Phonosemantic Significance And Its Effect On Meaning Formation In Short Meccan Surahs

Abstract

Abstract: The current research aims to explore the concept of phonosemantics (the connection between sounds and their meanings) in short Meccan surahs contained in the Quran. Utilizing traditional Arabic rhetorical theories of (balagha) and present-day phonolinguistic methods, this study seeks to analyse how the conscious arrangement or choice of phonetic units used in Al-Ikhlas (112), Al-Falaq (113), Al-Nas (114), Al-Kawthar (108), Al-Asr (103), Al-Masad (111), Al-Fil (105), Al-Quraysh (106), Al-Ma'un (107), and Al-Nasr (110) contributes to creating and emphasizing the semantic meaning of these surahs. Four main phonosemantic features are identified for study; (1) fasila (rhyme at the end of a verse) acts as a vulnerable component defining the semantic content; (2) consonantal symbolism reflects meaning/value; (3) vowel length and tone correlate to emotional meaning; (4) phono-rhythmically structured sentences reflect Godly beliefs. The results support that all phonetic choices made for the studied Surah reflect a deliberate methodology to produce an increase in semantic meaning and all three methods of creative reinforcement occur on: (i) aesthetic; (ii) cognitive; (iii) spiritual levels. This study contributes to the expanding fields of Quranic linguistics, and provides tools for further analysing and understanding the Qur'an's i'jaz (inimitable) nature through a phonosemantic viewpoint