A Linguistic History of Arabic (original) (raw)

linguistic history Wrst confronted me when I began teaching a three-semester course on the subject at Bayreuth University, a course which through the (I would like to imagine) enthusiastic participation of students constantly presented new issues and perspectives. A number of individuals contributed to the working and reworking of this book. Two anonymous readers provided stimulating criticism to the entire work, while Orin Gensler set out various challenging objections to Ch. 4, and for Ch. 6 Janet Watson gave helpful and pertinent criticisms and suggestions for new solutions. I would like especially to acknowledge the contribution of my colleague Pierre Larcher for the incisive critical insights he has provided in innumerable discussions, beginning many years ago in Benghazi. The research on Nigerian Arabic, cited frequently in this book, has been supported for many years through the generosity of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (German Research Council). In Nigeria, Dr Jidda Hassan of Maiduguri University provided many native insights into his language, while the university administration has generously supported and encouraged my continuing work there. Not least I would like to acknowledge the invaluable support given me at Bayreuth University over many years by Klaus Wolf of the computer center as well as Dr Brigitte John for providing me with map templates. The correspondence with John Davey of OUP was prompt, invigorating, critical, and encouraging. Finally I would like to thank the publishers Harrassowitz Verlag for allowing me to reproduce portions of 'Al-Idghaam al-Kabiyr and the History of Arabic', which appeared in W. Arnold and Bobzin, H. (eds.) (2002). Sprich doch mit deinen Knechten Aramäisch, wir verstehen es. Festschrift for Otto Jastrow (Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz), 503-20, the Oxford University Press for allowing reproduction of large portions of 'Case and Proto-Arabic', Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies 61: 51-73 and 217-27, as well as John Benjamins for allowing reprint from Diachronica 22 of parts of the article 'Pre-Diaspora Arabic: Dialects, Statistics and Historical Reconstruction'. I dedicate the book to the memory of my brother Christopher.