The Deviation from the Primacy of the Vocative in Qur'anic Discourse: An Inductive, Syntactic, and Rhetorical Study

Abstract

This study examines the phenomenon of deviation from the initial position of the vocative in Qurʾānic discourse, in which the vocative shifts from its canonical initial position to occur after the main clause of address or within its components. The research aims to identify and analyze this phenomenon in the Qurʾān through a comprehensive inductive survey, exploring its syntactic structure and rhetorical implications while comparing it with the principles established by classical grammarians and rhetoricians regarding the normal order of the vocative in Arabic. The study adopts an inductive and analytical approach, collecting the relevant Qurʾānic instances and examining them in light of the interpretations of exegetes, grammarians, and rhetoricians. The research is organized into two main sections: the first outlines the conceptual and syntactic framework of the vocative in Arabic, while the second investigates the Qurʾānic instances of deviation from the vocative’s initial position and analyzes their structural and rhetorical features. The study concludes that this phenomenon appears in several Qurʾānic contexts in two principal forms and serves various rhetorical functions, including intensifying attention, expressing emotional involvement, and reinforcing the intended message of the discourse. The study recommends further research on the syntactic and rhetorical structures of Arabic stylistic devices in the Qurʾān within their contextual frameworks.