L’« hypothèse grecque » et le débat sur les origines de la tradition grammaticale arabe

Abstract

The question of the Greek influence on the origins of the Arabic grammatical tradition has been a controversial subject since the late 19th century. After having clarified the terms of the debate, this paper gives an overview of the positions in presence together with their respective arguments, then proceeds to illustrate the problems raised by the identification of possible Greek borrowings in Arabic. The conclusion which emerges is that, while the “Greek theory” provides us with a plausible storyboard about the origins of Arabic grammar, it remains impossible to prove with certainty in the present state of knowledge.

Keywords

• Arabic grammatical tradition (origins)
• Baṣran and Kūfan schools
• Carter (Michael)
• diábasis
• Greek influence on the Arabic grammatical tradition
• Merx (Adalbert)