The Morphophonemics of Weak Triliteral Stems in Standard Arabic: A Generative Phonology Perspective

The “weak” triliteral stems of Standard Arabic have been studied in considerable detail by Arab as well as Western grammarians. In most cases, however, the treatment has been largely limited to listing and classifying the primary data, which satisfies observational adequacy but fails to meet the essential requirements of descriptive adequacy, simplicity and generality. In a few cases rules have been proposed, but these rules fall short of expectations: on the whole, they strike the user as complex, arbitrary and unmotivated. Drawing on the theory of Generative-Transformational Grammar, I have formulated a small set of rules which seek to satisfy all of the three essential requirements, and thus render the subject more palatable to scholars as well as learners of Standard Arabic.

"النار العاتية التي ذاقت من طعم وهج اللهيب:"

This article offers the first Arabic translation of a praise hymn dedicated to Ramsess II (d. 1213 B.C.E.), with philological and poetic commentaries. The text was carved on the facade of Abū Simbel temple twice because of its exceptional literary nature, as this study demonstrates. I discuss why Euro- American scholars were unable to separate the literary dimensions of the praise hymns from its political framework, and also tackle the pictorial nature of ancient Egyptian writing, providing the Arabic reader with the necessary instruments for understanding the several visual features that were creatively deployed by the writer to enhance the reading process of this particular praise hymn. I then trace the early foundations of premodern Arabic khiṭāba and its close relation to constructing oral/aural arguments in comparison with balāgha that deals with the literary devices of the Qur’ānic text. This study breaks new ground in the discipline of comparative literature by establishing a collation between the two praise hymns of Ramsess II (d. 1213 B.C.E.) and Senwosret III (d. 1839 B.C.E.). This collation makes it possible to rediscover the way each eulogist built unique or similar images to describe the praised king. The article discusses several problematic questions of loanwords to pave the way for further research on ancient Egyptian words that were incorporated inside the classical Arabic dictionary, and the analysis ends with an ancient Egyptian-Arabic lexicon of the hymn under study. It is hoped that this may encourage the new generation of Egyptian Egyptologists to generate a comprehensive dictionary of the ancient Egyptian language based on direct engagement with ancient Egyptian literary texts.

التجديد في الدراسات اللغويّة العربيّة في القرن التاسع عشر

This paper aims to study the emergence of tajdīd (modernization, renewal) in Arabic linguistics. The research focuses on the time period between the late 18th century and the beginning of the 20th century, a time that corresponds to the popularization of evolution studies in Europe in the sciences generally, and particularly in linguistics. I examine the features of the linguistics scene in the 19th century, looking for possible characteristics of a tajdīd movement on both the technical-theoretical and the practical-procedural levels. Indeed, the 19th century witnessed a period of openness to Western influence, a multi-faceted intellectual movement that has come to be known as the Nahḍa. During this time, tajdīd manifested itself explicitly in the methodology of Arabic linguistics, sometimes declaring its points of reference openly, while at other times keeping them implicit in a deliberately unspoken reliance on modern theoretical backgrounds. I find that the linguistic issue represents an important component in 19th century Arab thought on three levels: the first being the level of culture and civilization, the second education and methodology, and the third technical form and research.

The Morphophonemics of Weak Triliteral Stems in Standard Arabic: A Generative Phonology Perspective

The “weak” triliteral stems of Standard Arabic have been studied in considerable detail by Arab as well as Western grammarians. In most cases, however, the treatment has been largely limited to listing and classifying the primary data, which satisfies observational adequacy but fails to meet the essential requirements of descriptive adequacy, simplicity and generality. In a few cases rules have been proposed, but these rules fall short of expectations: on the whole, they strike the user as complex, arbitrary and unmotivated. Drawing on the theory of Generative-Transformational Grammar, I have formulated a small set of rules which seek to satisfy all of the three essential requirements, and thus render the subject more palatable to scholars as well as learners of Standard Arabic.

الذاتيّة في الكلام

This paper presents a theoretical investigation building on the many achievements realized over the years in structural linguistics. It takes as its point of departure the transformation brought about by Benveniste’s pioneering theoretical work on subjectivity and discourse. Benveniste’s work laid the groundwork for making a distinction between language and enunciation. Discussion of the subject became justified and legitimate, given the observation that structures are imbued with subjects. In this paper, we argue for the need to delve into the field of “intersubjectivity,” a dialogue between two subjects who leave behind, in their discourse, traces of their respective particularities observable to a third participant, who in turn paints an image of each.

القَدَر: دراسة في المقامة الأسديّة لبديع الزمان الهمذانيّ

Badīʿ al-Zamān al-Hamadhānī’s maqāmāt are very well known and of great interest to researchers, most of whom consider – according to the apparent meaning of the maqāmāt – that al-Hamadhānī’s attitude towards destiny is one of constant war and underestimation. This paper focuses on the maqāma known as “the maqāma of the lion” to interrogate al-Hamadhānī’s position on destiny. We suggest that this maqāma shows a different attitude towards destiny, and describe how in this case al-Hamadhānī asserts destiny’s control over everything in our lives. Our paper is based on an internal analysis of this maqāma, focusing on its events and their characteristics in terms of time, place, and characters. Moreover, we analyze the language of the maqāma through its vocabulary, lexical field meanings, and contextual symbols in the context of our main thesis. We also explain our personal understanding of this maqāma as a part of al-Hamadhānī’s collection, and through observations on the two main characters. Finally, as many researchers have noticed a link between al-Hamadhānī’s maqāmāt and the Qur’ān, we compare “the maqāma of the lion” with the story of Prophet Joseph in the Qur’ān, as the two present a number of similarities.

عبد الملك الديلميّ في الدراسات الاستشراقيّة وشذرات من تفسيرهالصو

The first part of this article discusses what has been written on ‘Abd al-Malik al-Daylamī’s biography in Orientalist studies, using the work of Arthur Arberry, Gerhard Böwering and Pieter Coppens as examples. It also analyzes what was written about al-Daylamī in Persian Sufi studies, through Mujtaba Shahswary’s article, in an attempt to shed light on Daylamī’s biography and unpublished Sufi writings. It focuses on his exegesis Futūḥ al- Raḥmān fī ishārāt al-Qur’ān in particular. The second part of the article presents a model of this exegesis through its introduction and interpretation of the two first sūras of the Qur’ān: al-Fātiḥa and al-Baqara.