Book Description | The Vocabulary of Civilization by Abu Hayyan al-Tawhidi is a dictionary that explores the vocabulary of civilization in the 4th Hijri century / 10th Gregorian century, the era in which al-Tawhidi lived. It was created based on his works "Al-Imta wa Al-Muanasah" and "Risalat Al-Sadaqa wa Al-Sadiq," which serve as authentic examples of al-Tawhidi's language and the language of his time. The dictionary follows a lexicographical approach that prioritizes the word as the focus of its activity; I extracted the vocabulary of civilization from the aforementioned texts, presenting them with correct spelling to facilitate pronunciation and providing explanations of their meanings, noting any semantic shifts and distinguishing between Arabic words, borrowed terms, and foreign influences. I elaborated on the meaning intended by Abu Hayyan, especially if a word had multiple meanings or if his intended meaning differed from other usages of that word. I was careful to include new meanings of words after al-Tawhidi and pointed out what earlier lexicographers overlooked concerning those terms. The research is divided into two main sections: the first addresses the aspects of civilization in the 4th Hijri century, and the second focuses on the vocabulary of civilization in al-Tawhidis works, relying on trustworthy linguistic, historical, intellectual, and literary sources, foremost among them the Holy Quran, the sayings of the Prophet, and both ancient and modern Arabic dictionaries, along with works on borrowed and foreign terms. I conclude the book with a summary and general indexes. Whats novel about it is that it examines a layer of the Arabic language at a stage that may be the richest in terms of their substantial contributions to the arena of civilization and contributes to the historical study of Arabic. |