Project description
The standardisation process of Classical Arabic
Identifying the factors that contributed to the standardisation process of Classical Arabic presents a considerable challenge; understanding the earliest stages of the formation of the Arabic linguistic tradition and the potential external influences it received is equally complex. In this context, the ERC-funded ALiDiM project will analyse the standardisation process of Classical Arabic undertaken by early Arabic scholars through metalinguistic analysis. It seeks to investigate the earliest stages of the Arabic linguistic tradition, identifying the factors that led to its emergence and contributed to the Arabic linguistic thinking. ALiDiM's objective is to examine how Classical Arabic was originally described and systematised, highlighting its functions as a culture-based means of communication. The research data generated by the project will be made available on its website.
Objective
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.
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. 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.
The focus will be on identifying, tracing, and elaborating the earliest stages of formation of the Arabic linguistic tradition, through a reconstruction of the internal factors that gave rise to the emergence of the linguistic studies as well as the points of convergence between the Arabic and neighboring traditions.
The ALiDiM project will trace 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 will be made available via the project’s website as a digital corpus of TEI-encoded, semantically-annotated original sources.
Fields of science
Programme(s)
- HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC) Main Programme
Topic(s)
Funding Scheme
HORIZON-ERC - HORIZON ERC GrantsHost institution
30123 Venezia
Italy