Le Voile de nom: Essai sur le nom propre arabe.

• Author: Bulliet, Richard W.

A medieval Arabic name can be a cornucopia of information. Its several parts, both given (the ism and kunya) and acquired (the nisba and laqab), betray the roots of identity within a family and reflect aspects of the bearer's biography. Which names are used under which circumstances can be equally informative, indicating contexts of familiarity, deference, honor, and so forth. It is the great merit of this short book by the guiding genius of the international Onomasticon Arabicum project that it touches upon so many aspects of medieval naming practices. Yet it should properly be seen as a beginning of serious study of this subject rather than as a definitive work.

The plan of the book takes the reader step-by-step through each of the major components of a medieval Arabic name, explaining the variety of meanings they can convey and various peculiarities about them. Then it turns to the broader question of name use on specific categories of document, such as official correspondence and certificates of learning, and closes with some observations on the theory of naming, both in the author's own terms and as implied in the various medieval reference works on the subject.

Eschewing the current of onomastic studies that concentrates only upon rarities or symbolism, Sublet roots her work firmly in the great compilation of biographical data assembled in the Onomasticon Arabicum. This strength, however, is also a limitation because it causes her to concentrate overwhelmingly upon the Mamluk period. As a consequence, diachronic and geographic diversity do not come through as important avenues of research. This is most regrettable since both have great potential.

Another area that Sublet does not develop, despite her access to a large database, is quantitative variation in naming patterns and...