Tag: (E) malāk ملاك

(2017) English, Hebrew, Arabic – Folk religious concepts

Habib, Sandy (2017). The meanings of ‘angel’ in English, Arabic, and Hebrew. In Zhengdao Ye (Ed.), The semantics of nouns (pp. 89-119). Oxford: Oxford University Press.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780198736721.003.0004

Abstract:

This chapter explores the meanings of English angels and its Arabic and Hebrew near-equivalents. Using the NSM framework, semantic analysis is carried out, and an explication is constructed for each term. The results show that there are similarities and differences between the three concepts. The similarities include, among other things, the categorization of the three non-human beings and their good nature. The differences appear mainly in the conceptualization of the hierarchy among these beings, their visual representations/appearances, and relation to people. As the explications are constructed from simple, universal human concepts, they are translatable into any language, and thus accessible to cultural outsiders.

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Research carried out by one or more experienced NSM practitioners

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(2011) English, Arabic – Folk religious concepts

Habib, Sandy (2011). Angels can cross cultural boundaries. RASK (International Journal of Language and Communication), 34, 49-75.

Open access

Abstract:

The aim of this study is to explore how ordinary Native English speakers and Muslim Arabs view English angel and its Arabic equivalent malāk, respectively. The two terms are examined and analysed based on linguistic data that show how people from each group understand and use one of these terms in their native language.

The results demonstrate that there are similarities and differences between the two concepts. The similarities include, among other things, (1) the categorization of angels and ‘malāʿika‘ (pl. of malāk), (2) their habitat, (3) their good nature, and (4) their relation with people. The differences are manifested mainly in the conceptualization of these creatures’ (visual) appearances. Being similar to each other, these two concepts may prove to be helpful in promoting cross-cultural communication between ordinary native English speakers and Muslim Arabs. Additionally, the analysis of the two terms can provide cultural outsiders with access to the insider perspective of each term.

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Research carried out in consultation with or under the supervision of one or more experienced NSM practitioners

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(2011) English, Hebrew, Arabic – Religion

Habib, Sandy (2011). Contrastive lexical-conceptual analysis of folk religious concepts in English, Arabic, and Hebrew: NSM approach. PhD thesis, University of New England, Armidale.

Abstract:

The primary aim of this dissertation is to explore a number of religious concepts in English, Arabic, and Hebrew. It is the first detailed study of folk religious concepts from a linguistic vantage point. The concepts included in the study are those behind the English words angels, the devil, God, heaven, hell, martyr, sin, and grace, as well as their Arabic and Hebrew near-equivalents. The theoretical framework is that of the NSM approach.

To lay the groundwork, Arabic and Hebrew versions of NSM are established, which had not been done before. Semantic explications of the target religious concepts are then developed in terms that are both comprehensible to ordinary people and translatable between the three languages (English, Arabic, and Hebrew). This allows for easy identification of the similarities and differences among the various concepts in the languages under investigation.

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Research carried out in consultation with or under the supervision of one or more experienced NSM practitioners

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