Language and Linguistics

This book is written for both Latino (Hispanic) learners and teachers of English as a second language. The book is innovative in helping Latino learners and teachers overcome chronic and difficult barriers, such as the cases relevant to certain vowels, consonants and the overall rhythm of English. The methodology and techniques used to teach the two-vowel systems of English and Spanish is rarely encountered in modern linguistic literature.

This specialized study by renowned linguist Rubens Duval brings together several grammatical studies between its covers. For the most part this intriguing volume is an exploration of the dialects of Neo-Aramaic of Salmas in the area of Azerbaijan and northwest Iran. Duval transcribed in handwritten, Roman characters, the aural information he received in the region from Syrian Christians and Jews. These are translated into French, making access to the linguistic information available to non-Semitic specialists. Duval concludes the book with an article on Syriac inscriptions of Salmas. This book is very rare in the used book market.

In an attempt to organize the swiftly-growing diversity in Christianity during the nineteenth century, the author compiled a learned compendium of the known religious groups of his day. A unique glimpse into the history of early-modern religious thought, this reference work includes extensive articles on the various collections of believers both Christian and non-Christian. Blunt, in a move that presaged the more comprehensive modern studies of the phenomenon of religious diversification, included exotic religions that were beginning to be taken seriously during his century.

This book was so popular during the lifetime of the original author that it went through six editions. This reprinting of the acclaimed seventeenth edition of Vincent’s revision of Haydn’s work is a delightful reminder of the basic information that was considered so important during the advent of the classic encyclopedias and reference works being produced in the nineteenth century. Arranged alphabetically, this historic work contains hundreds of articles that pertain to important dates and events in human history.

Useful for anyone interested in the social world of the nineteenth century, this dictionary was conceived as a desk reference to assist in finding, in a single source, the events behind the modern world. Intentionally without providing the length and depth of analysis of a standard history, this book provides in a brief paragraph the essentials of various historical references. Treaties, social and religious movements, battles, laws, and straightforward historical events are all chronicled alphabetically for ease of use.

This work provides a summary, short author biography, and reference to editions or translations of all the works of Armenian provenance known to the author. It concludes with works of Greek Church Fathers and secular literature preserved in Armenian.

This work of Theodor Nöldeke is an extremely rare find. Its scarcity should not be taken as a reflection on its authority or usefulness, however. In this original 1868 edition, Nöldeke lays out the basics of Neo-Syrian as it was used in Kurdistan and the area of Uremia. This valuable study, essentially unique to this day in its coverage of underrepresented language studies, provides a substantial, German introduction to the dialects described, followed by a thorough study of the languages themselves, also in German.

This edition of the Syriac-Arabic glosses of Isho Bar Ali is a publication difficult to locate. These glosses are located in the second part of Bar Ali’s lexicon, as the first part had been previously published. Bar Ali, a physician as well as a lexicographer, produced this noted Syriac-Arabic dictionary showing the meanings of Syriac words in Arabic. This historic step in the development of Syriac lexicography is analyzed here according to the glosses of the numerous manuscripts cited in the forward.

A rare edition of Lagarde’s Syriac ephemera, this volume is a linguist’s delight. Introduced in Latin and Arabic, the descriptions and annotations to Syriac manuscripts that constitute this book will seldom be found elsewhere. The various Syriac codices included in the collection are presented in Syriac without translation. For the student of Syriac who is seeking the authentic experience of reading Syriac materials, this study will be a treasury of material. Over the decades, Legarde’s works have become increasingly difficult to locate, and Gorgias Press is pleased to be able to offer this collectable again.

The astute observations of linguist Paul de Lagarde on Persian manuscript in Europe predating 1700 make an essential catalogue for anyone interested in the state of the field in the late 19th century. Citing each manuscript, Lagarde provides an annotated catalogue of 61 pieces that include descriptions from the initial publication of each text as well as his own observations. His study gives a sense of importance of each piece considered, demonstrating their relationships with other known documents. Also included in this unique study are the Judeo-Persian versions of the prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel (the latter only through chapter 9).

One of the few scholars of biblical languages to reach so far into the cultural world of antiquity, de Lagarde here offers a brief contribution to the study of Bactrian lexicography. This brief study grew out of the author’s long-standing appreciation for the related Persian languages and literature. While not a full-fledged dictionary, de Lagarde here provides discussions of over one hundred words, some of them offered in considerable detail. For the linguist interested in the history of the study of this particular language, this handbook will prove an invaluable tool.

Written in the scholarly Latin of his day, Lagarde considers in this brief study the questions Jerome raises on the Hebrew of the book of Genesis. In an abridged commentary form, Lagarde follows the questions in the order in which the book of Genesis presents the material. Beginning with the creation, Lagarde skips along to the phrases of Jerome’s text that raise questions and provides his insights about them. Presuming that the reader of the Vulgate will understand the Latin of the original, the comments on the material are likewise written in Latin.

Written in the days when textual criticism was still relatively new, and the great mass of manuscripts commonly used by present-day biblical scholars had not yet been plumbed, Lagarde spent many years making these exotic manuscripts available to scholars who previously had no access to them. In this volume are combined two manuscripts: the Pentateuch translated into Coptic, and the Gospels translated into Arabic. Despite the relatively recent dates of the manuscript sources for both collections, the material contained in these translations dates back to earlier days. Each of these translations is introduced in German with some critical notes about the readings included.

A substantial Festschrift for Sebastian P. Brock, this volume contains 34 essays from a variety of scholars across the field of Syriac studies. The breadth of the submissions illustrates the multiplicity of approaches taken in contemporary Syriac studies, and while no overall limitations were set for the contributions, a lively interest in Jacob of Serug remains evident. No scholar in this discipline will want to miss this important collection that represents the latest in serious exploration of the world of Eastern Christianity in Late Antiquity.

The book investigates the qatal//yiqtol (yiqtol//qatal) verbal sequence, previously known as ‘tense shifting’, as found in couplets of the Hebrew Psalter, attempting an innovatory explanation by means of M.A.K. Halliday’s Systemic Theory. This study argues that qatal and yiqtol verbal forms, when part of the qatal//yiqtol verbal sequence in Psalms' poetic couplets, can be used primarily for aesthetic reasons, with no individual reference to time or aspect. Arguably, the Systemic Functional Grammar analysis of lexicogrammar can provide a comprehensive interpretation of form and function and an integrated approach to phonetics, morphology and syntax.

Venturing into the realm of the Armenian language, Lagarde here presents a preliminary glossary of the language. The main body of the book contains over 2400 lexical entries, most of which are brief, dense descriptions of the words. Following the glossary Lagarde provides a comparative chart to the Armenian words including material from Sanskrit, Bactrian or Old Persian, Neo-Persian, Greek, and Semitic. An essay on the history of the study of the language and indices round out this early work on the Armenian tongue. This book, written in German, holds an important place in the study of Armenian.

A notable resource for both church historians and linguists, this work of Lagarde contains both Syriac and Greek materials concerning ancient ecclesiastical laws. A number of ancient documents are cited in this unusual collection. Half of this collection is presented in the original Syriac and half in the original Greek. All introductions and notes are written in Latin. Intended for the serious linguist and church historian, this work requires language skills to unravel. As a collection of materials that had been inaccessible up to Lagarde’s time, this volume also serves as a period piece containing a fresh view of writings that helped inform the growth of canon law.

Originally compiled by Destur Hoshangji Jamaspji Asa, this historic dictionary was revised and enlarged by Martin Haug. This edition of the glossary represents the first time that the Pahlavî-Pâzand, or Saanian Farhang, was published in its ancient form and arrangement. The dictionary is of an Aramaic translation into Middle Persian, in Pahlavi script. A substantial introductory essay on Pahlavi begins the work; entries are translated into English, occasionally reaching substantial essays. A truly historic attempt to document a language far removed from many European and new world scholars, Haug has produced an indispensable historic dictionary.

This historical dictionary contains an English translation of the Frahang-I Oim-evak, an antique Avestan and Middle Persian dictionary. A collaboration between Martin Haug and Destur Hoshengji Jamaspji, this rare glossary provides the Pahlavi translations for almost 900 Avestan words. Avestan is an Eastern Old Iranian language used by the Zoroastrian Avesta. It represents one of the earliest known Iranian languages. This dictionary was one of the earliest attempts to present the material to a western readership. Still considered a historic entry-point into the language, Haug’s glossary has become a rare find. Gorgias Press is pleased to bring it back into circulation as a part of our Historical Dictionary series.

Based on years of personal experience in India, Joseph Peet’s grammar of Malayalam was the first attempt by a western scholar to document the language. Set out like a classical grammar of the period, Peet begins with an introduction to the language and the orthography. The parts of speech are each treated, followed by an account of the syntax. One of the official languages of India, Malayalam is spoken by about 37 million individuals, mostly in the state of Kerala in the southern part of the nation. For the historian interested in the history of the study of Malayalam, this grammar is a special find.

Commissioned by the Indian government to prepare a descriptive catalogue of the Arabic manuscripts of the Library of India Office in London, Loth produced this reference work. A total of 1,050 manuscripts are covered in the catalogue. At the time of the composition of Loth’s work, only one of the items in the catalogue had even been the subject of an edition, indicating that the vast majority of items were unknown until the late 1870s.

This historic dictionary was the first French-Kurdish dictionary ever published. Compiled by Auguste Jaba, a Polish diplomat in the Russian service in the Middle East, this lexical enterprise initiated an interest in the under-studied language of the Kurds. Entries are written in the modified Arabic script for Kurdish, and are provided with a pronunciation key and translation into French. Historians of the languages of Iraq and Kurdistan will find having this dictionary essential to the unfolding growth of knowledge about this region.

A crucial stopping-point on the road to the early understanding of the Avestan language, Spiegel’s work was an early European attempt to comprehend this ancient and complex language. One of the two oldest languages of Iran, Avestan is probably best known as the language of the Zoroastrian Avesta. This historic grammar of the language has an extensive introduction to the writing system, the phonetics of the language and the rules of how the sounds are pronounced. He discusses the way words are constructed and inflection before moving on to a considerable discussion of syntax. There is also an appendix on the Gatha dialect of the language.

This catalogue presents the Islamic, Oriental Christian, Judaic and Samaritan manuscripts in the University library of Leipzig’s collection. The largest part of the material is Islamic, and it is presented here according to categories. Manuscripts are described by title (if known) and a brief summary of the contents. Dimensions for most of the pieces are given as well. The Christian material includes manuscripts in Arabic, Syriac, Coptic, Ethiopic, and Georgian. A numerical concordance adds to the utility of this important manuscript collection.

In this historic catalogue, Crum presents the Coptic monuments of the Museum of Cairo. Although given a French title, the contents of this book are written in English. Some of the more striking items are presented with beautifully drawn sketches of relevant sections of the source. As a museum book, this catalogue is amply illustrated with 57 black and white plates. A variety of artifacts are described: manuscripts, ostraca, and stelae, and indices round out the utility of this volume. A specialized collection from early Christian Egypt, this book will be welcomed by specialists in Coptic materials still found in their native land.