Islamic and Late Modern Comparative Worldviews on Language: Towards Model for Translating Alien Key Concepts

Abstract

Within the area of cultural discourse studies (CDSs), this article is presented to compare the late modern and Islamic worldviews on language. In so doing, the researcher uses a comparative qualitative method to explore the worldviews on language, word meaning, text, and context with specific attention to the writings of Norman Fairclough and those of Mohammed Naqib al-Attas. The analysis reveals that both worldviews coincide in terms of basic and relational meanings of words. Some differences are revealed in terms of the worldviews on language, text, and context. What distinguishes al-Attas’s Islamic worldview is that the authentic sources of knowledge (the Quran and the verified Sunnah) in the Arabic language provide a scientific context for concept-formation. The study contributes to a model for translation at worldview levels. It recommends further research on translating alien key concepts that have been introduced into the languages of Muslim people.