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Nominal sentences http://forum.themostreadbook.org/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=2479 |
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Author: | Linguistic [ 15 Sep 2009, 14:53 ] |
Post subject: | Nominal sentences |
English sentences are nominal, i.e., they start with a noun followed by a verb. Arabic sentences, on the other hand, are mostly verbal; they start with the verb. Arabic has two types of nominal sentences, however. The first type is composed of a subject and a predicate, which corresponds to English sentences where the verb is verb to be. The other type of nominal sentences in Arabic has a regular verb. This type of sentence is rare and coveys a special meaning, such as emphasis. To illustrate, let's consider three examples: 1. A regular verbal Arabic sentence: سمع الله لمن حمده "God listens to whom praises Him." If we were to translate it literally, we'd have to say, "Listens God to whom praises Him." Translating a verbal sentence is straightforward; we transpose the noun and the verb. 2. A common nominal Arabic sentence: الله أكبر "God is greater." If we were to translate it literally, we'd have to say, "God greater." Translating a regular nominal Arabic sentence is straightforward; we insert verb to be between the subject and the predicate. 3. An uncommon nominal Arabic sentence: الله يجمع بيننا "God brings us together." While that would be a correct translation, it loses the fact that it was a nominal sentence in Arabic and not a verbal sentence. The challenge therefore is to convey that bit of information in the translation somehow. Any ideas? |
Author: | Linguistic [ 18 Jan 2010, 03:18 ] |
Post subject: | Re: Nominal sentences |
Linguistic wrote: 3. An uncommon nominal Arabic sentence: الله يجمع بيننا "God brings us together." While that would be a correct translation, it loses the fact that it was a nominal sentence in Arabic and not a verbal sentence. The challenge therefore is to convey that bit of information in the translation somehow. Any ideas? I suggest adding interjections to convey the emphasis in such case, e.g., [It is] God [who] brings us together. |
Author: | Pragmatic [ 18 Jan 2010, 06:45 ] |
Post subject: | Re: Nominal sentences |
Linguistic wrote: I suggest adding interjections to convey the emphasis in such case, e.g., [It is] God [who] brings us together. I missed this thread earlier. Very interesting observation about nominal sentences. When I thought about it before reading your suggestion, I also thought of "It is God who" but I didn't like the construct because it added too much stuff to what the Arabic construct conveys. I think including the brackets as you proposed is brilliant, because it mitigates this added stuff down to the right level. |
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