The Academy of the Arabic Language in Cairo () is a
language academy
This is a list of bodies that consider themselves to be authorities on standard languages, often called language academies. Language academies are motivated by, or closely associated with, linguistic purism and prestige, and typically publish pre ...
for
Arabic
Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...
created in
Cairo
Cairo ( ; ar, القاهرة, al-Qāhirah, ) is the capital of Egypt and its largest city, home to 10 million people. It is also part of the largest urban agglomeration in Africa, the Arab world and the Middle East: The Greater Cairo metr ...
,
Egypt
Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning the North Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via a land bridg ...
in 1932 by
Fuad I of Egypt
Fuad I ( ar, فؤاد الأول ''Fu’ād al-Awwal''; tr, I. Fuad or ; 26 March 1868 – 28 April 1936) was the Sultan and later King of Egypt and the Sudan. The ninth ruler of Egypt and Sudan from the Muhammad Ali dynasty, he became Sulta ...
.
It publishes
Al-Mu'jam al-Kabir Al-Mu'jam al-Kabir () may refer to:
* ''Al-Mu'jam al-Kabir'' (Al-Tabarani)
* ''Al-Mu'jam al-Kabir'' (dictionary)
{{Disambiguation ...
(''The Great Dictionary'') and (''The Intermediary Dictionary''), two of the most important dictionaries of the
Arabic
Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...
language.
Name
It was founded as the Royal Academy for the Arabic Language ( ''majma' al-lughah al'arabiyyah al-malaki'') in 1932.
In 1938, it became the Fu'ad I Academy for the Language.
After the
Egyptian revolution of 1952 and the end of the monarchy, it became the Academy of the Arabic Language.
Background
The academy's first permanent secretary, , chronicled in an article entitled
istory of the Academy(), published in the first issue of the academy's journal () in 1934, the attempts of Arab
men of letters
''Men of Letters: The Post Office Heroes who Fought the Great War'' is a book by Duncan Barrett, co-author of '' The Sugar Girls'' and ''GI Brides'' and editor of '' The Reluctant Tommy''. It was published by AA Publishing on 1 August 2014 and off ...
to establish a regulatory institution for the Arabic language—none of which was successful.
The Academy of the Arabic Language in Cairo was born out of ideas and movements of late 19th century Egypt, including:
Pan-Islamism
Pan-Islamism ( ar, الوحدة الإسلامية) is a political movement advocating the unity of Muslims under one Islamic country or state – often a caliphate – or an international organization with Islamic principles. Pan-Islamism wa ...
,
Pan-Arabism
Pan-Arabism ( ar, الوحدة العربية or ) is an ideology that espouses the unification of the countries of North Africa and Western Asia from the Atlantic Ocean to the Arabian Sea, which is referred to as the Arab world. It is closely c ...
, and the
Nahda
The Nahda ( ar, النهضة, translit=an-nahḍa, meaning "the Awakening"), also referred to as the Arab Awakening or Enlightenment, was a cultural movement that flourished in Arabic-speaking regions of the Ottoman Empire, notably in Egypt, Leb ...
.
It was modeled after
language academies
This is a list of bodies that consider themselves to be authorities on standard languages, often called language academies. Language academies are motivated by, or closely associated with, linguistic purism and prestige, and typically publish pr ...
in the Arab world and abroad, most notably the ''
Institut d'Égypte
The Institut d'Égypte or Egyptian Scientific Institute is a learned society in Cairo specializing in Egyptology. It was established in 1798 by Napoleon Bonaparte to carry out research during his Egyptian campaign and is the oldest scientific inst ...
''.
Schools
In 1826,
Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali (; born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.; January 17, 1942 – June 3, 2016) was an American professional boxer and activist. Nicknamed "The Greatest", he is regarded as one of the most significant sports figures of the 20th century, ...
sent a scholarly mission from Egypt to France, including
Rifa'a at-Tahtawi
Rifa'a at-Tahtawi (also spelt Tahtawy; ar, رفاعة رافع الطهطاوي, ; 1801–1873) was an Egyptian writer, teacher, translator, Egyptologist and renaissance intellectual. Tahtawi was among the first Egyptian scholars to write about ...
, who later proposed the establishment of in 1836.
Dar al-Ulum
Dar al-Ulum ( ar, كلية دار العلوم, kullīya dār al-ʿulūm "House of Sciences" ), is an educational institution designed to produce students with both an Islamic and modern secondary education. It was founded in 1871 and is now a f ...
, established in 1872, educated
Azhari
, image = جامعة_الأزهر_بالقاهرة.jpg
, image_size = 250
, caption = Al-Azhar University portal
, motto =
, established =
*970/972 first foundat ...
scholars in modern sciences.
The works of translation produced by institutions like these introduced some of the earliest modern problems for the Arabic language.
Presses
Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali (; born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.; January 17, 1942 – June 3, 2016) was an American professional boxer and activist. Nicknamed "The Greatest", he is regarded as one of the most significant sports figures of the 20th century, ...
established the
Amiri Press
The Amiri Press or Amiria Press ( ar, المطبعة الأميرية, المطابع الأميرية) (''Al-Matba'a al-Amiriya'') (also known as the Bulaq Press () due to its original location in Bulaq) is a printing press, and one of the main ...
or
Bulaq Press, the first printing press in Egypt, in 1821.
It was followed by others, such as
al-Matba'a al-Ahliya al-Qabtiya () in 1860,
Wadi an-Nil
Wadi ( ar, وَادِي, wādī), alternatively ''wād'' ( ar, وَاد), North African Arabic Oued, is the Arabic term traditionally referring to a valley. In some instances, it may refer to a wet (ephemeral) riverbed that contains water o ...
() in 1866,
Gam'iyat al-Ma'arif () in 1868,
al-Ahram
''Al-Ahram'' ( ar, الأهرام; ''The Pyramids''), founded on 5 August 1875, is the most widely circulating Egyptian daily newspaper, and the second oldest after '' al-Waqa'i`al-Masriya'' (''The Egyptian Events'', founded 1828). It is majori ...
() in 1875,
Sharikat Tab' al-Kutub al-'Arabiya () 1898.
History
Establishing a language academy was proposed in
Egyptian Parliament in the parliamentary year 1928-1929.
On December 31, 1932 (14
Sha'ban
Shaʽban ( ar, شَعْبَان, ') is the eighth month of the Islamic calendar. It is called as the month of "separation", as the word means "to disperse" or "to separate" because the pagan Arabs used to disperse in search of water.
The fiftee ...
of 1351 of the
Hijra
Hijra, Hijrah, Hegira, Hejira, Hijrat or Hijri may refer to:
Islam
* Hijrah (often written as ''Hejira'' in older texts), the migration of Muhammad from Mecca to Medina in 622 CE
* Migration to Abyssinia or First Hegira, of Muhammad's followers ...
), the Academy of the Arabic Language in Cairo was established by royal decree issued from the
Abdeen Palace
Abdeen Palace ( ar, قصر عابدين) is a historic Cairo palace built as one of the official residences for the former ruling monarchy and royal family of Egypt. It is now one of the official residences and the principal workplace of the Pr ...
, residence of
Fuad I of Egypt
Fuad I ( ar, فؤاد الأول ''Fu’ād al-Awwal''; tr, I. Fuad or ; 26 March 1868 – 28 April 1936) was the Sultan and later King of Egypt and the Sudan. The ninth ruler of Egypt and Sudan from the Muhammad Ali dynasty, he became Sulta ...
.
Also involved were President of the Council of Ministers
Ismail Sidky, Minister of Education
Muhammad Hilmi Isa, and likely also the previous minister of education
Ahmed Lutfi el-Sayed and .
Its constitution was inspired by the constitution of the
Académie Française.
The Academy of the Arabic Language in Cairo was established for the purposes of addressing urgent issues facing the
Arabic language
Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walte ...
and of adapting it to suit the needs of the 20th century.
One of the early tasks of the Academy of the Arabic Language in Cairo was to publish a
historical dictionary
A historical dictionary or dictionary on historical principles is a dictionary which deals not only with the latterday meanings of words but also the historical development of their forms and meanings. It may also describe the vocabulary of an earl ...
of Arabic, tracing the changes of meanings and uses of Arabic words over time, though this was not achieved.
Selecting the founding members
King
Fuad I of Egypt
Fuad I ( ar, فؤاد الأول ''Fu’ād al-Awwal''; tr, I. Fuad or ; 26 March 1868 – 28 April 1936) was the Sultan and later King of Egypt and the Sudan. The ninth ruler of Egypt and Sudan from the Muhammad Ali dynasty, he became Sulta ...
—who wanted an institute in the image of his regime, in its regard toward modern science and its domestic and foreign interests—played a major role in the selection of the academy's members.
The
ulama
In Islam, the ''ulama'' (; ar, علماء ', singular ', "scholar", literally "the learned ones", also spelled ''ulema''; feminine: ''alimah'' ingularand ''aalimath'' lural are the guardians, transmitters, and interpreters of religious ...
, scholars, and intellectuals he chose were modernists and politically loyalists, moderates, or neutral.
These included:
Political figures
*
*
Chaim Nahum
*
Academics
*
*
*
Ahmad al-'Awāmiri
Azharis
*
*
*
*
Eastern members
*
Muhammad Kurd Ali
*
*
*
Anastas Al-Karmali
*
Hassan Husni Abd al-Wahhab
Orientalists
*
H. A. R. Gibb
*
Louis Massignon
Louis Massignon (25 July 1883 – 31 October 1962) was a Catholic scholar of Islam and a pioneer of Catholic-Muslim mutual understanding. He was an influential figure in the twentieth century with regard to the Catholic church's relationship w ...
*
Carlo Alfonso Nallino
*
August Fischer
*
Enno Littmann
Headquarters
At its inception, the Academy of the Arabic Language in Cairo was housed in the palace of Hussayn Riad at 1 Ibn Arhab Street in Giza, in front of the Egyptian University (now
Cairo University
Cairo University ( ar, جامعة القاهرة, Jāmi‘a al-Qāhira), also known as the Egyptian University from 1908 to 1940, and King Fuad I University and Fu'ād al-Awwal University from 1940 to 1952, is Egypt's premier public university ...
).
It later moved to 110 , a building that was then demolished to build a bank.
It finally moved to a villa at 26 Murad St in Giza.
Inauguration
The Academy of the Arabic Language in Cairo was inaugurated by
Muhammad Hilmi Isa Pasha on January 30, 1934 (14
Shawwal 1352 of the Hijra), with all of the academy's members in attendance with the exception of
Hassan Husni Abd al-Wahhab.
Arabic script reform
In 1936, the academy, prompted by issues arising in the transliteration of names in European scripts into Arabic, discussed the possibility of reforming Arabic script.
This discussion was further expanded in 1938 with regard to the technical difficulty of printing
vowels
A vowel is a syllabic speech sound pronounced without any stricture in the vocal tract. Vowels are one of the two principal classes of speech sounds, the other being the consonant. Vowels vary in quality, in loudness and also in quantity (len ...
in Arabic at the time.
The discussions were published to engage a wider audience, and in 1945 a competition with a
£E1,000 prize was announced calling for proposals.
The discussions continued for a number of years but no plan for reform of Arabic script was endorsed.
These discussions did, however, lead to the definition of پ pe and ڤ ve to represent
p and
v.
,
Ahmed Lutfi el-Sayed, and
Taha Hussein served as presidents.
was the first woman to become a member of the Academy of the Arabic Language in Cairo.
References
{{Authority control
1932 establishments in Egypt
Organisations based in Cairo
Arabic lexicology and lexicography
Arabic dictionaries
Arabization