Evaluative Role of Narrator with Reference to the Qur’anic Discourse

The study develops a model of evaluation in Arabic by providing an account of types and roles of narrator in narrative discourse of Arabic, and gathering the available Arab grammarians’ and rhetoricians’ viewpoints which are related to the targeted linguistic aspect. To test the validity of the formulated model of analysis, two narrative Qur’anic extracts are analysed. It is hypothesised that the Qur’anic narrative discourse is often externally and/or internally evaluated by The Narrator, Almighty Allah. It is concluded that a narrative Qur’anic discourse is built by employing different quotative and reportive modes of speech and thought presentation. These modes are narrated by The Omniscient Narrator, Almighty Allah. Occasionally, a mode is internally narrated by a reported speaker who narrates his own or others speeches or thoughts, and then narrated by The Omniscient Narrator. External evaluative strategies almost always follow the mode to be evaluated. However, the Qur’anic discourse involves some uses of such evaluations which precede the evaluated mode of speech or thought. The Qur’anic modes of speech and thought presentation are often internally and /or externally evaluated by the Omniscient Narrator. In addition, an ‘interactional’ evaluative strategy is also employed. When tackling the Qur’anic discourse, one has to consider the two main roles or voices of Almighty Allah; ‘Speaker’ and ‘Narrator’.