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Sharjah Ruler launches 31 new volumes of corpus that chronicles 17 centuries of Arabic language

The historical corpus now features 67 volumes — and the remaining parts may be released soon, according to Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi

Published: Tue 31 Oct 2023, 8:01 PM

Updated: Tue 31 Oct 2023, 8:03 PM

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Thirty-one new volumes have been added to the Sharjah Ruler's landmark project of chronicling 17 centuries of Arabic language.

His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, on Tuesday launched the new volumes of the Historical Corpus of the Arabic Language — just in time for this year's SIBF, which kicks off tomorrow.

Released by Al Qasimi Publications, the latest volumes revolve around six letters Ra (ر), Zay (ز), Seen (س), Sheen (ش), Sad (ص), and Dad (ض).

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"Today, we have reached this great milestone and are celebrating the completion of 67 volumes covering 15 letters of our Arabic language (from 'hamza' to 'dad')," said Sheikh Dr Sultan, who is also the Supreme President of the Arabic Language Academy (ALA).

The Sharjah Ruler made the announcement in the presence of the Board of Trustees and members of the ALA, including the presidents of the unions and councils of 14 language academies from 12 countries.

The rest of the corpus may be released soon

At the launch, Sheikh Dr Sultan also hinted that the rest of the massive corpus may soon be released.

"If Allah wills, the remaining parts of the corpus will be released soon, and at that time the nation will rejoice, as Arabic will have its long-awaited historical corpus. This date is close if Allah wills," he said.

Sharjah's efforts to enrich the Arabic language and preserve its heritage will not stop up at the corpus' completion, the Ruler vowed.

"In Sharjah, we have committed ourselves to starting other projects to serve our Arabic language and its rich heritage," he said.

500 experts from 26 countries

Sheikh Dr Sultan lauded the efforts of all those involved in the project and expressed his gratitude to the heads of the Arab language unions and academies.

"You are at the forefront of those working on this corpus. Without the guidance of Allah and your knowledge and expertise, this project might have remained on paper and as a dream," he said.

"Your efforts have united under the umbrella of the Scientific Linguistic Academies Union, coordinated by the Arabic Language Academy in Sharjah, involving 13 linguistic academies, centres, and institutions, with around 500 editors, experts, and scholars from 26 countries around the world. All of them participated in this great project."

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New volumes of the corpus are usually released at every new edition of the Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF). This year's edition begins tomorrow.

The corpus is one of the most important scientific and knowledge-based Arabic language initiatives, designed to promote its study, documentation, and research.

The Sharjah Ruler launched the first 17 volumes of the corpus during the 40th SIBF opening ceremony in 2021. The second set of 19 volumes was released on November 1, 2022.



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