The Arabic Dictionary Between Linguistic Identity and Computational Identity: A Terminological Approach

Abstract

This article seeks to interrogate the concept of the Arabic ‘dictionary’ (mu‘jam) in its historical movement from its traditional linguistic identity to its contemporary computational identity, through a terminological-foundational approach that surveys the lexical and terminological definitions of the term, traces the emergence of the Arabic dictionary and its religious and civilizational motivations, analyses its four structural elements (linguistic material, entry, ordering, definition), examines the classical Arabic lexicographic ordering schools in their various classifications, and classifies dictionary types according to multiple criteria, before discussing the methodological problems facing contemporary Arabic lexicography. The study concludes that the computational identity of the dictionary is not an epistemic rupture with its linguistic identity, but rather a functional extension of its deep structure, one that has recast its traditional elements in a new digital, procedural form, while the problem of terminology and standardization remains open.