogue represents a profound act by the Divine, designed to fulfill a transcendent purpose. This descriptive-analytical study delves into the linguistic mastery of the Qur’anic verses, particularly exploring their intricate relationship with the connotative meanings that emerge through the cohesive and coherent structure of its dialogic texts. The study employs Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA), NVivo, AntConc, Stanford Parser, Coreference Resolution Systems, and Trados software to systematically analyze linguistic, referential, and syntactic elements within the selected Qur’anic verses. Data were collected from Surah Al-Baqarah (2:30) and Surah Al-Isra (17:61-64) and analyzed to uncover the underlying linguistic and thematic intricacies. This study employs Van Dijk’s principles of linking, coherence, and separation, as articulated within his comprehensive framework of linguistic analysis, to assess syntactic cohesion at the micro-level of individual sentences. The results substantiate the assertion that Qur’anic verses exhibit a remarkable degree of autonomy, arbitrariness, and closure, illuminating their distinct and unparalleled characteristics. Furthermore, the study contributes to understanding how sacred texts engage audiences through structured dialogue and thematic coherence, enhancing both linguistic and theological scholarship. Further analysis reveals that the dialogic texts within the Qur’an maintain their structural coherence and communicative efficacy independently. They do not rely on external referential elements—personal, demonstrative, or relative pronouns—or active or inactive deictic markers, such as temporal, spatial, and personal indicators. This structural independence highlights the Qur’anic dialogue’s self-sufficiency, making it self-explanatory. Ultimately, this study opens avenues for further research into these texts’ linguistic dimensions, emphasizing their enduring significance.

Keywords:

Coherence; Cohesion; Deictic Markers; Divine Dialogue; Religion; Syntax; Verse

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How to Cite

Abalkheel, A., Sourani, M., & Zohbi, S. E. (2025). Structural Independence and Dialogic Coherence in Qur’anic Texts: A Syntactic Analytical Study. Forum for Linguistic Studies, 7(2), 487–500. https://doi.org/10.30564/fls.v7i2.8333

Issue

Vol. 7 , Iss. 2 (February 2025): In Progress

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Article

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Copyright © 2025 Albatool Abalkheel, Maha Sourani, Sawsan El Zohbi

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This is an open access article under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) License.