This German Arabist's work, though funded by a regime with problematic intentions, ultimately produced a seminal dictionary for the study of Modern Written Arabic. His innovative transliteration scheme became an essential tool for accessing the language, and his legacy endures in revised editions. He was a professor at the University of Münster, contributing significantly to the field.
Arabic-English Dictionary: The Hans Wehr Dictionary of Modern Written Arabic. Fourth Edition.
400 pages
14 hours of reading
Focusing on its structure, this comprehensive Arabic-English dictionary is highly valued for its utility in learning Modern Standard Arabic. It uniquely organizes Arabic words by their consonantal roots, which is consistent across Arabic-speaking countries. Additionally, it lists foreign words in alphabetical order and includes Arabicized loanwords under their respective roots, providing a dual entry for ease of reference. This approach enhances understanding of Arabic morphology and syntax for students and learners alike.
Arabic-English Dictionary: The Hans Wehr Dictionary of Modern Written Arabic. Fourth Edition.
924 pages
33 hours of reading
Renowned for its comprehensive approach, this Arabic-English dictionary is invaluable for students of Modern Standard Arabic. It uniquely organizes Arabic words by their consonantal roots, distinguishing it from other dictionaries. Foreign terms are alphabetically listed, while Arabicized loanwords are cross-referenced, enhancing usability. The dictionary's consistent morphology and syntax across Arabic-speaking regions make it an essential resource for learners and translators alike.
"This Dictionary of Modern Written Arabic (fourth edition) has been enlarged and amended with 13,000 new entries. It is the only authorized paperback edition of the famous Hans Wehr Arabic-English Dictionary, edited by J. Milton Cowan. This new edition has thousands of new entries include numerous additions and corrections to the material and presents the results in a single handsome volume.The author provides a useful introduction in which he discusses, clearly and precisely, the present state of the Arabic language. He points out the situations in which written and spoken varieties of Arabic are used, and remarks on the forces that influenced the development of the lexicon of Modern Arabic. He discusses both the purist movement with its normative tradition, and what might be called the laissez-faire actual usage of writers and journalists under the influence of Western modes of expression, of their everyday colloquial, or both. He then moves on to the problem of local terminology, especially for public institutions, offices, administrative matters, titles, and foods. Although such terms are included for most of the Arab countries, the list is not complete, as indeed the author recognizes (viii); readers of Arabic material characterized by a distinct regional coloring are advised to refer to dialect dictionaries and glossaries."
