ARABIC GRAMMATICAL TEXT: VARIATION, PROLIFERATION, AND EVOLUTION IN KNOWLEDGE CIRCULATION

Abstract

Situated within the lineage of two hubs of grammatical tradition (the Sanskrit and the Hellenistic traditions), the Arabic grammatical tradition represents a captivating intellectual domain that preserves a rich assemblage of linguistic resources. The output of Arab grammarians culminated in a vast textual corpus production, a manifestation of the multiplicity of methodological frameworks and intellectual aspirations that propelled their erudition. However, the textual medium's role in the circulation of grammatical knowledge is an area that has received scant attention in academic circles, marginalizing a crucial aspect of its intellectual evolution. Employing an epistemological approach that questions the substance of grammatical doctrines and the conditions of possibility for their elaboration and dissemination, this article proposes to sketch a synthetic analysis of the textual typologies in the Arabic grammatical tradition and to map their trajectories of evolution. It further aims to argue that such textual plurality was instrumental in advancing the Arabic grammatical knowledge and ensuring the vigorous and efficacious circulation of its theoretical tenets.