The Arabic Language

Description

An introductory guide for students of Arabic language, Arabic historical linguistics and Arabic sociolinguisticsNew for this editionAdditional chapters on the structure of Arabic, bilingualism and Arabic pidgins and creolesA full explanation of the use of conventional Arabic transcription and IPA charactersAn updated bibliographyAll chapters have been revised and updated in light of recent researchConcentrating 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.Key FeaturesCovers all aspects of the history of Arabic, the Arabic linguistic tradition, Arabic dialects, sociolinguistics and Arabic as a world languageMakes links between linguistic history and cultural historyEmphasises the role of contacts between Arabic and other languages