Proposal for

Arabic Translation in the light of Speech Act Theory and Grice Maxims

(Pragmatic equivalence in translation of Lenin Al-Ramly’s In Plain Arabic)

By Mohammed A. Bassiouny

INTRODUCTION

Speech act theory, pragmatics and Grice maxims are concepts known for most human beings,

but only few may think to give them names, among those few were Austin, Searle and

H.Grice. It is not necessary to explain them in order to observe or find thos concepts in our

ordinary everday life, only explaining will make those concepts more clearer. So “To say that

A meant something by x is to say that ‘Aintended the utterance of x to produce some effect in

an audience by meansof the recognition of this intention’”. (Searle, 1971 , pp. 44-45) Searle

tries to clarify that every speech act contains an attempt to communicate certain intention.

After bearing that in mind, it is easily to deduce that every speaker produces each sound

carefully -in the normal condition- to convey a predetermined message which can be formed

only in rule-governed context. Those rules and conditions are what determine the way of

using an expression, and define the meaning of performing a certain language act.

Sometimes, the performing of an illocutionary act includes more than only the appeared

propostional meaning. An illocutionary act is simply the intended effect made by a speaker

which can differs to a great extent from the propositional meaning. The construction of

illocutionary act is confined to many rules and conditions which need to be taken into

account, for instance when a teacher tells students "if you didnot submit your assignment in

due time, i promise to lower your grade" isnot truly a promise, but it is a warning and can

even be a threat. This obviously indicates the aforementioned conditions or rather the rules

that determine the nature of illocutionary acts. Searle (1976) distinguishes between two kinds
of rules, regulative and constitutive rules. The latter is an organizing rule, and this kindtakes

the shape of imperative, while the second kindistaking more like fundmantels of speech act.

RATIONALE FOR MY INVESTIGATION

The speech act study is one of the most important tools for translator in the practicel of

translation. So one target of applying theory on English and Arabic theory is to know

throughly the all charactersitic of such theory regarding Arabic language linking to English

language in the fieldof translation.

PROCEDURE

Through reading availble books and journals the researcher will do hisbest to identify the

result of applying such theorieson Arabic/English translation by exploring the answers to

questions such as the following:

___Isthe speech act bounded or free? Is it confined or comprehensive?

___Which one determines the other, Felicty conditions determines illocutionary force and

structur or the other way around?

The researcheralso plane to reach some of the most experienced translator in hiscountry to

disscuss with them the points of the research, and may be include their ideas and opinions.

REFERENCES

Searle, J. R., (2008). A Classification of Illocutionary Acts. Cambridge University Press, Vol 5 No.4,

pp 1-23

Searle, J. R., (1971). The Philosophy of language(2nd edition). UK,: Oxford university press