Studies in the History of Arabic Grammar, vol. 2: Proceedings of the 2nd Symposium on the History of Arabic Grammar, Nijmegen, 27 April-1 May 1987.

• Author: Beeston, A.F.L.

This volume contains the proceedings of the second Symposium on the History of Arabic Grammar, held at Nijmegen in 1987. There are twenty-two contributions, mostly fairly brief, suggesting that they represent the papers as actually delivered, not (as sometimes happens) expanded for publication. Beyond commending the general style of production as excellent, it is not easy for a reviewer to assess so ample and varied a list of contributions; the most I can do is to make some comments on a rather randomly selected few, though all are interesting.

Ramzi Baalbaki, "Irab and Bina from linguistic reality to grammatical theory" (pp. 17-33), includes discussions of the manner in which the grammarians cope with a number of substandard dialectal features, many of which have been simply recorded as "linguistic reality" in Rabin's Ancient West Arabian," of which therefore this contribution forms an interesting development. In one place (p. 20) I find it notable that Ibn Hisam should have claimed hamat as an example of bina, ala l-fath in words like aba-ka on the ground that "its masculine form must be hama"; a rather poor argument - otiose if the masculine mabniyy form in -a does occur, unconvincing if it does not. On p. 25 (line 9 from end) there is a slight infelicity: surely one should print the true form fa-drib and not the (theoretic) analytical form fa-idrib.

Monique P. L. M. Bernards, "The Basran grammarian Abu Umar al-Garmi: His position between Sibawayhi and Mubarrad" (pp. 35-47), is a particularly interesting link between S. and the later grammarians, though difficult to study since he is known only through quotations, none of his works having survived in its entirety. Bernards makes (p. 37) three points about Garmi: his attitude is not always consistent; he attaches great importance to Bedouin speech as a source; and his opinions are often shared by Mazini, Mubarrad, and sometimes Ahfas, on the one hand, and by the Kufans, on the other. Specially noteworthy is the passage (p. 38 concerning fa- and wa- governing the nasb. "We find," she says, "that the Basran grammarians, including Sibawayhi, are of the opinion ... that the subjunctive occurs through agency of a concealed an. Garmi on the other hand rejects the possibility of an implicit regent, and prefers to have fa- and wa- change category" - being no longer coordinators (awatif). Bernard comments, "this may seem to be a much simpler solution, but it is, in fact, a very drastic one...