Landmarks in Linguistic Thought Volume III: The Arabic Linguistic Tradition

by Versteegh,Kees

• ISBN13: 9780415157575
• ISBN10: 0415157579
• Format: Nonspecific Binding
• Copyright: 1997-06-02
• Publisher: Routledge

Summary

Landmarks in Linguistic Thought: The Arabic Linguistic Traditionintroduces the major issues and themes that have determined the development of the Arabic linguistic tradition. Each chapter contains a short extract from a translated "landmark" text followed by a commentary which places the text in its social and intellectual context. The chosen texts frequently offer scope for comparison with the Western tradition. By contrasting the two systems, the Western and the Arabic, this book serves to highlight the characteristics of two very different systems and thus will stimulate new ideas about the history of linguistics. This book presumes no prior knowledge of Arab-Islamic culture or Arabic language.

Table of Contents

Introduction	p. 1
Linguistics and Exegesis	p. 11
Ai-Khalîl and the Arabic Lexicon	p. 23
Sîbawayhi and the Beginnings of Arabic Grammar	p. 36
The Debate Between Logic and Grammar	p. 52
The Development of Linguistic Theory	p. 64
The Relationship Between Speech and Thought	p. 76
The 'ikhwân A&sbdot;-&Sbdot;afâ' on the Theory of Sound and Meaning	p. 88
The Origin of Speech	p. 101
A New Semantic Approach to Linguistics	p. 115
The Conventional Character of Language	p. 127
Ibn Ma&dbdot;â' and the Refutation of the Grammarians	p. 140
Ibn Khaldûn on the History of Arabic	p. 153
The Arabic Model and Other Languages	p. 166
Further Reading	p. 181
Bibliographical References	p. 190
Index	p. 198
Table of Contents provided by Publisher. All Rights Reserved.