Grammar and the radd Genre in al-Andalus
Abstract
Overshadowed by the most famous al-Radd ʿalā al-nuḥāt by Ibn Maḍāʾ (d. 592/1196), the radd genre seems to have been particularly flourishing in al-Andalus and attests to the Andalusi intellectual activity in the field of grammatical studies. The article draws a list of 25 grammatical radd treatises, among which emerge the names of some of the most important Andalusi grammarians, either as authors or as targets of these refutations. The list also highlights the contribution to grammatical studies of some figures, such as the Sevillian Ibn Ḫarūf (d. 609/1212), who characterized themselves for their involvement in such debates. The article tries to evaluate the content and impact of these treatises: even though the great majority of these texts have not been preserved, indirect information provided by other grammatical works or biographical sources sheds some light on the issue. This allows to sketch the lines of possible intellectual networks and scholarly affiliations. Moreover, this points to two major opposing stances on Arabic grammar in al-Andalus: a polarity in terms of sources for grammatical teaching (al-Zaǧǧāǧī’s Ǧumal vs al-Fārisī’s ʾĪḍāḥ), and a deeper epistemological divide with regard to the purpose of grammar (auxiliary vs speculative science). These fraction lines might eventually relate with the textual history of Sībawayhi’s Kitāb.
Keywords
Arabic Grammatical Tradition
History and Epistemology of Language
al-Andalus
Radd (genre)
Sībawayhi (d. 180/796?)
al-Zaǧǧāǧī (d. 337/949)
K. al-Ǧumal (al-Zaǧǧāǧī)
al-Fārisī (d. 377/987)
K. al-Īḍāḥ (al-Fārisī)
Ibn Maḍāʾ (d. 592/1196)
Ibn al-Ṭarāwa (d. 526/1132 or 528/1134)
Ibn Ḫarūf (d. 609/1212)
Tradition grammaticale arabe
Histoire et épistémologie du langage
al-Andalus
Radd (genre)
Sībawayhi (m. 180/796?)
al-Zaǧǧāǧī (m. 337/949)
K. al-Ǧumal (d'al-Zaǧǧāǧī)
al-Fārisī (m. 377/987)
K. al-Īḍāḥ (d'al-Fārisī)
Ibn Maḍāʾ (m. 592/1196)
Ibn al-Ṭarāwa (m. 526/1132 or 528/1134)
Ibn Ḫarūf (m. 609/1212)