The Phonetic Studies Between Arab Scholars and German Orientalists -A Comparative Study

Abstract

The Arabic language occupies an important place among the world’s
languages, God chose it to deliver His divine message to mankind, and it is
for this reason that Muslim scholars began to study it in the first century of
the Hegira. With the advent of modern and methodical linguistic research
in Europe, many orientalists have devoted themselves entirely to the study
of Eastern languages in general and the Arabic language in particular for
many reasons, chief among them was related to the features that characterize Arabic linguistic thought and its connection with the Holy Quran, and
the importance that was subsequently given to the art and science of Quran
recitation (Tajwid), a field that has known a great contribution by German
orientalists, especially their studies of the phonological aspects of Arabic.
Our research aims to shed light on these studies on phonetics and phonology and compare them with those which were conducted by Arab scholars.