A Linguistic History of Arabic

A Linguistic History of Arabic
Author: Jonathan Owens
Publisher: OUP Oxford
Total Pages: 330
Release: 2006-05-11
Genre: Foreign Language Study
ISBN: 0191537462

A Linguistic History of Arabic presents a reconstruction of proto-Arabic by the methods of historical-comparative linguistics. It challenges the traditional conceptualization of an old, Classical language evolving into the contemporary Neo-Arabic dialects. Professor Owens combines established comparative linguistic methodology with a careful reading of the classical Arabic sources, such as the grammatical and exegetical traditions. He arrives at a richer and more complex picture of early Arabic language history than is current today and in doing so establishes the basis for a comprehensive, linguistically-based understanding of the history of Arabic. The arguments are set out in a concise, case by case basis, making it accessible to students and scholars of Arabic and Islamic culture, as well as to those studying Arabic and historical linguists.

History and Development of the Arabic Language

History and Development of the Arabic Language
Author: Muhammad al-Sharkawi
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 336
Release: 2016-11-25
Genre: Foreign Language Study
ISBN: 1317588630

History and Development of the Arabic Language is a general introduction for students to the history of the Arabic language. It is divided into two parts; the pre-Islamic language up to the emergence of the first well-known works of Classical Arabic. Secondly, the transition from the pre-Islamic situation to the complex Arabic language forms after the emergence of Islam and the Arab conquests, both in Arabia and in the diaspora. The book focuses on the pre-Islamic linguistic situation, where the linguistic geography and relevant demographic aspects of pre-Islamic Arabia will be introduced. In addition, the book will also discuss the communicative contexts and varieties of Modern Arabic. The book includes readings, discussion questions and data sets to provide a complete textbook and resource for teachers and students of the history of Arabic.

A Linguistic History of Arabic

A Linguistic History of Arabic
Author: Jonathan Owens
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 329
Release: 2006-05-11
Genre: Foreign Language Study
ISBN: 0199290822

A Linguistic History of Arabic presents a reconstruction of proto-Arabic by the methods of historical-comparative linguistics. It challenges the traditional conceptualization of an old, Classical language evolving into the contemporary Neo-Arabic dialects. Professor Owens combines established comparative linguistic methodology with a careful reading of the classical Arabic sources, such as the grammatical and exegetical traditions. He arrives at a richer and more complexpicture of early Arabic language history than is current today and in doing so establishes the basis for a comprehensive, linguistically-based understanding of the history of Arabic. The arguments are set out in a concise, case by case basis, making it accessible to students and scholars of Arabic and Islamicculture, as well as to those studying Arabic and historical linguists.

The Arabic Language

The Arabic Language
Author: C. H. M. Versteegh
Publisher: Columbia University Press
Total Pages: 300
Release: 1997
Genre: Foreign Language Study
ISBN: 9780231111522

This general introduction to the Arabic Language, now available in paperback, places special emphasis on the history and variation of the language. Concentrating on the difference between the two types of Arabic - the Classical standard language and the dialects - Kees Versteegh charts the history and development of the Arabic language from the earliest beginnings to modern times. The reader is offered a solid grounding in the structure of the language, its historical context and its use in various literary and non-literary genres, as well as an understanding of the role of Arabic as a cultural, religious and political world language. Intended as an introductory guide for students of Arabic, it will also be a useful tool for discussions both from a historical linguistic and from a socio-linguistic perspective. Coverage includes all aspects of the history of Arabic, the Arabic linguistic tradition, Arabic dialects and Arabic as a world language. Links are made between linguistic history and cultural history, while the author emphasises the role of contacts between Arabic and other languages. This important book will be an ideal text for all those wishing to acquire an understanding or develop their knowledge of the Arabic language.

Arab Linguistics

Arab Linguistics
Author: Michael G. Carter
Publisher: John Benjamins Publishing
Total Pages: 502
Release: 1981-01-01
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 9027286515

This volume provides an analysis of a famous medieval Arabic grammatical text, al-Ājurrūmiya (c. 1300), as commented on by aš-Šhirbīnī (d. 1570). This edition includes the original text and a translation into English, as well as extensive comments and annotations, with the aim of making accessible both to Arabists and non-Arabists the main elements of indigenous Arabic linguistics, and thereby at least partially filling a large blank in the history of linguistics.

Arabic Language and Linguistics

Arabic Language and Linguistics
Author: Reem Bassiouney
Publisher: Georgetown University Press
Total Pages: 248
Release: 2012-04-16
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 1589018850

Arabic, one of the official languages of the United Nations, is spoken by more than half a billion people around the world and is of increasing importance in today's political and economic spheres. The study of the Arabic language has a long and rich history: earliest grammatical accounts date from the 8th century and include full syntactic, morphological, and phonological analyses of the vernaculars and of Classical Arabic. In recent years the academic study of Arabic has become increasingly sophisticated and broad. This state-of-the-art volume presents the most recent research in Arabic linguistics from a theoretical point of view, including computational linguistics, syntax, semantics, and historical linguistics. It also covers sociolinguistics, applied linguistics, and discourse analysis by looking at issues such as gender, urbanization, and language ideology. Underlying themes include the changing and evolving attitudes of speakers of Arabic and theoretical approaches to linguistic variation in the Middle East.

The Oxford Handbook of Arabic Linguistics

The Oxford Handbook of Arabic Linguistics
Author: Jonathan Owens
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 619
Release: 2013-10-03
Genre: Foreign Language Study
ISBN: 0199764131

Until about 60 years ago, linguistic research on the Arabic language in the West was restricted to inquiries on Classical Arabic and the Classical tradition, and spoken Arabic dialects, with historical studies embedded within the broader field of Semitic languages. This situation is changing quickly, not only through the continuation of older research traditions, but also with the integration of new research fields and perspectives. With this expansion comes the danger of specialists in Arabic losing an overview of the field, and of leaving non-specialists without basic resources for evaluating domains of research which they may be interested in for comparative purposes. The Oxford Handbook of Arabic Linguistics will confront this problem by combining state-of-the-art overviews with essays on issues of perspective, controversy, and point of view. In twenty-four chapters, leading experts from around the world will lay out their own stances on controversial issues. The book not only evaluates ways in which questions and theories established in general linguistics and its sub-fields elucidate Arabic, but also challenges approaches which might result in accommodating Arabic to "non-Arabic" interpretations, and brings out the Arabic specificity of individual problems. The Handbook, in one compact volume, gives critical expression to a language which covers large populations and geographical areas, has a long written tradition, and has been the locus of major intellectual fervor and debate.

On the History of Grammar Among the Arabs

On the History of Grammar Among the Arabs
Author: Ignác Goldziher
Publisher: John Benjamins Publishing
Total Pages: 174
Release: 1994-01-01
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 9027245606

In addition, the series will include re-editions or entirely new translations into English of 'classic' accounts in the field which have been out of print for many years and have become rare books even in larger university libraries. Each of these new editions will be prefaced by an introductory essay by a present-day specialist in the discipline who will place the book in its original historical context and analyze its significance in the light of contemporary work in the history of linguistic thought

Language and Change in the Arab Middle East

Language and Change in the Arab Middle East
Author: Ami Ayalon
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Total Pages: 211
Release: 1987
Genre: History
ISBN: 0195041402

In this study of the rise of modern Arabic, Ayalon examines 19th-century linguistic change in the Eastern Arab world, describing how the language responded to the infiltration of Western politics, technology, and culture. Focusing on the realm of political discourse, Ayalon looks at a wide array of evidence--local chronicles, travel accounts, translations of European writings, Arab political treatises, newspapers and periodicals, and dictionaries--to show how shifts in the color, tone, and meaning of the Arab vocabulary reflected a new socio-political and cultural reality.