Kees Versteegh, Ph.D. (1977) is professor of Arabic and Islam at the University of Nijmegen. He has published on the history of Arabic and the Arabic linguistic tradition, including The Arabic Language (Edinburgh, 1997).
"The mere appearance of the Encyclopedia of Arabic Language and
Linguistics (EALL) on the scene carries huge importance for
linguists working with Arabic, but also for scholars from other
disciplines like Islamic studies, Arabic literature, social
sciences, as well as general linguists, whose research cross paths
with Arabic linguistics.... The strength of the EALL as a reference
tool is that it brings together notions and terms from different
disciplines (classical grammatical theory, modern linguistic
theory), and different eras (pre-classical, classical, modern). By
weaving together a wide variety of terms, the end product achieves
a degree of disciplinary integration that remains illusive for
reference works limited to one theoretical framework....The EALL
lives up to its claim to offering a framework within which data on
all varieties of Arabic and different types of analyses can be
drawn together from different parts of globe in order to improve
the propagation of knowledge regarding one of the world's key
languages.... Incorporated in the EALL are sketches of more than 40
dialects described according to a predetermined format, which
allows the user to make quick cross-dialectical comparison."
Review on the Linguist List, 20 July 2010
"Rarely have I been so profoundly impressed by a work of collective
scholarship, virtually beyond criticism in every respect.
Contributions and editing alike are of exceptional quality, and its
value embraces lay readers (who will find it readable, often
amusing), serious students (who will make progress), and denizens
of ivory towers (who will wish they had written part or whole). A
brilliant contribution to knowledge, destined to be a benchmark for
future research and popularisation. Recommended without reservation
to all academic libraries.To quote the greetings article in Arabic:
'ahlan!, 'ahlan!"
H.G.A. Hughes, Language and Literature, 21/6 (2007)
"In sum, this is a remarkable work. The vast majority of entires
consitute excellent introductions to their subjects and are written
by distinguished scholars."
Gonzalo Rubio, Diachronica, 25:1 (2008)
Ask a Question About this Product More... |