Science Dialectics and its History: Linguistics and the Arabic Linguistic Heritage As a Model

Abstract

This paper examines a number of general methodological observations related to the complex relation between a given scientific discipline and its history, in this case, between Linguistics and the Arabic linguistic heritage. First, we address the general issue of the relationship between a science and its history. Second, some past and present perspectives on the study of language are surveyed from the perspective of Tradition. Third, an attempt is made at surveying the intellectual fundamentals on the basis of which modern Arab linguists have evaluated the legacy of the linguistic heritage in the context of what is commonly known as ‘the re-reading of the Arab linguistic tradition’. We conclude by noting that the ‘re-reading’ approach is rather limited scientifically. Thus, it is suggested that instead of evaluating the linguistic legacy of the past for what it is worth, research in Arabic linguistics should focus on the actual study of the Arabic language and its structures in their historical evolution.