Foreign Loanwords Translated in Lisān al-ʿArab: A Statistical and Etymological Study

Abstract

This study examines foreign loanwords documented in Lisan Al-Arab through a statistical and etymological analysis. Given that this lexicon incorporates material from earlier dictionaries, the research employs an investigative methodology. The study is structured into an introduction, two main sections, and a conclusion. The first section presents the theoretical framework, introducing Lisan Al-Arab, its author, and the scholars whose works he referenced. The second section analyzes the translated terms in Lisan Al- Arab by tabulating each word, its meaning, its source language, and its original citation in the lexicon. Key findings showed that Ibn Mandhoor did not exert significant effort to assert himself as a translator; rather, he relied on the translations of his predecessors, drawing from their works and benefiting from their scholarship. He did not attempt to reconcile or arbitrate between differing scholarly opinions regarding the translation of terms and phrases or their attribution to foreign languages. Persian was the most frequently translated language in his compilation, likely due to the substantial number of Persian scholars among his sources or the Persians’ pride in their linguistic heritage.