A SEMANTIC ANALYSIS ON THE ENGLISH TRANSLATION OF SURAH AL-MUDATSTSIR BY A.YUSUF ALI.

A SEMANTIC ANALYSIS ON THE ENGLISH TRANSLATION
OF SURAH "AL - MUDATSTSIR” By A. YUSUF ALI

THESIS

Submitted As Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Sarjana Degree
of English Department Faculty of Humanities UIN Sunan Ampel Surabaya.

By:
LUTFIAH
Reg. Number A83211157

ENGLISH DEPARTMENT
FACULTY OF LETTERS AND HUMANITIES
THE STATE ISLAMIC UNIVERSITY OF SUNAN AMPEL
SURABAYA
2015

DECLARATION
Lutfiah

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A83211157

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English Letters

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Letters and Humanities

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fulfill the requirement for the Degree of Sarjana

Sastra

'"r-::. eniitled "A Semantic Analysis on the English Translation of Surah Al- Mudatstsir

r"r' \-

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. i ;ertifu that the Thesis I wrote to

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is truly my original work. It does not incorporate any materials previously written

: -:..s:ed by other person, except those indicated in quotation and bibliography. Due to this

*- . - ,::: only person responsible for the Thesis if there is any objection or claim for others.

Surabaya, I 6th June 2015

Lutfiah

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APPROVAL SHEET

Approved to be examined
Surabaya, 16tr June 2015

The advisor

_-._a7_

Dr. Mohammad Kurium. M.As
NIP.

1

9690 925199 4031002

Acknowledge by
The Head of English Department

-----"//

Dr. Mohammad Kurium. M.Ae
NIP. I 9690 925199 4031002

ENGLISH DEPARTMENT
FACT]LTY OF LETTES AI\D HUMANUTIES
STATE ISLAMIC UNTYERSITY ST]NAII AMPEL ST'RABAYA

2015

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EXAMINER SHEET

This thesis has been approved and accepted by the Board of Examiners, English
Department, Faculty of Letters and Humanities, UIN Sunan Ampel surabaya.
Surabay4 July l6th, 2015

The Board of Examiners:
Head of

Examiner

Dr. Mohammad Kurjum. M.Ag
NrP. I 96909251994031002

Secretary

Abdullah Ubet. M.A
NrP. 196605071997b3t0

Examiner

NrP. 19730303

II

Endratno Pilih Swasono. M. Pd
NIP. 1 971 06072A$12 1 001

Letters and Humanities

121990031002

ABSTRAK
Lutfiah. 2015. Analisis Semantic Terjemahan Bahasa Inggris dari Surat AlMudatstsir Karya A.Yusuf Ali. Skripsi Sastra Inggris, Fakultas Adab, Sunan
Ampel Universitas Islam Negeri Surabaya.
Pembimbing: Dr. Mohammad Kurjum, M.Ag

Kata kunci: Semantic, makna, pesan, Surah Al-Mudatstsir.
Semantik adalah salah satu cabang linguistik yang mempelajari tentang
makna. Penelitian ini berfokus pada analisis terjemahan bahasa Inggris Surat
Al_Mudatstsir karya A.Yusuf Ali dengan menggunakan teori semantik. AlMudatstsir adalah salah satu surah dalam Al-Quran yang terdiri lima puluh enam
ayat.
Terkait dengan latar belakang, penelitian bertujuan untuk menjawab dua
pertanyaan berikut. Apa jenis makna yang digunakan dalam Terjemahan Inggris
dari "Surat Al-Mudatstsir" oleh A. Yusuf Ali dan apa pesan yang terlibat dalam
tesis ini.
Penelitian ini dilakukan dengan menggunakan metode deskriptif kualitatif,
karena data dari penelitian ini adalah dalam bentuk kalimat atau kata-kata dari
Surah Al-Mudatstsir. Langkah pengumpulan data membaca dan memahami
terjemahan Surah Al-Mudatstsir oleh A.Yusuf Ali. Kemudian, dia memilih data
yang berhubungan dengan masalah penelitian. Untuk menganalisis data, ia
menyajikan data, menafsirkan data dan menarik kesimpulan.
Berdasarkan hasil dan pembahasan data, dapat disimpulkan bahwa ada dua
macam makna yang terlibat dalam surah ini, yaitu leksikal, dan makna sentensial.
Makna leksikal berkaitan dengan makna kata-kata dan makna hubungan antara
kata-kata yang mengandung denotasi, konotasi, sinonim, antonimi, polisemi,
ambiguiti, hyponymy, homophony, dan homonimi, makna klausa dapat

didefinisikan sebagai kelompok kata yang membentuk pernyataan, perintah, seru
atau pertanyaan, dan biasanya mengandung subjek dan predikat, dan tertulis
dimulai dengan huruf kapital dan ujung tanda (.?,!). Selanjutnya pesan adalah
sesuatu yang penulis ingin sampaikan kepada para pembaca. Dalam banyak karya,
pesan dapat disimpulkan sebagai pesan agama. Dalam penelitian ini, pesan yang
ditemukan didominasi oleh pesan-pesan agama.

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ABSTRACT
Lutfiah. 2015. A Semantic Analysis on the English Translation of Surah AlMudatstsir by A.Yusuf Ali. Thesis English Letters Department, Faculty of
Humanities, Sunan Ampel State Islamic University of Surabaya.
The advisor

: Dr. Mohammad Kurjum, M.Ag

Key words

: Semantic, meaning, message, Surah Al- Mudatstsir.

Semantics is one of the branches of linguistics studying about meaning.
This research focuses on analyzing the English translation of Surah Al_Mudatstsir
by A.Yusuf Ali by using semantics theory. Al-Mudatstsir is one of surah in the
Holy Qur’an which consists of fifty six verses.
Related to the background, the study aims at answering two following
questions. What kinds of meaning are used in the English Translation of “Surah
Al-Mudatstsir” by A. Yusuf Ali and what messages are involved in this thesis.
The research is conducted using descriptive qualitative method, because
the data of this study are in the form of the sentences or words of Surah AlMudatstsir. The step of data collection are reading and understanding the
translation of Surah Al-Mudatstsir by A.Yusuf Ali. Then, she selects the data
related to the problems of the study. To analyze the data, she presents the data,
interprets the data and draws the conclusion.
Based on the result and discussion of the data, it can be concluded that
there are two kinds of meaning involved in this surah, namely lexical, and
sentential meanings. Lexical meaning is concerned with the meanings of words
and the meaning of the relationship among words that contains denotation,
connotation, synonymy, antonymy, polysemy, ambiguity, hyponymy,
homophony, and homonymy, Sentential meaning can be defined as a group of
words that form a statement, command, exclamation or question, and usually
contain of subject and predicates, and in writing begins with a capital letter and

ends of the mark (.?,!). Furthermore the message is something that the author
wants to convey to the readers. In many works, the message can be concluded as
religious message. In this study, the messages found are dominated by religious
messages.

xiii

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Lutfiah
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Inside Cover Page........................................................................................... i
Inside Title Page ............................................................................................. ii
Declaration Page............................................................................................. iii
Advisor’s Approval Page ............................................................................... iv
Examiner’s Approval Page............................................................................ v
Motto .............................................................................................................. vi
Dedication ...................................................................................................... vii
Acknowledgement ......................................................................................... ix
Table of Contents ........................................................................................... x

Abstract .......................................................................................................... xiii
CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION
1.1

Background of Study ............................................................................ 1

1.2

Statement of the Problem ..................................................................... 4

1.3

Objectives of the Study ........................................................................ 4

1.4

Significance of the Study ..................................................................... 4

1.5

Scope and Limitations of the study ...................................................... 5

1.6

Definition of the Key Terms ................................................................ 5

CHAPTER II REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
2.1

Semantics ............................................................................................. 7

2.2

Kinds of Meaning................................................................................. 8

x

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2.2.1 Lexical Meaning ....................................................................... 8
2.2.1.2 Ambiguity................................................................................ 10
2.2.1.3 Synonym and Antonymy......................................................... 10
2.2.1.4 Denotation and Conotation...................................................... 11
2.2.1.5 Hyponymy ............................................................................... 13
2.3

Sentential Meaning ............................................................................... 14
2.3.1 Analytic Sentence and Synthetic Sentence ................................. 14
2.3.2 Entailment ................................................................................... 15
2.3.3 Presupposition ............................................................................. 16

2.4

Message ................................................................................................ 16
2.4.1 Moral Message ........................................................................... 17
2.4.2 Religious Message...................................................................... 17
2.4.3 Sosial Message ........................................................................... 17

2.5

Surah Al- Mudatstsir ............................................................................ 18

2.6

Translation ............................................................................................ 18
2.6.1 The Process of Translation .......................................................... 20

2.7

Biography of Yusuf Ali ........................................................................ 20

2.8

Previous Study...................................................................................... 21

CHAPTER III RESEARCH METHOD
3.1

Research Design ................................................................................... 23

3.2

Research Instrument ............................................................................. 24

3.3

Data Sources ......................................................................................... 24

3.4

Procedure of Data Collection ............................................................... 24

3.5

Data Analysis ....................................................................................... 25

CHAPTER IV FINDING AND DISCUSSION
4.1

Findings ................................................................................................ 26

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4.1.1 Semantic Involvement ......................................................................... 26
4.1.1.1

Section 1 ....................................................................... 27

4.1.1.2

Section 2 ....................................................................... 29

4.1.1.3

Section 3 ....................................................................... 30

4.1.1.4

Section 4 ....................................................................... 32

4.1.1.5

Section 5 ....................................................................... 35

4.1.1.6

Section 6 ....................................................................... 38

4.1.1.7

Section 7 ....................................................................... 39

4.1.2 Message Involvement ........................................................................... 42
4.2

Discussion ............................................................................................ 45

CHAPTER V CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTION
5.1

Conclusion ............................................................................................ 49

5.2

Suggestion ............................................................................................ 50

REFERENCES ............................................................................................... 52
APPENDIXES

xii

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CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION

This chapter presents about background of study, research problems,
research objectives, significance of research, scope and limitation, and definition
of the key terms.

1.1 BACKGROUND OF STUDY
In linguistics, there are many areas in which can be analyzed by the expert
or researcher, such as phonetics, morphology, syntax, pragmatic, semantics, etc.
Phonetics is the study of linguistics sounds. Morphology is the study of the
meaning components of words. Syntax is the study of the structural relationship
between words. Pragmatics is the study of how language is used to accomplish the
goals. Semantics is the study of meaning. But, the researcher does not use all of
those areas. The researcher chooses one of them that is semantics which is to learn
about the meaning by using semantics analysis.
This study is to explore about meaning in linguistics. So, what is meaning?
Meaning is an idea or concept that can be transferred from the speaker’s mind to
the hearer by embodying them in the form of one language to another language.
Meaning in linguistics is called semantics. According to Fromkin (1999:166)
semantics is the study of linguistics meaning. The other experts of linguistics also
give definition about meaning or semantics. Semantics is one of the branches of
linguistic studying about the meaning, and it is considered as a major branch of
linguistics devoted to study of meaning in language (Crystal, 1991:428).

1

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2

The Holy Qur’an is a message from Allah to human being. It is transmitted
to us in a chain starting from Allah to the angel Jibril to the prophet Muhammad
(SAW). Allah says in the Holy Qur’an: “a book which we have revealed to you
(Muhammad) so that you may lead the people from darkness to the lightness with
their lords leave of Almighty, the praise worthy.”

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3

The Holy Qur’an consists of 114 surah and 6666 verses. The language of the
Holy Qur’an is different from the others. It has a special thing. Holy Qur’an has a
great grammar that is always amazed by all people who read and hear it even the nonMoslem. The original language of Holy Qur’an is Arabic language, but it has been
translated into many other languages including English language.
Language is very important for people around the world. Language is a tool to
convey the intent to others. Without language, people will not express their mind and
thought to another. There are two kinds of language, those are: spoken language and
written language. In this research, the researcher studies about the written language,
especially studying the meaning on the Surah "Al-Mudatstsir” (The One Wrapped
Up) by A. Yusuf Ali using semantic approach, including the lexical meaning, and
sentential meaning. The researcher chooses Surah Al-Mudatstsir because it has
characteristic of those two parts of meaning in semantic features.
There are certain kinds of meaning in language. Lyons (1984: 136) argues that
there are many types of meaning, such as lexical meaning, philosophical meaning,
contextual meaning, grammatical meaning, sentence meaning, descriptive meaning,
expressive meaning and social meaning. So, in this research the researcher explores
the theory of meaning that is related to lexical meaning, and sentential meaning.
This research has relation with the previous researches that also focus on
semantic analysis on the English translation of surah of al-Qur’an. However, all the
researchers chose the different object (surah of al-Qur’an). Such as; Zulfa (2007), in
her study entitled “A Semantic Analysis on the English Translation of Surah “Al-

4

Mulk” by A. Yusuf Ali. She discusses about the kinds of meaning, especially in the
lexical meaning. Wijaya (2007) discusses about the meaning in Surah Luqman and
also the translation method used. Therefore, the researcher conducts the title “A
Semantic Analysis on the English Translation of Surah Al-Mudatstsir by A.Yusuf
Ali” which focuses on the lexical and sentential meaning and also the messages
involved of surah al-Mudatstsir.
In addition, there are many Surah inside Qur’an with different types and
functions in each Surah. Some of the Surah on Qur’an consist of the story the
previous prophets, and Prophet Muhammad. The other part, they consist of laws of
Islam (Fiqh and Syari’ah), knowledge for know God (Tauhid), and the regulation of
our actions in the relation with God and human (Aqidah Akhlaq).
The researcher discusses about “A Semantic Analysis on the English
Translation of Surah Al-Mudatstsir by A. Yusuf Ali”. The discussion consists of two
semantic features. Those are lexical meaning, which includes denotation, connotation,
ambiguity, synonymy, hyponymy, polysemy, homonymy, and homophony. It also
discusses about sentential meaning, including synthetic sentences, entailment, and
presupposition.
1.1.2

Statement of the Problems
Based on the research context described in the preceding part, the following

research focuses are formulated:
1. What kinds of meanings are found in the English Translation of Surah AlMudatstsir by A. Yusuf Ali?

5

2. What messages are found in the English Translation of Surah Al- Mudatstsir
by A. Yusuf Ali?

1.1.3

Objectives of the Study
Based on the research focuses stated above, this study is intended to describe:

1. To describe the meaning used on the English Translation of Surah AlMudatstsir by A. Yusuf Ali.
2. To describe the messages found in English Translation of Surah AlMudatstsir by A. Yusuf Ali.

1.1.4

Significance of the Study
The main purpose of this research is to know the meaning, and the messages

in the English translation of Surah Al-Mudatstsir by A.Yusuf Ali. This study
contributes both theoretical and practical in the study of linguistics, especially
studying about semantics. Theoretically, this study is expected to contribute toward
linguistics area and become the source in semantics, especially on how to show and
identify the description of meanings and the messages which are found in the English
Translation of Surah Al- Mudatstsir by A. Yusuf Ali. The results of the study are
hopefully useful for the researcher herself to understand better about the semantics
features, and also for the readers by giving benefit and more information about
semantic study.

6

Practically, this study is also very important to be done because it has some
benefits for everyone who wants to study and read the Holy Al-Qur’an, especially
Surah Al- Mudatstsir in order to have deep understanding of knowing the meaning
and the messages from the content of Surah Al- Mudatstsir semantically. Therefore,
the readers are interested in this study and read the Holy Al-Qur’an as well as
possible. In addition, this study is expected to be used as a reference for the next
researchers who are interested in conducting similar studies.

1.1.5

Scope and Limitations of the study
In this analysis, the researcher only focuses about the kinds of meaning and

the messages found in the English Translation of Surah Al- Mudatstsir by A. Yusuf
Ali. For the meaning, the researcher tries to find out and discuss about the semantics
aspects which concerns with two meanings. They are lexical meaning and sentential
meaning.

1.1.6

Definition of the Key Terms
To avoid misunderstanding about the terms, some terms in this research are

defined as follows:
1. Meaning

: Ideas that can be transferred from someone to
another one using language to make a clear
communication.

2. Surah Al-Mudatstsir

: One of the verses in Holy Qur’an that consist of fifty
six verses. It describes about the life patterns of Holy

7

Qur’an Prophet (S.A.W) by his most graceful Divine
title.
3. Abdullah Yusuf Ali

: One of the most popular translators in the world, the
language use is easier to be understood by everyone.
He gives explanation to the word that is difficult or
use old English.

4. Message

: An idea intended to send an important thing to
another through spoken or written language.

CHAPTER II
REVIEW OF THE RELATED LITERATURE

The reviews below cover the discussion about semantics, lexical meaning,
sentential meaning, message, and the previous study.

2.1 Semantics
Semantics is one of the branches of linguistics studying about the meaning
and it is considered as a major branch of linguistics divided to study of meaning in
language (Crystal, 1991. P. 428). Study of meaning is much needed for those who
want to be a good speaker or writer to express their ideas. From this definition, we
have to know what is meant by meaning. For thousands, of years, some philosophers
have been pondering the meaning of meaning, speakers of language can understand
what is said to them and can produce strings of words that are meaningful to other
speakers. According to the theory of semantics, meanings are the ideas or concepts
that are able to be transferred from the speakers mind to the hearers mind by
embodying them, as it were, in the forms of one language or another (Fromkin,
1983.p. 140).
Understanding the meaning is very prominent for the people to make a clear
communication with others. To understand meaning is not only in speech language
but also in written language such as about the English Translation of Surah AlMudatstsir by A.Yusuf Ali. Therefore, studying the meaning of speech language or

8
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9

written language is very important to know and understand the content of the
communication.
Semantics is the study of learning that stands at the very center of the
linguistics quest to understand the nature of language and human language abilities. It
is caused by the expressing meaning. Expressing meanings are what language all
about. So, everything in language – words, grammatical construction, intonations,
patterns-conspires to realize this goal in the fullest, richest, subtlest way. In
understanding how any particular language works, we need to understand how its
individual design works to fulfill its function as an intricate device for
communicating meanings.

2.2 Kinds of Meaning
Semantics is concerned with the aspect of meaning in language. Work in
semantics deals with the description of word and sentence meaning. There are certain
kinds of meaning or certain aspects of meaning in linguistics (Lyon, 1995). The
meaning of sentence depends upon the meaning of its sentence of they occur (Lyon,
1984). There are kinds of meaning or aspects of meaning in linguistics.

2.2.1

Lexical Meaning
The study of linguistics meaning or morphemes, words, phrases and sentences

is called “semantics”. Semantics deals with the description of word and sentence
meaning. There are certain kinds of meaning or certain aspects of meaning in
linguistics (Lyon, 1981).

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10

Lexical meaning is the meaning of word in isolation. The term “lexical
meaning” is interpreted as the meaning of lexemes that depend upon the meaning of
the sentences in which they occur. The technical term that is called dictionary-words
is “lexeme”. The noun „lexeme’ is related to the words „lexical’ and „lexicon’. A
lexeme is lexical unit or a unit of the lexicon. The lexical structure of a language is
the structure of its lexicon or vocabulary and lexical meaning is equivalent to the
commonly used, less technical (but ambigous), term „word-meaning’. Identifying
lexical meaning is not easy because it does not only deal with the obvious or literal
meaning but also with denotation, synonymy, antonymy, ambiguity, polisemy,
hyponymy, homonymy, and homophon.

2.2.1.1 Homonym and Polysemy
Homonym is said to be two words with the same form but different in
meaning. For example; corn=grain and corn=the foot, bank=side of a river and
bank=financial institution.
In addition, a word can be defined as polysemy, if it has more than one
meaning or multiple meaning. For example, the noun „head’ is treated in standard
dictionaries of English as a single lexeme with several distinguishable meaning. For
example, „head’ a top of body, top a glass of bear, top of company department.
Meaning can be descriptive, expressive, and social and many lexemes combine two
of these or more than it.

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11

There are several conditions which cause polysemy. First, it is specification in
certain science, for instance, in linguistics, architecture and art. The word „form’ have
so many different meaning. They have their own meaning. Second, it is specification
of usage in the variety of social life. For instance, operation is assigning operation,
but in medical word, operations have meaning „to operate a patient. Third, it is the
use in figurative language and the last in incorrect writing or utterance.

2.2.1.2 Ambiguity
Fromkin (1988: 171) states that some sentences are ambiguous because they
have both literal and non-literal and metaphorical meaning. A word or sentence is
ambiguous, if it can be understood or interpreted in more than one interpretation or
reading. The different words that have some forms or pronunciations may cause
ambiguity among other listeners or readers who do not pay attention to their context
carefully. In reality, they are rarely aware of more than one reading which they select
immediately. For example, she cannot bear the children. Perhaps understood to mean,
she is unable to give birth to children or she cannot tolerate children. The ambiguity
is because there are two words of „bear’ with two different meaning.
2.2.1.3 Synonymy and Antonymy
Synonym is the expression with the same meaning. Two points should be paid
attention about this definition. First, it does not limit the relation of synonymy. To
lexemes, it allows for the possibility that lexically simple expression may have the
same meaning as lexical complex expressions. Second, it makes identity, not only

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12

similarity of meaning. Kridalaksana in Wijaya (2007: 16) argues that the definition of
synonymy is the form of language which has similar or resemble meaning with the
other form. It can be in the form of words, phrases or sentences, although generally it
is only with one word.
Antonym is the word which in some senses opposite in meaning, such as the
words „cold and hot’, „dead and alive’, „above and below’. The relationship that
called antonym perhaps can be explained by giving the example like „big’ and
„small’. However, it becomes special because antonym can be graded systematically.
Grading here has strong relationship with comparison operation.
The comparison can be in the form of explicit or implicit meaning.
Comparative explicit sentence are categorized into two types. They are: 1) two things
could be compared based on the feature in which this feature is declared that one has
higher grade than the other one. For example, our house is bigger than yours. 2) The
same condition of two things could be compared based on the feature or characteristic
that is meant. For instance, our house is bigger than it used to be.
Furthermore, Aminuddin in Wijaya (2007: 20) states that antonym can be
characterized as positive and negative. For example, good and bad. The
categorization of words whether it is included in positive or negative polarity is based
on the aspect compared. There are two kinds of contradiction relation. First, it is
privative contradictions relation. It is used if one of the objects compared are abstract
such as dead and life. Second, it is equivalence contradiction relation. It is used if the
objects compared are concrete or can be seen such as male and female.

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13

2.2.1.4 Denotation and Connotation
Denotation is the meaning of word which is primarily refers to the real world.
It is the type of meaning which may be described in terms of a set of semantic
properties which serves to identify the particular concept associated with the word in
question. For instance, “cow” shows a kind of animal, “house” shows a kind of
building. Connotation arises as words become related with certain characteristics of
items to which they refer, or the association of positive or negative feeling to which
they refer, or the association of positive or negative feeling to which they evokes,
which may or may not be indicated in a dictionary definition. (Ahmadin, 2005).
Connotation meaning can also happen in a sentence; usually we can know the
real meaning of the sentence by looking at the context. Check these two different
examples below!
1. Tomorrow will be my father’s birthday; I will give him a while collar shirt.
2. My mother is a teacher and my father is a white collar man.
The first sentence consists of denotation meaning. The words white collar
refers to part of a garment that fits round the neck, which has white has white color.
Still, the second sentence has a denotation meaning. In western white collar refers to
the people that have a profession in an office. Because in western culture it is
assumed that clerks who work within an office always wear a white- collar shirt
before wearing their coat.

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Connotation has its own function in human daily communication. Fromkin et.
Al, (1983) says that: Connotation play an important role in language of advertising,
of politics, of literature. Indeed in these various connotations may be so powerful that
they totally replace the denotative meanings. Words as democracy, freedom and
communism, for example, often occur with emotive connotations of such a highlycharged nature that speakers may be blind to the fact that there is no agreed- upon
definition underlying their use. It is their potent affective meanings that makes such
words attractive to the propagandist or political fanatic who intend to arouse strong
feeling without inviting critical examination of this case.

2.2.1.5 Hyponymy
Hyponym is a word whose meaning contains the entire meaning of other
words that is known by super ordinate.
Hyponym  meaning of yellow, black, white, orange etc.
Super ordinate  meaning of color.
However, all of meaning could be changed with human’s thought because
human thought always provide with something new in the world. As Oka mentioned
in Baroroh (2007: 14) that there is several meanings that usually use by people.
1. There is moving from one word to other word.
2. There are new concepts providing which its need a word as it place.
3. The conditions of psychologies speaker (taboo word)
4. The change of society environment in using a word.

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5. The change or different using fields.
6. There is metaphor.
All of them are possibilities when people talk or speak to other one in which
used in the utterance.

2.3 Sentential Meaning
Sentential meaning can be defined as a group of words that forms a statement,
command, exclamation or question, and usually contains a subject and predicates.
And in writing usually begins with capital letter and end of the mark (.,!, ?). In
addition, Lyon argues in Isnawati (2005: 18) that the common definition of the
sentences as a group of words containing subject and a predicate „sets up two of
them’. It requires that a sentence can be more than one word and it can be a structure
of predication.
According to Chaer in Baroroh (2007: 15) sentence is syntactic unit formed
based on the basic constituent which usually in the form of clause and complete with
conjunction then followed by intonation. Those final intonations give three
characteristic to the sentence. They are declarative intonation, in language
symbolized by full stop (.), then, interrogative intonation, symbolized by question
mark (?), and the last, exclamation intonation that is symbolized by exclamation mark
(!).
Fromkin in Ahmadin (2001: 14) explains that the meaning of phrase or
sentence depends on both meaning of its words and how these words are structurally

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combined or what is called as idioms. We can truly understand and comprehend
sentences especially foreign language because we know the meanings of individual
word.

2.3.1

Analytic Sentence and Synthetic Sentence
According to Parker in Baroroh (2007:16) describes analytic sentence as one

that is necessarily as a result of the world in it. For instance a bachelor is an
unmarried man. From this sentence it is not necessary for us to look at on the outside
as prove of the truth. Because based on our knowledge the „bachelor’ means
unmarried man. It can be defined that analytic sentence is the true condition by
definition.
On the contrary is the synthetic sentence. Synthetic sentence is not true
condition or sentence. This sentence does not accurately describe some state of affairs
in the world. It means that the synthetic sentence needs to check empirically. For
example, “my next door neighbor, Thomas, is married”. This sentence is synthetic
sentence because we do not know whether true or false before we investigate its truth
or falsity.

2.3.2

Entailment
Entailment is a relationship between two sentences in which truth of one

sentences implies the truth of the other sentence because the meaning of the words
involved. Fromkin (1999: 173) sometimes knowing the truth of one sentence entails
or necessary implies the truth of another sentence. The relation of entailment is said

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to hold between two sentences. For example, a) Anna is a spinster b) Anna has been
unmarried. If sentence (a) is true, sentence (b) must be true.

2.3.3

Presupposition
The philosophical uses of this term will be obtained in semantic discussion, a

condition which must be satisfied if a particular state of affairs is to gain, or in
connection to language what a speaker assumes in saying in a particular sentence, as
opposed to what is actually asserted. It is also analyzed as a certain type of logical
relationship between statements, contrasting with entailment.
Some linguists have come to use the term in a narrower sense, in two-part
analysis of sentences which contrast be information assumed or presupposed by the
speaker, and that which is at the center of the speaker’s communicative interest; in
this sense, presupposition is opposed to focus.
The contrast between given and new information makes an analogous
distinction. For example, on one interpretation of this notion, the sentence where is
the salt? Is said to presuppose that the salt is not present to the speaker, and there is
someone whom the speaker thinks might know where the salt is, and so on. This total
of the study in communicative context that influence the meaning of a sentence has
attracted increasing interest from the linguists in recent years, partly in semantics
partly under the heading of pragmatics.
Sentential meaning is a way how to analyze the meaning in the form of
sentence. The structure of sentence has own characteristic of meaning which include

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analytic sentence, synthetic sentence, and entailment. Therefore, analyzing the
sentence is more difficult than analyzing the word in lexical meaning.

2.4 Message
In Longman Dictionary (2001: 256) mentioned that message is a piece of
information passed from one person to another. Message is a spoken or written
communication sent from one person to another. Message is like a note, letter, report,
cable, word, news, information and report and message has a function to understand
or transmit something to people by signaling.
Actually, message has close relation with communication because it is related
to verbal and non-verbal communication. According to Nurgiyantoro in Wijaya
(2007: 36) that there are several kinds of message, they are;

2.4.1

Moral Message
Moral message is relating to the principles or considerations of right and or

good and bad character. The types of moral message include the unlimited problems.
It can include all live and life conflict, the conflict such as human values and status.
Therefore, the moral message can be conveyed by idea, advice and suggestion of the
author to the readers, speakers to the hearers.

2.4.2

Religious Message

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Religious message is relating to particular religious faith or suggestion from
the author to the readers or speaker to the hearers about the religion as human
conviction or the religion not only as the law in human life.

2.4.3

Social Message
Social message is relating to spoken or written message that related to human

society. The form of social life can be more interesting and relevant to be applied in
our life moreover in modern life because we are social creation. There are many
aspect of social life such as authentic, eternal and universal.

2.5

Surah As-Mudatstsir
Sūrat al-Mudatstsir (Arabic: ‫سورة المدثر‬, "The Cloaked One, The Man Wearing

a Cloak") is the 74th surah of the Qur'an with 56 ayat.
This surah was part of the early Meccan revelations. Many well known
author’s chronology places Surat al- Mudatstsir as the second surah revealed to the
Prophet Muhammed including Ibn Kathir, citing the hadith : “Jabir ibn Abd Allah
told, I heard the Messenger of Allah – and he was narrating about the pause in
Revelation – so he said in his narration: “I was walking, when I heard a voice from
the heavens. So I raised my head, and there was an angel, the one that had come to
me at Hira, sitting upon a chair between the heavens and the earth. I fled from him
out of fear, and I returned and said: „Wrap me up! Wrap me up! So they covered me.”
Then Allah, Most High revealed: „O you who are wrapped up! Arise and warm.’ Up
to His saying: „And keep away from the Rujz!’ before the Salat was made obligatory.

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2.6 Translation
Translation comes from the word „translate’. Nida and Taber (see
Suryawinata, 1989: 1) argues that translation is the process of transferring language
from the source language into the target language. It means that translation is related
to convey the meaning through spoken or written language in order the message of
the original language can be understood by other people.
As Catford in Baroroh (2007: 21) that translation is a craft consists of the
attempts to replace a written message or statement in one language by the same
message or statement in another language. While other experts defined that
translation as the general term referring to the transfer of thoughts and ideas from one
language or source language into the other one (target language), whether the
language are in written or oral form; whether the languages have established
orthographies or do not have such standardization or whether one or both languages
is based on signs, as with sign language of the deaf.
There are some types of translation as Savory’s categorization below;
a) Perfect translation.
Perfect translation includes all purely informative statements such as what are
encountered by the travelers or used by the advertisers.
b) Adequate translation.
Adequate translation categorized into very lager number of almost characters
of translation made for the general reader who may use them without giving a

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thought to the fact that what he is reading is not originally written in his own
language. For example, English pop novel translated into Indonesian
language. The translator may omit words or even entire sentences which he
finds the obscure and he can freely paraphrase the original meaning.
c) Composite translation.
This type of translation includes the translation of poetry into poetry, prose
into prose, prose into poetry and poetry into prose.
d) Scientific translation.
This translation aims for attaining the clearness and accuracy of the concepts.
2.6.1 The Process of Translation
The process of translation is not simply translating sentence from source
language into the target language but we have to find the equivalence of meaning or
message in the source language to be transferred into the target language.
According to Suryawinata and Effendi in Baroroh (2007: 23) there are some
steps in the process of translation as follow; a) Understanding the meaning and
message of the text in the source language. b) Looking for the equivalent meaning or
message in the target language. c) Restructuring the equivalent meaning or message
in the target language into an accepted form of text in the target language. From the
third steps above usually the translator used step number one in translating text that is
understand the meaning and message of the text in the source language then
transferred in the target language.

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2.7

Biography of Yusuf Ali
Hafidz Abdullah Yusuf Ali, CBE, FRSL (14 April 1872 – 10 December 1953)

was an Indian Islamic scholar who translated the Qur’an into English. His translation
of the Qur’an is one of the most widely – known and used in the English speaking
world.
Ali was born in Seurat, Gujarat in British India to a wealthy merchant family
with a Dawoodi Bohra father. As a child, Ali received a religious education and,
eventually, could recite the entire Qur’an from memory. He spoke both Arabic and
English fluently. He studied English literature and studied at several European
universities, including the University of Leeds. He concentrated his efforts on the
Qur’an and studied the Qur’an commentaries beginning with those written in the
early days of Islamic history.
Yusuf Ali’s best – known work in his book The Holy Qur’an: Text,
Translation and Commentary, begun in 1934 and published in 1983 by Sh.
Muhammad Ashraf Publishers in Lahore, India (later Pakistan). While on tour to
promote his translation, Ali helped to open the Al- Rashid Mosque, the third mosque
in North America, in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, in December 1983.
Ali was an outspoken supporter of the Indian contribution to the Allied effort
in World War I. He was a respected intellectual in India and Sir Muhammad Iqbal
recruited him to be the principal of Islamic Collage in Lahore, British India. Later in
life, he again went to England where he died in London. He is buried in England at

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the Muslim cemetery at Brook wood, Surrey, near Working, not far from the burial
place of Pick hall.
2.8

Previous Study
Wijaya, (2007) focused on semantic analysis of the English translation of

Surah Luqman. He discussed the kinds of meaning in surah Luqman and the
translation method used. He found many sentential meaning and discoursal meaning
and the translation method used are two methods. Baroroh, (2007) as the following
researcher focused on a semantic analysis of the English translation of surah Al-Fath.
She discussed the kinds of the meaning and also message involved in surah Al-Fath.
She found the discoursal meaning in this surah and she also found the moral and
religious message.

Yulianti (2005) conducted her research about Semantic Analysis on the
translation of surah Yasin by Muhammad al-Hilali. In her study, she investigates the
kinds of meaning used in each verses of the English translation of surah Yasin. She
found that this surah consists of many sentential and discoursal meaning. She also
discussed the message involvement that involve in this surah and the common
message is the moral message.
Laily (2002), in her study entitled on Semantic Analysis the Lyrics of Bon
Jovi’s Songs, investigated the kinds and types of meaning used in each line of the
lyrics of Jon Bon Jovi’s Song. She found that Jon Bon Jovi frequently used lexical
meaning, sentence and discourse meaning to communicate his ideas, emotion feeling

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24

and thoughts in his songs. The lexemes she used were obtained from the phenomena
occurred in his surroundings. Besides using a lexical meaning, Jon’s songs contain
social values which describe his own feeling.

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CHAPTER III
RESEARCH METHOD

In this chapter, the writer would like to present some data that are used in
analyzing the problems. She tried to get complete data in order to present the
clearer description to reach objective and get reliable results.

3.1 Research Design
In this research, the researcher used descriptive qualitative research. The
purpose of qualitative research of this study was to find out the data obtained as
they were found in the fields and to analyze data.
It means that the researcher only intended to describe the data obtained as
they were found in the fields. In this study, the researcher used descriptive
research to analyze the kinds of meaning used in the English Translation of Surah
Al- Mudatstsir by A. Yusuf Ali and the messages behind it.
The main data of this research was the English Translation of Surah AlMudatstsir by A. Yusuf Ali. Surah Al- Mudatstsir discussed about the meaning
which involved in the Surah Al- Mudatstsir, because it had uniqueness and
grammatical meaning which was very important for everyone, especially for
Moslems. It was for understanding the meaning of the content of Surah AlMudatstsir semantically, and also the researcher discussed about the messages and
information which involved in that Surah.

25
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3.2 Research Instrument
The researcher was the key or the main instrument of this research. She
spent a great deal of time by reading and trying to analyze and find out the kinds
of meaning used in English Translation of Surah Al-Mudatstsir and also the
messages involved behind it.
The researcher tried to understand and to compare with other English
translators of Qur’an in order to get the valid data and describe it in accordance
with the problems of the study. To get the data, the researcher read some English
Translation of Qur’an and chose one that was proper to the study to reach the data.
3.3 Data Source
The data sources in this research were the text of English translation of
Surah Al- Mudatstsir by A.Yusuf Ali and the software Al-Qur’an Digital. Surah
Al- Mudatstsir consists of fifty six verses. Because the verses are short, the
researcher divided the verses only in one category to analyze it. The translator, A.
Yusuf Ali was an Indian Islamic scholar who translated the Qur’an into English.
His translation of the Qur’an is one of the most widely known and used in the
English-speaking world.

3.4 Procedure of Data Collection
To get the data, the researcher used some steps. There were three steps of
the data collection process. Those were: first, the researcher read and understood
the translation of Surah Al- Mudatstsir by A. Yusuf Ali. Second, the researcher

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