A Pragmatic Analysis of Deixis in Surat Al-Duha (Published)
This research examines the analysis of deictic expressions in Sūrat Aḍ-Ḍuḥā, according to the five types of deixis: personal, spatial, temporal, social, and discourse deixis. It aims to uncover how these linguistic devices are employed in constructing contextual meaning and in linking the Qur’anic text to its discoursal and communicative reality. The study depends on a descriptive-analytical approach, with a special focus on the dialectical relationship between the apparent meaning of the verses and their internal and external contexts. The findings of the study demonstrate that personal deixis is the most frequent type, expressing a deep and supportive relationship between the speaker (God) and the addressee (Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him), by the repetition of the second-person suffix pronoun -ka. The results also reveal that temporal deixis moves metaphorically across three dimensions: the past (indicating the Prophet’s social identity), the present (expressing reassurance and divine care), and the future (conveying divine promise). While spatial deixis limited in occurrence, is nonetheless expressed through contextual references and verbs. Discourse deixis plays a cohesive role by linking the elements of the sūrah into an integrated whole, while social deixis reflects dimensions of reverence, dynamism, and intimacy within the divine discourse. Finally, the study elaborates that to understand deixis in the Qur’anic text requires to understand the context, that takes into account both linguistic and situational contexts, as this deepens interpretation and reveals aspects of rhetorical inimitability.
Keywords: Deixis, Surat AlDuha, dicousre deixis, person deixis, social deixis., spatial deixis, temporal deixis