poser%csli.Stanford.EDU@oxy.edu (Bill Poser) (12/06/89)
Lines: 14 In article <1753@accuvax.nwu.edu> naim@eecs.nwu.edu (Naim Abdullah) writes: >However, I am sorry to say >that just about every English translation I have seen of the Quran >appears to me to use somewhat awkward, stilted, old Shakesperean English. While it is possible that the translations are simply poor, I wonder if it is not appropriate to use an archaic form of English in an attempt to convey the flavor of the original Arabic. The Quran is not written in any of the modern forms of Arabic, but in Classical Arabic, which is rather different. Perhaps using an earlier form of English conveys to the English reader the same sense that a modern Arabic speaker gets from reading Classical Arabic. Would any speakers of Arabic care to comment on this?