18.2152, Diss: History of Ling/Ling & Lit/Philosophy of Lang: Gunaydin: 'Al-...'

[LINGUIST Network]

LINGUIST List: Vol-18-2152. Mon Jul 16 2007. ISSN: 1068 - 4875.

Subject: 18.2152, Diss: History of Ling/Ling & Lit/Philosophy of Lang: Gunaydin: 'Al-...'

Moderators: Anthony Aristar, Eastern Michigan U <aristar at linguistlist.org>
            Helen Aristar-Dry, Eastern Michigan U <hdry at linguistlist.org>
 
Reviews: Randall Eggert, U of Utah  
         <reviews at linguistlist.org> 

Homepage: http://linguistlist.org/

The LINGUIST List is funded by Eastern Michigan University, 
and donations from subscribers and publishers.

Editor for this issue: Hunter Lockwood <hunter at linguistlist.org>
================================================================  

To post to LINGUIST, use our convenient web form at
http://linguistlist.org/LL/posttolinguist.html.

===========================Directory==============================  

1)
Date: 16-Jul-2007
From: Muhammet Gunaydin < gunaydin at alumni.upenn.edu >
Subject: Al-Sirafi's theory of 'lingua-logical' grammar: An analytical study of the grammatical work of al-Sirafi...

 

	
-------------------------Message 1 ---------------------------------- 
Date: Mon, 16 Jul 2007 12:40:13
From: Muhammet Gunaydin < gunaydin at alumni.upenn.edu >
Subject: Al-Sirafi's theory of 'lingua-logical' grammar: An analytical study of the grammatical work of al-Sirafi... 
 


Institution: University of Pennsylvania 
Program: Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations 
Dissertation Status: Completed 
Degree Date: 2006 

Author: Muhammet gunaydin

Dissertation Title: Al-Sirafi's theory of 'lingua-logical' grammar: An
analytical study of the grammatical work of al-Sirafi
(Sharh Kitab Sibawayhi) within the context of a discussion
on language and logic in medieval Islam 

Dissertation URL:  http://repository.upenn.edu/dissertations/AAI3211077/

Linguistic Field(s): History of Linguistics
                     Ling & Literature
                     Philosophy of Language


Dissertation Director(s):
Roger M. A. Allen
Joseph E Lowry
Barbara von Schlegel

Dissertation Abstract:

This is a study of the problematic relationship between language, grammar,
and logic in the linguistic thought of Abu Said al-Sirafi (d. 979), the
judge and grammarian. It offers an analytical study of the first seven
chapters of his famous work on grammar, Sharh Kitab Sibawayhi within the
context of the famous debate over Arabic grammar and Aristotelian logic
that took place in Baghdad, in 932 C.E. between him and Abu Bishr Matta ibn
Yunus (d. 940), the philosopher and logician. In the debate, against
Matta's thesis that logic is an instrument by which we differentiate
correct speech from incorrect and sound meaning from unsound, al-Sirafi
argues that correct speech can only be distinguished from incorrect by
grammatical investigation, and sound meaning from unsound by reason.
Al-Sirafi further argues that grammar includes logic, and thus there is no
need to study logic separately. This study examines al-Sirafi's Sharh to
investigate whether these ideas are based on a verifiable linguistic theory
found in his Sharh, or stated only for the sake of discussion during the
debate.

At the end of the study it is concluded that al-Sirafi's approaches to
linguistic issues are consistent and complementary to each other in both
the debate and the Sharh. However, there is no evidence found in the Sharh
to support his criticism of logic put forward in the debate. 





-----------------------------------------------------------
LINGUIST List: Vol-18-2152