The Demonstrative Particle ḏālika and its Anaphoric Function in the Qurʾān

Demonstrative pronouns in Arabic may function as deictic or anaphoric pronouns. The demonstrative pronoun <em>ḏālika</em> in the Qurʾān is of interest for two principal reasons: first, it is deictic only in three cases; secondly, it is marked for gender (m) and number (sg), yet it refers to a noun in feminine singular and in plural or even to a compound antecedent (e.g. a complete paragraph). Three parameters of <em>ḏālika</em> are addressed here: its antecedents’ type, its context, and its function. Results show that <em>ḏālika</em> can refer to any antecedent that is a segment located within the sentence/verse boundaries of <em>ḏālika</em>, or its antecedent can be an extended paragraph that spans sentence or verse boundaries. <em>ḏālika</em> can function as subject, direct object, or indirect object, depending the structure in which it occurs. Additionally, each structure containing <em>ḏālika</em> has its own function in the discourse: indicating causal relation, specification and identification, similarity between two things, preventing repetition of the same segment, and intimating that what was previously said is evidence of God’s might.