Comparing Medieval “Latin” and “Arabic” Textual Cultures from a Structural Perspective
Résumé
This article attempts to summarize the various possibilities for comparing the Arabic and Latin linguistic cultures developed during the Middle Ages, by deconstructing the traditionally imposed story of an inverse evolution: Latin would have gradually weakened to make way for modern languages, while Arabic would have gradually filled the field of today's Arabic-speaking space. This article attempts to show how this narrative can be relativized (Latin remained the "referential" language of the Latin West at various conceptual and pragmatic levels throughout the period; classical Arabic cohabited from the outset and throughout the period with other languages: dialectal Arabic, Iranian languages, Coptic, Berber...). It then raises the question of the possibility of analyzing structural similarities in the use of the two languages in societies, by focusing on similar teaching and memorization techniques (versified grammars, use of didactic poetry). Lastly, it examines the role of language in society by looking back at a sector of textual production that is comparable in the two zones: the rhythmic, rhymed prose of 'ilm al-inshâ on the one hand, and the rhythmic prose of ars dictaminis on the other.
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Licence : CC BY SA - Paternité - Partage selon les Conditions Initiales