Abstract

Abstract In a number of publications Alessandro Bausani employed the label ‘Islamic/Muslim language’ to characterize languages that were profoundly influenced by Arabic and/or Persian. In this paper I investigate the analytical usefulness of such a label from a linguistic perspective. In particular, I deal with loanwords from Arabic and the use of Arabic script for other languages and compare the interaction between religion and language in the Islamic world with that in Jewish languages. I conclude that what Bausani was actually referring to was the deep sense of religio-cultural relationship between speakers of diverse languages who had adopted Islam. Labels such as ‘Islamic/Muslim’ should therefore be applied to these speakers, rather than to their languages.

Full Text
Paper version not known

Talk to us

Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have

Schedule a call

Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.