This article aims to present an overall reconstruction of the debate on the definition and etymology of Arabic ism (‘noun’, ‘substantive’), by discussing and comparing texts from the Arabic linguistic tradition. The first part deals with the definition of the grammatical element and its functions, while the second is fully dedicated to the examination of the etymological issues, focusing on the two assumed roots of derivation for ism (namely s-m-w and w-s-m). The arguments are presented through the collation of the opinions of the relevant Arabic grammarians, examining both the wider debate between the early grammatical schools of Baṣra and Kūfa (2nd/8th–3rd/9th centuries), and the reports of the arguments as described by later scholars.Key words: Arabic linguistic tradition, Arabic grammar, Arab grammarians, Root, Philosophy of language
The Kitāb Sībawayhi Project aims at a new English translation and analysis of the Kitāb Sībawayhi, with an innovative approach that will shed light on the way the linguistic system of Arabic has been described by the most prominent figure of the Arabic linguistic tradition.
Balaibalan is a sacred invented language developed within the ḥurūfī sect in the 16th century. Not much is known about this language, but a religious text in Balaibalan has been transmitted. What emerges from this text is an original vocabulary, inserted in an Arabic-like syntax.
This paper aims to provide an historical and linguistic overview of Balaibalan, especially in relation to Bausani’s studies on the language, and ultimately describe its features in relation to those of the three languages that inspired its linguistic structure, namely Turkish, Persian, and Arabic.
The objective, with reference to Bausani’s controversial definition of “Islamic languages”, is to attempt an outline of Balaibalan as a language used both in the Muslim world and by Muslims. In describing the language, we will thus address aspects of orthography, pronunciation, and word-formation, finally accounting for how Arabic, Turkish, and Persian have been used as landmarks in the arrangement of specific aspects of the language.
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