Translation into a non-mother tongue or inverse translation, especially of literary texts, has always been frowned upon within Translation Studies in Western cultures and regarded by literary scholars and linguists as an activity of dubious worth, doomed to fail. The study, which received an award from EST in 2001, sets out to challenge the established view and to critically question some of the axiomatic assumptions of Western theorists.
Landmarks in Linguistic Thought: The Arabic Linguistic Tradition introduces the major issues and themes that have determined the development of the Arabic linguistic tradition. Each chapter contains a short extract from a translated "landmark" text followed by a commentary which places the text in its social and intellectual context. The chosen texts frequently offer scope for comparison with the Western tradition. By contrasting the two systems, the Western and the Arabic, this book serves to highlight the characteristics of two very different systems and thus will stimulate new ideas about the history of linguistics. This book presumes no prior knowledge of Arab-Islamic culture or Arabic language.
Review 'The choices are excellent ... their commentaries are especially valuable in providing an understanding of the central concerns of our field.' - Winfred P. Lehmann
Although religious unrest had been brewing in Western Europe long before Martin Luther nailed his Ninety-Five Theses to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany, historians view this event as the tipping point that shattered the unity of Medieval Catholic civilization. Disillusioned by Church bureaucracy and a papal schism, and encouraged by the formation of early nation states and the rise of Renaissance Humanism, Western Europe was primed for an alternative to the old order.
"Its entries manage to avoid the obscurities of an exaggerated brevity without stretching themselves out as if seeking to embody whole miniature essays. In short it presents itself as a model of clarity and clarification." Alan Montefiore, Balliol College, Oxford "The style is fresh and engaging, and it gives a broad and accurate picture of the Western philosophical tradition. It is a pleasure to browse in even if one is not looking for an answer to a particular question." David Pears "The book makes for interesting browsing, and there is a lot of information to be found in it." Analytic Teaching "People studying philosophy- at higher levels of school and college and lower levels of university- will find the coverage here highly satisfying. Value for money of the best kind."
