Arabic Linguistic Discourse in the Making

Introduction

The ALiDiM project proposes a metalinguistic analysis of the process of standardization of Classical Arabic as it has been described by early Arabic scholars. By analyzing the earliest Arabic grammatical texts under one metalinguistic roof, this project aims to find new ways to account for and analyze texts that challenge conventional conceptions of the origins of the Arabic linguistic tradition.

Methodological Innovations

Embedding linguistic production into a wider cultural framework, the project introduces methodological innovations by devising an interdisciplinary approach. The investigation will focus on the metalinguistic process of language description itself, rather than on the linguistic features described.

Objectives

With the objective to develop an unconventional new reading of the origin and formation of the Arabic linguistic tradition, the ALiDiM project will explore a variegated corpus of Arabic grammatical and lexicographical sources and picture the narratives presented by early Arabic scholars.

Focus Areas

The focus will be on identifying, tracing, and elaborating the earliest stages of formation of the Arabic linguistic tradition through:

1. A reconstruction of the internal factors that gave rise to the emergence of linguistic studies.
2. The points of convergence between the Arabic and neighboring traditions.

Themes and Methodology

The ALiDiM project will trace the origins and receptions of the linguistic themes, identifying the factors that altogether contributed to the process of language standardization of Classical Arabic. The methodology applied by the early Arabic scholars will also be studied with a twofold approach that accounts for both the local Arab-Islamic framework and possible external influences.

Research Data

Research data will be made available via the project’s website as a digital corpus of TEI-encoded, semantically-annotated original sources.