THE SPEECH ACT OF CHALLENGE IN THE GLORIOUS QURAN

Abstract

The current study aims at unveiling the speech act of challenge in the Glorious Quran. As such, the study identified different forms of Quranic verses that are employed to indicate challenge and analyzed them within the framework of Speech Act Theory. The analysis depends on the relationship between interlocutors, the situational context and the linguistic vehicles that bear the intended meaning. Furthermore, the direction of fit and the felicity conditions are elaborated to present a comprehensive analysis of the texts selected. Findings show that challenge can be categorized as a directive speech act based on the illocutionary act regardless of the structural form as the speaker wants the hearer to do a specific act in the future. However, it can be categorized under behabitives as the speaker expresses his attitude toward the hearer. Imperative, negative-imperative, interrogative, and predicative statements are employed to coin the function of challenge. Consequently, the study explores direct speech acts of challenge and indirect speech acts that are explicitly and implicitly coined.