Stages of establishment of the Arab punctuation system

Abstract

The developed in Arab language punctuation has undergone several stages prior to its acceptance as a functional part of the graphic writing system. This has been attributed to the fact that initially punctuation was not well received among Arab intelligentsia, as in their eyes, it carried an imprint of the European influence, and even perceived as one of the symbols of European colonialism. The author attempts to examine the key stages in development of the Arab punctuation system, as well as determine the main factors that affected its establishment. The article assesses and highlights the crucial factors differentiating from the formation of European punctuation. Within the Russian Oriental Studies, the indicated aspects are explored for the first time due to lack of sufficient material in the Arab language for carrying out a comprehensive research. However, over the recent time this topic becomes the focus of attention among Arab linguists. This article is intended for those studying Arab language or interested in punctuation overall as a linguistic phenomenon.