The Arabic language is a Semitic language. It has many varieties. This entry looks at spoken varieties of Arabic, distinguishing them from Standard Arabic and from each other. It deals with the varieties that Arab speakers learn at home, rather than at school: Arabic is a diglossic language. Varieties of Arabic - Overview. In pre-Islamic times, Arabic had noticeable dialect distinctions - in particular between Qahtanite, Adnan, and Himyar. In modern times, the spoken languages or dialects of people througho ...

Including:

• Varieties of Arabic - Overview
• Varieties of Arabic - General varieties
• Varieties of Arabic - Pre-Islamic or pre-Arab Expansion
• Varieties of Arabic - Post-Islamic or post-Arab Expansion
• Varieties of Arabic - Sedentary vs. Bedouin
• Varieties of Arabic - Morphological and syntactic variation
• Varieties of Arabic - Phonetic variation

Read more here: » Varieties of Arabic: Encyclopedia - Varieties of Arabic

A language is a system of symbols, generally known as lexemes and the rules by which they are manipulated. The word language is also used to refer to the whole phenomenon of language, i.e., the common properties of languages. Though language is commonly used for communication, it is not synonymous with it. Human language is a natural phenomenon, and language learning is instinctive in childhood. In their natural form, human languages use patterns of sound or gesture for the symbols in order to communicate with others through the senses. Though there are thousands of human languages, they all share a number of prope ...

Including:

• Language - Properties of language
• Language - Human languages
• Language - Origins of human language
• Language - Language taxonomy
• Language - Constructed languages
• Language - The study of language
• Language - Animal nonhuman language
• Language - Formal languages

Read more here: » Language: Encyclopedia - Language

List of Persian poets and authors - Prose. Ali Mohammad Afghani, writer (علی محمد افغانی) Ahmad-Reza Ahmadi Mehdi Akhavan-Sales, poet (مهدی اخوان ثالث) Jalal Al-e-Ahmad (جلال آل احمد) Ahmad Allahyari, poet , also Journalist Bozorg Alavi (بزرگ علوی) Reza Amirkhani Zhaleh Amouzegar (ژاله آموزگار) Aref Qazvini (عارف قزوینی) Mohammad-Taghi Bahar (محم� ...

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List of Persian poets and authors, List of Persian poets and authors - Before The Islamic conquest of Persia, List of Persian poets and authors - From the Islamic Conquest to the 8th century, List of Persian poets and authors - 9th century, List of Persian poets and authors - 10th century, List of Persian poets and authors - 11th century, List of Persian poets and authors - 12th century, List of Persian poets and authors - 13th century, List of Persian poets and authors - 14th century, List of Persian poets and authors - 15th century, List of Persian poets and authors - 16th century, List of Persian poets and authors - 17th century, List of Persian poets and authors - 18th century, List of Persian poets and authors - 19th century, List of Persian poets and authors - 20th century and beyond, List of Persian poets and authors - Prose, List of Persian poets and authors - Poetry

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The Qur'an had a significant influence of the Arab language. The language used in the Qur'an is called classical Arabic and while modern Arabic has diverged slightly, the classical is still the style to be admired. Not only is the Qur'an the first work of any significant length written in the language it also has a far more complicated structure than the earlier literary works with its 114 suras (chapters) which contain 6,236 ayat (verses). It contains injunctions, narratives, homilies, parables, direct addresses from God, instructions and e ...

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Arabic literature, Arabic literature - Pre-Islamic literature, Arabic literature - The Qur'an and Islam, Arabic literature - Islamic scholarship, Arabic literature - Arabic poetry, Arabic literature - Non-fiction literature, Arabic literature - Compilations and manuals, Arabic literature - Biography history and geography, Arabic literature - Fiction literature, Arabic literature - Maqama, Arabic literature - The decline of Arabic literature, Arabic literature - Modern literature, Arabic literature - Modern Arabic novels, Arabic literature - Plays, Arabic literature - Women in Arabic literature, Arabic literature - Literary criticism, Arabic literature - Outside views of Arabic literature, Arabic literature - Noted authors, Arabic literature - Poetry, Arabic literature - Prose

Read more here: » Arabic literature: Encyclopedia II - Arabic literature - The Qur'an and Islam

The ancient Elamite name for this city was written Tiraziš. This was according to Elamite clay tablets found in Persepolis. Phonetically, this is interpreted as /tiračis/ or /ćiračis/. This name became Old Persian /širājiš/; through regular sound change comes the modern Persian name Shirāz. The name Shiraz also appears on clay sealings found at Qasr-i Abu Nasr, a Sassanid ruin, east of the city. The Zand Citadel is another remnant of the Zand era in downtown Shiraz. Scene ...

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Shiraz Iran, Shiraz Iran - Geography, Shiraz Iran - Attractions of Shiraz, Shiraz Iran - History of Shiraz, Shiraz Iran - Shiraz in poetry, Shiraz Iran - Baba Taher, Shiraz Iran - Hafez The Nightingale of Shiraz, Shiraz Iran - Universities of Shirāz, Shiraz Iran - Notable people, Shiraz Iran - Transportation, Shiraz Iran - Airports, Shiraz Iran - Useful references about Shiraz

Read more here: » Shiraz Iran: Encyclopedia II - Shiraz Iran - History of Shiraz

Human languages are usually referred to as natural languages, and the science studying them is linguistics. Making a principled distinction between one language and another is usually impossible. For example, the boundaries between named language groups are in effect arbitrary due to blending between populations (the dialect continuum). For instance, there are dialects of German very similar to Dutch which are not mutually intelligible with o ...

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Language, Language - Properties of language, Language - Human languages, Language - Origins of human language, Language - Language taxonomy, Language - Constructed languages, Language - The study of language, Language - Animal nonhuman language, Language - Formal languages

Read more here: » Language: Encyclopedia II - Language - Human languages

All dialects, sedentary and Bedouin, share the following innovations from Classical Arabic (CA): The dominant order is subject-verb rather than verb-subject. Verbal agreement between subject and object is always complete. In CA, there was no number agreement between subject and verb when the subject was third-person and the subject followed the verb. Loss of case distinctions. Loss of original mood distinctions other than the indicative and imperativ ...

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Varieties of Arabic, Varieties of Arabic - Overview, Varieties of Arabic - General varieties, Varieties of Arabic - Pre-Islamic or pre-Arab Expansion, Varieties of Arabic - Post-Islamic or post-Arab Expansion, Varieties of Arabic - Sedentary vs. Bedouin, Varieties of Arabic - Morphological and syntactic variation, Varieties of Arabic - Phonetic variation

Read more here: » Varieties of Arabic: Encyclopedia II - Varieties of Arabic - Morphological and syntactic variation

The research into the life and times of Muhammad, and determining the genuine parts of the sunnah, was an important early reason for scholarship in or about the Arabic language. It was also the reason for the collecting of pre-Islamic poetry; as some of these poets were close to the prophet—Labid actually meeting Muhammed and converting to Islam—and their writings illuminated the times when these event occurred. Muhammad also inspired the first Arabic biographies, known as al-siah al-nabawiyyah, the earliest was by Wahb ibn Munabb ...

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Arabic literature, Arabic literature - Pre-Islamic literature, Arabic literature - The Qur'an and Islam, Arabic literature - Islamic scholarship, Arabic literature - Arabic poetry, Arabic literature - Non-fiction literature, Arabic literature - Compilations and manuals, Arabic literature - Biography history and geography, Arabic literature - Fiction literature, Arabic literature - Maqama, Arabic literature - The decline of Arabic literature, Arabic literature - Modern literature, Arabic literature - Modern Arabic novels, Arabic literature - Plays, Arabic literature - Women in Arabic literature, Arabic literature - Literary criticism, Arabic literature - Outside views of Arabic literature, Arabic literature - Noted authors, Arabic literature - Poetry, Arabic literature - Prose

Read more here: » Arabic literature: Encyclopedia II - Arabic literature - Islamic scholarship

Arabic literature - Compilations and manuals. In the late 9th century Ibn al-Nadim, a Baghdadi bookseller, compiled a crucial work in the study of Arabic literature. Kitab al-Fihrist is a catalogue of all books available for sale in Baghdad and it gives a fascinating overview of the state of the literature at that time. One of the most common forms of literature during the Abbasid period was the compilation. These were collections of facts, ideas, instructive stories and poems on a single topic and ...

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Arabic literature, Arabic literature - Pre-Islamic literature, Arabic literature - The Qur'an and Islam, Arabic literature - Islamic scholarship, Arabic literature - Arabic poetry, Arabic literature - Non-fiction literature, Arabic literature - Compilations and manuals, Arabic literature - Biography history and geography, Arabic literature - Fiction literature, Arabic literature - Maqama, Arabic literature - The decline of Arabic literature, Arabic literature - Modern literature, Arabic literature - Modern Arabic novels, Arabic literature - Plays, Arabic literature - Women in Arabic literature, Arabic literature - Literary criticism, Arabic literature - Outside views of Arabic literature, Arabic literature - Noted authors, Arabic literature - Poetry, Arabic literature - Prose

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A revival took place in Arabic literature during the 19th century along with much of Arabic culture and it is referred to in Arabic as al-Nahda (النهضة), or Renaissance. This resurgence of writing in Arabic was confined mainly to Egypt until the 20th century when it spread to other countries in the region. This Renaissance was not only felt within the Arab world but also beyond with a great interest in the translating of Arabic works into European languages. Although the use of the Arabic language was revived, many of the tropes ...

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Arabic literature, Arabic literature - Pre-Islamic literature, Arabic literature - The Qur'an and Islam, Arabic literature - Islamic scholarship, Arabic literature - Arabic poetry, Arabic literature - Non-fiction literature, Arabic literature - Compilations and manuals, Arabic literature - Biography history and geography, Arabic literature - Fiction literature, Arabic literature - Maqama, Arabic literature - The decline of Arabic literature, Arabic literature - Modern literature, Arabic literature - Modern Arabic novels, Arabic literature - Plays, Arabic literature - Women in Arabic literature, Arabic literature - Literary criticism, Arabic literature - Outside views of Arabic literature, Arabic literature - Noted authors, Arabic literature - Poetry, Arabic literature - Prose

Read more here: » Arabic literature: Encyclopedia II - Arabic literature - Modern literature

Arabic literature - Poetry. Ahmad ibn-al-Husayn al-Mutanabbi, (915–965) Abu 'Afak Abu Tammam Abu Nuwas, (756–815) Al-Khansa Asma bint Marwan Taghribat Bani Hilal forms part of the epic tradition. See also: List of Arabic language poets Arabic literature - Prose. Antara Ibn Shaddad al-'Absi, pre-Islamic Arab hero and poet (fl. 580 CE). al-Hariri (1054–1122) Al-Jahiz (776–869) Muhammad al-Nawaji bin Hasan bin Ali bin Othman, ...

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Arabic literature, Arabic literature - Pre-Islamic literature, Arabic literature - The Qur'an and Islam, Arabic literature - Islamic scholarship, Arabic literature - Arabic poetry, Arabic literature - Non-fiction literature, Arabic literature - Compilations and manuals, Arabic literature - Biography history and geography, Arabic literature - Fiction literature, Arabic literature - Maqama, Arabic literature - The decline of Arabic literature, Arabic literature - Modern literature, Arabic literature - Modern Arabic novels, Arabic literature - Plays, Arabic literature - Women in Arabic literature, Arabic literature - Literary criticism, Arabic literature - Outside views of Arabic literature, Arabic literature - Noted authors, Arabic literature - Poetry, Arabic literature - Prose

Read more here: » Arabic literature: Encyclopedia II - Arabic literature - Noted authors

Literature in Arabic has been largely unknown outside the Islamic world. Arabic has frequently acted as a time capsule, preserving literature form ancient civilisations to be re-discovered in Renaissance Europe and as a conduit for transmitting literature from distant regions. In this role though it is rarely read but simply re-translated into another standard language like Latin. One of the first important translations of Arabic literature was Robert of Ketton's translation of the Qur'an in the 12th century but it would not be until the early 18 ...

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Arabic literature, Arabic literature - Pre-Islamic literature, Arabic literature - The Qur'an and Islam, Arabic literature - Islamic scholarship, Arabic literature - Arabic poetry, Arabic literature - Non-fiction literature, Arabic literature - Compilations and manuals, Arabic literature - Biography history and geography, Arabic literature - Fiction literature, Arabic literature - Maqama, Arabic literature - The decline of Arabic literature, Arabic literature - Modern literature, Arabic literature - Modern Arabic novels, Arabic literature - Plays, Arabic literature - Women in Arabic literature, Arabic literature - Literary criticism, Arabic literature - Outside views of Arabic literature, Arabic literature - Noted authors, Arabic literature - Poetry, Arabic literature - Prose

Read more here: » Arabic literature: Encyclopedia II - Arabic literature - Outside views of Arabic literature

Whilst not playing a major part in Arabic literature women have had a continuing role. The earliest poetesses were al-Khansa and Layla al-Akhyaliyyah of the 7th century. Their concentration on the ritha' or elegy suggests that this was a form designated for women to work in. A later poetess Walladah, Umawi princess of al-Andulus wrote Sufi poetry and was the lover of fellow poet ibn Zaydun. These and other minor women writers suggest a hidden world of female literature. Women still played an important part as characters in Arabic lite ...

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Arabic literature, Arabic literature - Pre-Islamic literature, Arabic literature - The Qur'an and Islam, Arabic literature - Islamic scholarship, Arabic literature - Arabic poetry, Arabic literature - Non-fiction literature, Arabic literature - Compilations and manuals, Arabic literature - Biography history and geography, Arabic literature - Fiction literature, Arabic literature - Maqama, Arabic literature - The decline of Arabic literature, Arabic literature - Modern literature, Arabic literature - Modern Arabic novels, Arabic literature - Plays, Arabic literature - Women in Arabic literature, Arabic literature - Literary criticism, Arabic literature - Outside views of Arabic literature, Arabic literature - Noted authors, Arabic literature - Poetry, Arabic literature - Prose

Read more here: » Arabic literature: Encyclopedia II - Arabic literature - Women in Arabic literature

The expansion of the Arab people in the 7th and 8th century brought them into contact with a variety of different peoples who would affect their culture. Most significantly for literature was the ancient civilization of Persia. Persia still liked to think of itself as the epitome of culture despite its decline in importance over many centuries. Shu'ubiyya is the name of the conflict between the harsh, rural, desert life of the Arabs and the easier, more refined world in Persia. Although producing heated debate amongst scholars and varying st ...

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Arabic literature, Arabic literature - Pre-Islamic literature, Arabic literature - The Qur'an and Islam, Arabic literature - Islamic scholarship, Arabic literature - Arabic poetry, Arabic literature - Non-fiction literature, Arabic literature - Compilations and manuals, Arabic literature - Biography history and geography, Arabic literature - Fiction literature, Arabic literature - Maqama, Arabic literature - The decline of Arabic literature, Arabic literature - Modern literature, Arabic literature - Modern Arabic novels, Arabic literature - Plays, Arabic literature - Women in Arabic literature, Arabic literature - Literary criticism, Arabic literature - Outside views of Arabic literature, Arabic literature - Noted authors, Arabic literature - Poetry, Arabic literature - Prose

Read more here: » Arabic literature: Encyclopedia II - Arabic literature - The decline of Arabic literature

There is comparatively little fictional prose in Arabic literature, although many non-fiction works contained short stories a large proportion of which were probably made up or embellished. The lack of wholly fictional works is in part due to a distinction between a-fusha or quality language and al-ammiyyah or the language of the common people. Few writers would bother to write works in this al-ammiyyah or common language and it was felt that literature had to be improving, educational and with purpose rather the just en ...

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Arabic literature, Arabic literature - Pre-Islamic literature, Arabic literature - The Qur'an and Islam, Arabic literature - Islamic scholarship, Arabic literature - Arabic poetry, Arabic literature - Non-fiction literature, Arabic literature - Compilations and manuals, Arabic literature - Biography history and geography, Arabic literature - Fiction literature, Arabic literature - Maqama, Arabic literature - The decline of Arabic literature, Arabic literature - Modern literature, Arabic literature - Modern Arabic novels, Arabic literature - Plays, Arabic literature - Women in Arabic literature, Arabic literature - Literary criticism, Arabic literature - Outside views of Arabic literature, Arabic literature - Noted authors, Arabic literature - Poetry, Arabic literature - Prose

Read more here: » Arabic literature: Encyclopedia II - Arabic literature - Fiction literature

Major popular attrcations in Shirāz include: Tomb of Hafez Tomb of Saadi Tomb of Khaju e Kermani 9th century Atigh Jame' Mosque Tomb of Shah Shoja' Haft Tanon The 14th century Shah Cheragh shrine The 19th century Nasir-ol-Molk mosque Arg (citadel) of Karim Khan Vakil Bazaar Vakil Bath Vakil Mosque Quran Gate (Darvazeh Qoran): Travellers exiting the city would pass under the gate as a tradition in beseeching protect ...

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Shiraz Iran, Shiraz Iran - Geography, Shiraz Iran - Attractions of Shiraz, Shiraz Iran - History of Shiraz, Shiraz Iran - Shiraz in poetry, Shiraz Iran - Baba Taher, Shiraz Iran - Hafez The Nightingale of Shiraz, Shiraz Iran - Universities of Shirāz, Shiraz Iran - Notable people, Shiraz Iran - Transportation, Shiraz Iran - Airports, Shiraz Iran - Useful references about Shiraz

Read more here: » Shiraz Iran: Encyclopedia II - Shiraz Iran - Attractions of Shiraz

While the term animal languages is widely used, most researchers agree that they are not as complex or expressive as human language; a more accurate term is animal communication. Some researchers argue that there are significant differences separating human language from the communication of other animals, and that the underlying principles are not related. In several widely publicised instances, animals have been trained to mimic certain features of human language. For example, chimpanzees and gorillas have been taught hand si ...

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Language, Language - Properties of language, Language - Human languages, Language - Origins of human language, Language - Language taxonomy, Language - Constructed languages, Language - The study of language, Language - Animal nonhuman language, Language - Formal languages

Read more here: » Language: Encyclopedia II - Language - Animal nonhuman language

The oldest surviving written grammar for any language is believed to be the Tolkāppiyam (தொல்காப்பியம்), a book on the grammar of the Tamil language, written around 200 BCE by Tolkāppiyar. Its classification of the alphabet into consonants and vowel was a breakthrough. The historical record of the study of language begins in North India with Pāṇini, the 5th century BCE grammarian who formulated 3,959 rules of Sanskrit morphology, known as the Aṣṭādhyāyī (अष� ...

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Language, Language - Properties of language, Language - Human languages, Language - Origins of human language, Language - Language taxonomy, Language - Constructed languages, Language - The study of language, Language - Animal nonhuman language, Language - Formal languages

Read more here: » Language: Encyclopedia II - Language - The study of language

Languages are not just sets of symbols. They also contain a grammar, or system of rules, used to manipulate the symbols. While a set of symbols may be used for expression or communication, it is primitive and relatively unexpressive, because there are no clear or regular relationships between the symbols. Because a language also has a grammar, it can manipulate its symbols to express clear and regular relationships between them. For example, imagine going on a walk with a person who only knew individual symbols, or words. If you saw a ...

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Language, Language - Properties of language, Language - Human languages, Language - Origins of human language, Language - Language taxonomy, Language - Constructed languages, Language - The study of language, Language - Animal nonhuman language, Language - Formal languages

Read more here: » Language: Encyclopedia II - Language - Properties of language

The main division is between the Maghreb (North Africa) varieties (characterized by a first person singular in n-) and those of the Middle East, followed by that between sedentary varieties and the much more conservative Bedouin varieties. "Peripheral" varieties located in countries where Arabic is not a dominant language (e.g., Turkey, Afghanistan, Cyprus, Chad, and Nigeria) are particularly divergent in some respects, especially vocabulary, being less influenced by classical Arabic; however, historically they fall within the same di ...

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Varieties of Arabic, Varieties of Arabic - Overview, Varieties of Arabic - General varieties, Varieties of Arabic - Pre-Islamic or pre-Arab Expansion, Varieties of Arabic - Post-Islamic or post-Arab Expansion, Varieties of Arabic - Sedentary vs. Bedouin, Varieties of Arabic - Morphological and syntactic variation, Varieties of Arabic - Phonetic variation

Read more here: » Varieties of Arabic: Encyclopedia II - Varieties of Arabic - General varieties