Rejection with “Rather” and Impact on Textual Coherence in the Holy Quran

Abstract

This paper aims to investigate the contradictory device “rather” in standard Arabic from a Koranic perspective in terms of text cohesion. This grammatical device plays a significant role in sentence connection as it expresses semantic, rhetorical, and discourse functions. The device “rather” suggests not only rejection and refusal but also conveys connection. This paper, accordingly, draws on cohesion and sentence discourse functions as important indicators of meaning, especially when other elements are deleted in lengthy texts and complex sentences.