Abstract
The spread of foreign languages, especially French, under European colonial rule inspired certain Arabic writers and scholars in the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century to look at ways to develop the Arabic language. This happened because they felt that foreign languages had started to overtake Arabic because they were easier to read (ZAKĪ 1901: 2). In this paper, I will discuss the use of punctuation marks in Arabic texts since the mid-nineteenth century as an example of the evolution of Arabic writing due to European influence. I will explain the reasons why punctuation marks were integrated into Arabic texts, quoting Arabic writers and scholars from the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century. These include Zaynab Fawwāz, the first writer to address the issue of punctuation marks in Arabic writings (FAWWĀZ 2007: 105-107), and ʾAḥmad Zakī who officially integrated punctuation into the Arabic language (ZAKĪ 1912). I will also explain the opposition that came from conservative scholars who were reluctant to change any aspect of Arabic writing. This is because they believed in the sanctity of Arabic as it is the language of the Qurʾān and it represents Arabic identity. Therefore, one should avoid any “borrowing” from colonial languages in order to preserve Arabic identity (MEYNET 1971: 94).Keywords: Punctuation, Arabic writing, ʾAḥmad Zakī, printing, Arabic Renaissance / an-Nahḍa al-ʿarabiyya, transmission of knowledge
Highlights
In the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century the Arabic language was an important factor for uniting Arab people, and many journalists and intellectuals encouraged the development of Arabic by explainingHe was born in Alexandria of a Morrocan father and a Kurdish mother
The Lebanese writer Zaynab Fawwāz was the first to have discussed the importance of punctuation marks used in Europe and the need to include them in the Arabic language
Those interested in the Arabic language and who want to facilitate the receipt of this language consider this lack [that is to say, no punctuation], especially that Foreign languages are widely used in the Arab world, so it is time to integrate a new system in our writing, handwritten or printed, to facilitate its receipt and so that readers would spend less time reading due to segmentation of sentences and texts
Summary
In the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century the Arabic language was an important factor for uniting Arab people, and many journalists and intellectuals (such as Zaynab Fawwāz andAḥmad Zakī4) encouraged the development of Arabic by explaining. He was born in Alexandria of a Morrocan father and a Kurdish mother. Dana Awad that language, like life, goes through changes This idea contradicted the way Arabic was seen at the time, as it was considered to be a divine language because the Qurān was written in Arabic. I will give a general introduction to the forerunners of Arabic punctuation, I will trace the history of modern Arabic punctuation through the work of Zaynab Fawwāz (died 1914), aṭṬuwayrānī (died 1897) andAḥmad Zakī (died 1934)
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