Arabic language sub-forum?
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Peace all,
Can we add a sub-forum for Arabic language discussions?
I realize that to be fair we'd also have to include other langauges...so if that's not possible, then can arabic speakers recommend similar forums/sites in Arabic to free-minds? I've stumbled on various pages over the years but none have been very good. I mainly watch youtube videos by Ahmed Sobhi Mansour, Adnan Refai, Mohammad Shahrour, Hassan Al-Maliki, etc. But I'd like to find actual Arabic discussion forums like free-minds if anyone is aware of a really good one.
Thanks
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Peace ths, all,
I think it is an excellent idea. However, Arabic does not seem to be the language of AQ. The language of AQ seems to be "Classical Arabic."
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The language of Quran is not Classical Arabic either...
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The language of Quran is not Classical Arabic either...
Please provide evidence that supports your claim. Because without evidence such a claim is baseless.
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Guys the language of the Quran is Classical Arabic.
During the 19th century due to high illiteracy and a miserable education system, the Arabic language was simplified slightly by dropping case endings. This is called Modern Standard Arabic (MSA). It is similar in concept to Modern Standard Italian, and is almost identical to Classical Arabic.
What most Arabs speak every day at home is their local dialect. These local dialects very a lot. They are more like Swedish, Norwegian, and Danish, and make it difficult for people from geographic extremes (like Morocco and Iraq) to communicate purely in their own dialects. Each country also has a myriad of sub-dialects and accents that can vary quite a bit. Egypt, for example, has widely differing dialects in the north and south and east, and the same applies to Saudi.
Everyone is taught MSA in school, and all newspapers, books, novels, and internet sites are written in MSA. Interviews with politicians and academics are conducted mostly in MSA. But normal tv shows and what you speak with your friends on the street is your local dialect. Internet forums vary depending mainly on the age group of the users, from MSA to dialect. Some forums have both.
If someone understands MSA then they should definitely understand Classical Arabic. What makes the Quran hard to understand is its arcane and archaic use of vocabulary, and its often vague and ambiguous poetic structure.
Arab students are also expected to study pre-Islamic poetry in the original language. And this is very similar to the Quran in its language, as this was the period when Classical Arabic was spoken.
Also it should be mentioned that MSA is probably the most conservative language on earth due to the Quran. Because of the importance of the religion, the language has almost been "frozen" in place to ensure that people can read and understand the Quran. This is why MSA is so different from the daily dialects spoken. It's as if the English language had been frozen at Shakespeare, and all news reports and books were written in Shakespearean English while we talk the way we do today.
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Peace ths, all,
You are right when you say that the language of the quran is Classical Arabic. However, I think that it is a mistake to learn/study MSA if one wants to understand the quran. Because I think that there is a difference between MSA and language of the quran.
For those who want to study the quran, I deeply recommend this book. It is an excellent book IMO.
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Salaam Taro,
You are right that some words have changed in meaning in modern times, however, they aren't as many as you seem to think. One must learn MSA if they are going to try to understand the Quran, or if they learn Classical then they are already learning MSA. For example, I recently got into an argument with my aunt. We were in a discussion, and she interrupted me and asked me about a word I used. I told her the meaning of the word, and she disagreed. I told her 'no, really, that's what it means.' Her response was, 'impossible! If it was a proper word it would be in the Quran!'
So many people still refer to the Quran as a primary source for language, and many MSA dictionaries quote Quranic verses when explaining meanings of words.
Secondly, regarding the article from astudyofquran.org, I totally disagree with the author that Allah is a proper name. It isn't. Allah means 'the God'. A proper name is like John, Mike, or Bilal. First of all, pre-Islamic pre-Arabian people and prophets did not use the term "Allah". They had their own names for God. I doubt that Joseph and others used a word from a future language.
The user DrAyman once provided a very good example of why it isn't a proper name
- And he is the god in the heavens and in the earth. He knows your hidden and your revealed, and what you earn.
Taking the word ?allah? in 63 as a proper name without translation makes the passage ungrammatical and reduces it to nonsense. It is as absurd as saying ?he is John of the house? as opposed to ?he is the man of the house?.
