Substitution in Arabic: Lisan Al-Arab Dictionary as a Model

Abstract

This study investigates the concept of substitution in Arabic, its history, the reasons for its emergence, its prevalence, and the environment of its occurrence as it revealed by Ibn Manzur in his great dictionary “Qamos Lisan Al-Arab” (Dictionary of Arabs Tongue). The methodology adopted is descriptive and analytical. It is based on investigating the use of substitution by ancient Arabs in the tribes’ dialects. The data was extracted from chapters 3 and 4 of the Lisan Al-Arab dictionary. The study's findings revealed that substitution is not limited to specific Arab regions but has become a linguistic phenomenon even among Arabs living in cities. Most scholars consider the most important reason for the emergence of substitution to be the linguistic variation among dialects; however, Arabic dialects are well-established in that substitution is a variable occurrence that takes place according to the human tendency to reduce articulatory effort. The study also revealed that the reasons behind substitution include the similarity of sound production in the manner or place of articulation.