The Arabic Language - Softcover

Versteegh, Kees

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0748645276 ISBN 13: 9780748645275

Publisher: Edinburgh University Press, 2014

Synopsis

Concentrating on the difference between the two types of Arabic--the classical standard language and the dialects--Kees Versteegh charts the history and development of the Arabic language from its earliest beginnings to modern times.

The reader is given a solid grounding in the structure of the language, its historical context and its use in various literary and non-literary genres, as well as an understanding of the role of Arabic as a cultural, religious and political world language.

About this title

About the Author

Kees Versteegh is Professor of Arabic and Islam at the University of Nijmegen, The Netherlands. He graduated in Classical and Semitic languages and specializes in historical linguistics and the history of linguistics, focusing on processes of language change and language contact.

His books include Pidginization and Creolization: The Case of Arabic (Amsterdam, 1984), The Arabic Linguistic Tradition (London, 1997) and Arabic Grammar and Qur'anic Exegesis in Early Islam (Leiden, 1993). He co-edited the Handbuch für die Geschichte der Sprach- und Kommunikationswissenschaft (Berlin, 2000--2005) and the Arabic--Dutch/Dutch--Arabic Dictionary (Muiderberg, 2003), and was the editor-in-chief of the Encyclopedia of Arabic Language and Linguistics (Leiden, 2006--2009).

From the Back Cover

A new edition of an acclaimed introduction to the Arabic languageThis introductory guide charts the history and development of the Arabic language from the earliest beginnings to modern times. Concentrating on the difference between the two types of Arabic - the classical standard language and the dialects - the author clearly explains the structure of the language, its historical context and its use in various literary and non-literary genres. Readers will gain an understanding of the role of Arabic as a cultural, religious and political world language and develop tools to discuss the language from a historical linguistic and a socio-linguistic perspective.Key Features* Covers all aspects of the history of Arabic, the Arabic linguistic tradition, Arabic dialects, sociolinguistics, and Arabic as a world language* Makes links between linguistic history and cultural history* Emphasises the role of contacts between Arabic and other languagesNew to this edition* Additional chapters on the structure of Arabic; Bilingualism; and Arabic pidgins and creoles* A full explanation of the use of conventional Arabic transcription and IPA characters* An updated bibliography* All chapters have been revised and updated in light of recent researchKees Versteegh is Emeritus Professor of Arabic and Islam at the University of Nijmegen. His publications include The Arabic Linguistic Tradition (1997), Arabic Grammar and Qur’anic Exegesis in Early Islam (1993) and he was the editor-in-chief of the Encyclopedia of Arabic Language and Linguistics (2006-2009).

Edition details

• Publisher: Edinburgh University Press
• Publication date: 2014
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0748645276
• ISBN 13: 9780748645275
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 2
• Number of pages: 416