The Semantics of Lexical Items in Qur’anic Discourse and Their Cultural References: Laʿalla in the Dialogue of Tyrants as a Case Study

Abstract

This research seeks to examine the interpretation of lexical items in Qur’anic discourse. The inclusion of multiple meanings in a given word may divert attention from the rhetorical purpose for which that word was employed, and such semantic inclusion may even lead to a change in the intended meaning of Qur’anic discourse. Accordingly, this research, entitled “The Semantics of Lexical Items in Qur’anic Discourse and Their Cultural References: Laʿalla in the Dialogue of Tyrants as a Case Study,” examines the particle laʿalla in Pharaoh’s dialogue in order to show that its intended meaning is “expectation” or “hopeful anticipation,” not wishful desire.

This meaning results from Pharaoh’s intellectual frame of reference, making laʿalla a revealing device that exposes the psychological rupture and cognitive confusion experienced by the “tyrant” when confronted with absolute truth. At the same time, the lexical item unveils and reveals the weakness of Pharaoh’s arrogant discourse when read in light of his cultural reference and through cultural criticism, as will become clear in the course of the research.