Early Medieval Arabic: Studies on Al-Khalil Ibn Ahmad Contributor(s): Ryding, Karin C. (Editor) |
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ISBN: 0878406638 ISBN-13: 9780878406630 Publisher: Georgetown University Press OUR PRICE: $35.10 Product Type: Hardcover Published: January 1998 Annotation: The first book in English on the founder of Arabic linguistic theory, Al-Khalil was a distinguished lexicographer, phonologist, grammarian, educator, and musicologist. |
Additional Information |
BISAC Categories: - Language Arts & Disciplines | Linguistics - General - Foreign Language Study | Arabic |
Dewey: B |
LCCN: 97037420 |
Physical Information: 0.98" H x 6.34" W x 9.36" (0.97 lbs) 144 pages |
Themes: - Cultural Region - Middle East - Religious Orientation - Islamic |
Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
Publisher Description: The first book in English on the founder of Arabic linguistic theory, this interdisciplinary collection explores the contributions to Arabic intellectual history of al-Khalil ibn Ahmad, (d. A.H. 175/A.D. 791). Al-Khalil was distinguished in his own time as a lexicographer, phonologist, grammarian, educator and musicologist. In the Arab world, his stature is almost legendary, although information on his life, his works and his achievements is fragmented. He is remembered principally for two achievements: the creation of the first dictionary of the Arabic language (Kitab al-'ayn, "The Book of 'ayn"), and discovery of the rule-governed metrical systems used in pre-Islamic Arabic poetry. His biographers also cite publications on musical theory and have preserved fragments of his poetry. In addition to these achievements, he was also the teacher of the medieval Islamic world's most distinguished authority on Arabic grammar, Sibawayh. Conceived as a tribute to al-Khalil's influence on Arabic language sciences, this book provides a new and broader perspective on al-Khalil's talents, character, and fields of interest. It should be of interest to Arabic linguists, medievalists, historians of linguistics, theoretical linguists, historians of science and scholars of medieval Arab intellectual history. |