Arabic Morphology and Phonology: Based on the Marah Al-Arwah by Ahmad B. Ali B. Masud (Studies in Semitic Languages and Linguistics) [Hardcover]

Joyce Akesson (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 9004120289 | ISBN-13: 978-9004120280 | Publication Date: July 2001

This volume presents a study of Arabic morpho-phonology with its basics and intricacies, by making available a wide range of material from the 8th century to the end of the 20th century and exploring the main topics that arise. It uses as its point of departure: the end of the 13th century "Marah al-arwah" by Ahmad b. 'ali Mas'ud, which is critically edited and provided with an introduction, an English translation and an extensive commentary. It offers an analysis of many grammatical theories, paradigms, Quranical citations, verses of poetry, dialectal variants and Semitic words and concludes with various indices that make the enormous body of information easily accessible.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'...excellently well produced...' M.G. Carter, Bibliotheca Orientalis, 2004. --M.G. Carter, Bibliotheca Orientalis, 2004.

'...excellently well produced...' -- M.G. Carter, Bibliotheca Orientalis, 2004 --M.G. Carter, Bibliotheca Orientalis, 2004

"... il convient de souligner la remarquable qualité du travail accompli par l'Auteur, aussi bien dans l'établissement du texte que dans tout l'aspect proprement philologique de l'ouvrage: collecte des informations bio-bibliographiques, description des manuscrits, apparat critique, établissement des index (10 au total!), rien ne manque, et tout est réalisé avec un soin et une précision qui ne laissent rien à désirer". -- Jean-Patrick Guillaume, Université Paris III. Bulletin Critique des Annales Islamologiques (BCAI) 19, 2003, Langue et Littérature, p. 2. --Jean-Patrick Guillaume, Université Paris III. Bulletin Critique des Annales Islamologiques (BCAI) 19, 2003, Langue et Littérature, p. 2.

"... L'intérêt de l'ouvrage nous paraît triple: 1) tout d'abord de proposer une édition critique d'un traité relevant d'un genre particulier, celui du manuel scolaire... 2) ensuite, dans la mesure où il édite et traduit un texte entier, de rappeler aux liiinguistes ou de les informer sur ce qu'était la position classique, i.e. telle qu'enseignée dans les classes, des grammairiens arabes en matière de ßarf/taßrıf 3) enfin, à travers le commenttaire, d'apporter une informationn considérable sur l'ensemble des sujets traités dans ßarf/taßrıf, en confrontant les différents points de vue de la tradition linguistique arabe et ceux des arabisants (et, plus largement sémitisants, voire, en certains cas, linguistes généralistes)". -- Pierre Larcher, Université de Provence et IREMAM, Arabica, tome L, 4, pp. 546-47, Brill, Leiden 2003. --Pierre Larcher, Université de Provence et IREMAM, Arabica, tome L, 4, pp. 546-47, Brill, Leiden 2003.

"Die Publikation gibt einen ausgezeichnet aufbereiteten Einblick in die Vorgangsweise eines arabischen Autors der späten Zeit, der zumindest einen Teil seiner eigenen Literatursprache beschreibt. Dies und der durch die Verfasserin aufwendig gestaltete Kommentar-Teil lassen diese Publikation nach Meinung der Rezensenten besonders für Studierende der Arabistik als Ein- und Überblicksarbeit sehr geeignet erscheinen (ein versierter Arabist wird essentiell Neues wohl nicht entnehmen können), zumal ja die Verfasserin selbst ihre Publikation als generelle Arbeit zur Morpho-Phonologie des Arabischen (vgl. "Preface", S. IX) verstecht." -- Herbert Eisenstein, Bücherbesprechungen, Wien, Zeitschrift der Deutschen Morgenländischen Gesellschaft (ZDMG), Band 155, 2005, p. 632. --Herbert Eisenstein, Bücherbesprechungen, Wien, Zeitschrift der Deutschen Morgenländischen Gesellschaft (ZDMG), Band 155, 2005, p. 632.

About the Author

Joyce Akesson has studied Semitic languages at Lund University where she has also taught Arabic (1982-1994). She has also published the book Aḥmad b. `Alī b. Mas`ūd on Arabic Morphology: Part I, the Strong Verb (Brill, 1990) and several articles about Arabic Morphology.

Joyce Akesson has studied the Semitic languages at Lund's University, Sweden and has previously been a lecturer there during many years.

Beside the present book, she is the author of "The Complexity Of The Irregular Verbal And Nominal Forms & The Phonological Changes In Arabic", Pallas Athena Distribution, (April 2009), and "Ahmad B. 'Ali B. Mas'Ud on Arabic Morphology Marah Al-Arwah: Part 1:The Strong Verb (Studia Orientalia Ludensia, Vol 4), Brill Academic Pub (October 1990).

She has also published several articles about Arabic linguistics in two Journals, the Journal of Arabic Linguistics (the ZAL or Zeitschrift für Arabische Linguistik) Wiesbaden, and the previous Acta Orientalia, Denmark. She has also written a lemma about sarf "morphology/phonology in the Encyclopaedia of Arabic Language and Linguistics, vol. 4. Leiden: Brill, 2009.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 444 pages
• Publisher: Brill Academic Pub (July 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 9004120289
• ISBN-13: 978-9004120280
• Product Dimensions: 11.5 x 8.5 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,958,886 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A New Respect for Language Studies, January 22, 2009

By 

Don E. Rainwater "dkrainwater.com" (Sheridan, Wy) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Arabic Morphology and Phonology: Based on the Marah Al-Arwah by Ahmad B. Ali B. Masud (Studies in Semitic Languages and Linguistics) (Hardcover)

Having never been introduced to the study of languages, I was amazed at the detail that this author put into her work. As a novice, I was enthralled at the intricaces in which a language diciphered and broken apart. Every language has a history and this book has broken down Modern Arabic with a writing style and organization that is truley academic. A monumental achievement.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A comprehensive study in morphology, October 18, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Arabic Morphology and Phonology: Based on the Marah Al-Arwah by Ahmad B. Ali B. Masud (Studies in Semitic Languages and Linguistics) (Hardcover)

Akesson, J. (Lund U.) presents a comprehensive study of the Arabic morpho-phonology by making available a range of material from the 8th century A.D. until our days. For this purpose she uses as a point of departure an Arabic source, the "Marah al-arwah" from the 13th-14th century that she edits, translates and comments. She provides background information on works of morphology, discusses many intricates questions and linguistic theories and presents quotations, paradigms, qur'anical citations, verses of poetry, dialectal variants and Semitic words. She concludes with various indices including an important glossary for the commentary, that make the enormous body of information easily accessible.