| المستخلص: |
Like any linguistic phenomena, ‘Semantic Redundancy’ in language, is often characterized by verbosity or wordiness, which is an unnecessary redundant element in expressing ideas in a particular text. In a variety of languages, such as Arabic, writers make use of excessive linguistic elements considered by linguists and translators as unnecessary repetitions of words and expressions. Contrary to this, the use of extra redundant linguistic elements (words and expressions) in certain contexts, might be used for cohesive functions and stylistic features, which adds some beauty to the source text. More than that, semantic redundant elements in certain contexts might be used for rhetorical expressions. Consider, for example, literary writings (prose and verse writing), where the writer gives a picture of particular incidents i.e. describes something or someone, especially in descriptive writings, using excessive linguistic material, that is, words and expressions, to give his/her writing more beauty and more stylistic effects, on the part of the reader (see for instance, the early and modern literary works of Arab writers/poets), especially those written by Taha Hussein, Nagib Mahfouz, Ibrahim El-Kouny, Labid, Imru’al-Qays, Tarfa and Antara. Such writings, however, exhibit a variety of redundant elements, particularly odes, composed of a range of rhetorical expressions and several repetitive items (e.g. وجبد كجید الرئم ) that reflect the masterpieces of the Arab Qasida‘poem’. In fact, what can be considered as ‘semantic redundant elements’ in one language may not be in the other e.g. (English vs. Arabic). In Arabic language, for example, too much use of semantic redundancy is clearly noticed and considered widely, particularly in literary and media texts. Consequently, translators should be aware of this phenomenon, and therefore, redundant elements should be considered when translating from language to language, as in the case of translating Arabic texts into English (see the English translation of Arbery (1957) of Jahiliyya poetry: 'The Seven Odes', the English translations of modern Arabic novels, Arab Tales …etc. This in my view, constitutes a major component of the theory of style in languages and it is also a very sensitive issue in translating. The present paper deals with this linguistic phenomenon as it creates a problem for a translator when translating from Arabic into English and vice-versa. Semantic redundancy, in Arabic, could be categorized under two linguistic notions, namely, إطناب and أطالھ . The former is functional and should be retained by the translator when rendering into English, whereas the latter is non-functional and should be eradicated. Arab linguists and rhetorician such as العسكري ، الجاحظ among others give definitions of إطناب , and إطالة One of the more helpful definitions of إطناب is: زیادة اللفظ على المعنى لفائدة the motivated use of extra formal elements in the expression of a given meaning. However, أطالھ , may correspond to ‘non-functional semantic redundancy’ such a ‘pleonasm’, ‘tautology’ or ‘wordiness’. It could be as زیادة اللفظ على المعنى بدون فائدة : , and the English translation would be like this: ‘the unmotivated use of extra formal elements in the expression of a given meaning.’ In the following sections, there will be an investigation of the types of lexical repetition as they occur in Arabic texts and how they are dealt with in the English translation.
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