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A little puzzledReader comment on item: Friendless in the Middle East Submitted by Amin Riaz (United Kingdom), Oct 29, 2012 at 14:59 I am not quite sure what this has to do with me. You start with the word 'Even' - this implies something from before - yet i have never seen a post/reply from you. So what does the 'Even' refer to? - - - Even the name"Arab" is not Arabic. Arab comes from the ancient Egyptian word "AR-RHAB" and it means "PREDATOR OF THE DESERT" as is not arabic the Mesopotamian' word "Bedhouin" which has the same meaning "PREDATOR OF THE DUNES". You give no references or sources for your claims. Hence it is difficult to judge them. The word "Arab" not initially being Arabic is hardly a surprise or contreversial. Arabic Language came from other semitic languages and later became a distinct language. Other Examples: The word "English" for example is not of English origin. The word "Urdu" is not from the However - as far I know . . . the word "Arab" is of Semitic origin - to mean 'passerby' or 'nomad'. It is a common Semitic root - with few meanings. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arab_%28etymology%29#cite_note-0 This link is a quick overview. Your claim is a new one on me. Sources? References? - - - The word ARAB was again used first by the Romans by giving that name to one of their pronces: ARABIAE PETRAE in the northern part of the (arabian) peninsula and calling ARABIAE FELIX (HAPPY ARABIA) the Sabeian Kingdom (today Yemen), the bedouins never liked to be called Arabs then the name Arabia was extended to the whole peninsula. The word "Arab" in this way is English word - the Roman use is its first Use within Europe - and it is not its origin. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arabia#Etymology - - - Even the arabic language seems that it was not invented by the Arabs. What does it mean to "invent" a language? You seem to have a poor grasp of how languages develop and come into being. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classical_Arabic Wiki actually has some good Artciles on origin of Arabic. Arabic mostly grew out of other Semitic languages and Nabateans language. Its first cultural rise was advent of Islam. Before that it wasn't a well known or major language. If Islam hadn't come along - it probaly would have been long forgotten and not survive as a distinct language. Its geographical location is pretty small & exact. - - - They are saying that the Amaric or Geez (Ethiopian) language descend from the Arabic language because of some similarities huh? Who is 'they'? I think you meant Amharic - - - while the arabic writing was first used just after the conquest of Syria and well 100 years after the death of their prophet , the Quran suras and hadits were written in arabic (or let say in Quarish)language but because the arab alphabet was not yet in use at that time, Mohamed scribes were using the alphabet they knew like Jewish, Syrian, Sabean or even Greek or Persian However the oldest known use of Arabic that survives is around 328AD and the earlies survivng use of Islamic material dates to the Dome of the Rock inscriptions . . . about 68years after Prophet Muhammad. Again - what is the origin and source of your strange claims? Also - I think you meant Syriac - Aramiac alphabet. Sabeans - are long past and ancient civilization - I don't think threre language was even in use. You list 5 separate alphabets? Did you just make this claim up - or is there a source? Note: Opinions expressed in comments are those of the authors alone and not necessarily those of Daniel Pipes. Original writing only, please. Comments are screened and in some cases edited before posting. Reasoned disagreement is welcome but not comments that are scurrilous, off-topic, commercial, disparaging religions, or otherwise inappropriate. For complete regulations, see the "Guidelines for Reader Comments". Reader comments (737) on this item |
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