THE GRAPHICAL FEATURES OF THE ARABIC SCRIPT AS THE CASE OF THE PUNCTUATION USAGE

Vitaliy Vasiliev
Assistant Lecturer, RUDN University, Russia, ismivity@gmail.com

Abstract

The research goal is punctuation usage singularity description based on the Arabic graphical writing system features. Punctuation marks as well as alphabet letters represent a part of the graphical writing system adopted for a given language and are used for those aspects of written speech which can’t be expressed by letters in accordance with the spelling rules. Punctuation is clearly an important part of the written language. It is widely accepted that punctuation deals with syntax and rhythm-melodies of a particular language. This impacts on the meanings of the written texts that explains the current importance of the research. The research begins with the introduction aiming to discuss the punctuation history nature in the Arabic language. Subsequent chapters describe the features of the Arabic written languages graphical system. Further chapters then construct a taxonomy of punctuation marks and describe the theory synthesized from the investigations results.

However, graphical written system features should be considered for punctuation analysis. The graphical system of the Arabic language is different from the European one. The elements effecting its development and formation differ from the ones in the European languages. The graphical influence on punctuation usage in the Arabic language will be analyzed in the research. The research combined theoretical and empirical studies. The research methodology rested on the comparative and descriptive approach to analysis, followed functional and cultural equivalent principles in the course of exploring the essence of punctuation. The study goes in line with the needs of experts and specialists who work within the above settings to adequately understand and use language tools for processing punctuation used in the texts of the Arab world. The research findings made it possible to characterize the major features of the punctuation usage in Arabic. The research findings can be of use for translators who work in multilingual environments. Also, they are interesting for linguists, particularly those who study the written language history

Keywords: punctuation, Arabic script,