Title:
A CONTRASTIVE STUDY OF SEMANTIC RICHNESS IN SOME EXTRACTS OF THE PALESTINIAN RESISTANCE OFFICIAL SPEECH AND THEIR ENGLISH TRANSLATIONS

Authors:
Qasim Abbas Dhayef and Abdullah Abbas Alwan, Iraq

Abstract:
The present study seeks to provide explanations for the semantic richness as a cross-linguistic difference between Arabic and English. It investigates the points of contrast between English and Arabic in the light of four semantic concerns; hyponymy (which one tends to be hyponymic rather than hypernymic), semantic field (which semantic field is broader than the other), symbolism (to what extent the triggered symbols are different), conceptual metaphor (how the source and target domains are different in both languages). In particular, the study contrasts the depth of denotative meaning for two languages by analyzing the semantics of the chosen data from each. The methodology is based on a single-method approach. In order to put this data under scrutiny, a secondary data strategy is adopted, where it involved quoting the official spokesman of the Palestinian resistance; next, the quotes are analyzed using a content analysis approach. Some of the key results to mention are: (1) the hyponyms tend to manifest more than the hypernyms in the Arabic; (2) the hypernyms tend to appear more in English; (3) the semantic field of English terms is much broader than their Arabic counterparts; (4) symbolism and conceptual metaphor, although cross-linguistic tend to carry more specificity in the presented data. Some key conclusions to draw are: (1) Arabic involves more semantic precision as compared to English; (2) there is an English preference for generic phrases that are applicable in a variety of settings; (3) the features of semantic richness make Arabic a very complex language, ideal for expressing multi-layered, culturally relevant meanings.