The project Dictionary of Initial Biliteral Sequences in Classical Arabic.

Abstract

It had long been noted that parasynonymous Arabic roots had a biliteral sequence in common, generally the initial one. This observation led to Georges Bohas’ Theory of Etymons and Matrices. It was time to carry out an exhaustive study of the initial sequences which alone would make it possible to definitively validate this theory. Kazimirski’s Arabic-French Dictionary offered the guarantee of an honest corpus of data. The work in progress, three quarters of which has been completed, consists of bringing together in the same chapter all the lexical items with the same initial sequence, grouping them into roots, base nouns, scientific or technical terms, and borrowings. The roots, most often polysemous, are split, reorganized and grouped according to their meanings. Isolated items appearing to belong to another radical sequence are returned to it.