"GHUNYAT AL-TĀLIB WA MUNYAT AL-RĀGHIB" BY FARIS AL-SHIDYAQ: AN ANALYSIS OF A GRAMMATICAL WORK
Abstract
The presented article is devoted to the analysis of the grammatical work of Ahmad Faris al-Shidyaq (1804–1887) entitled “Ghunyat al-Tālib va munyat al-rāghib”. The main theme of the work is the study of this little-researched treatise, its structure, the reasons for its creation, and the author's attempts to simplify Arabic grammar. The relevance of the study lies in al-Shidyaq's significant contribution to the development of Arabic linguistics, which reflects the general trend towards simplifying grammatical knowledge in the 19th century, characteristic of the Nahda era. The novelty of the article lies in its detailed analysis of the methodological features of “Ghunyat al-Tālib va munyat al-rāghib,” including the use of new terminology, a pragmatic approach to presenting complex grammatical phenomena, and the striving for generalization when considering derivative forms. The aim of the work is to show that, despite Faris al-Shidyaq's stated goal of creating an accessible textbook, his work is a profound linguistic study created at the initiative of an Ottoman minister. As a result of the analysis, a significant influence of the earlier grammatical work of Ibn Farhat's “Bahth al-maTālib wa hathth al-Tālib” on the formation of alShidyaq's linguistic views and exposition methodology was revealed. It is shown that Faris developed the methods of his predecessors, cited discrepancies, referred to various linguists, and even compared Arabic with European languages. It is emphasized that, despite some shortcomings, al-Shidyaq's work made a significant contribution to Arabic linguistics, reflecting a continuous desire to make the Arabic language more accessible to a wide range of learners.
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