Variation in the Use of Diacritics in Modern Typeset Standard Arabic: A Theoretical and Descriptive Framework
The extent to which the diacritic layer (taškīl) of the Arabic writing system is employed in modern typeset text differs considerably between genres and individual texts, with many in-between forms not aptly captured by the traditional binary categories of “vowelled” and “unvowelled” text. This arti...
| Published in: | Arabica |
|---|---|
| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
|
| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Brill
2022
|
| In: |
Arabica
Year: 2022, Volume: 69, Issue: 3, Pages: 279-317 |
| Further subjects: | B
diacritics
B taškīl B Modern Standard Arabic B corpus linguistics B Orthography |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (kostenfrei) Volltext (kostenfrei) |
| Summary: | The extent to which the diacritic layer (taškīl) of the Arabic writing system is employed in modern typeset text differs considerably between genres and individual texts, with many in-between forms not aptly captured by the traditional binary categories of “vowelled” and “unvowelled” text. This article is the first to present a theoretical account of this variation applicable to modern typeset Standard Arabic. It is suggested that diacritics serve three basic functions: facilitation of reading comprehension; facilitation of prescriptively correct diction; and to evoke associations with other texts. Six modes of diacritization in modern typeset text are identified and related to data on rates of diacritization from a corpus of electronically published books. Further lines of research based on this framework are suggested. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 1570-0585 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Arabica
|
| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1163/15700585-12341640 |