ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the author analyzes the use of discourse markers as a structuring tool. She then investigates the function of this particular structuring tool in one medium-length Qur’anic chapter, Surat Taha. The author identifies certain words at onset of the smaller discourse/text units and argues that their meaning and function in the text is that of discourse marker. Indeed, for al-Baqillani, a self-contained degree of rhyme seems to have been the single defining feature in passages of the Qur’an claimed by others as instances of saj. Thus al-Baqillani gainsays the accuracy of reports that posit the first part of Q 16:27 as an example of Qur’anic saj. In the opening verses of Surat al-Najm, rhythmical shifts, grammatical parallelism, and apparent thematic units provide frequently conflicting indicators of structural divide, and yet this entire surah is cited by al-Qalqashandi as exemplifying the presence of saj in the Qur’an. The author concludes that discourse markers are used regularly in Surat Taha.
