A Multilingual Dictionary of Arabic, Persian and the Semitic Languages: A Critical Study

Abstract

This research sheds light, analytically and critically, on a very important dictionary; namely, A Multilingual Dictionary of Arabic, Persian, and Semitic languages by Dr. Muhammed Jawad Mashkoor.

The dictionary is a distinctive linguistic wealth that is used to explain many common cultural, social, and civilizational aspects. The linguistic vocabularies it includes belong to the ancient Persian languages ​​and dialects that have a geographical presence close to the Arabic language, and its sister Semitic languages ​​that exist in a wide geographical area including the two neighboring countries, Iran and Iraq.

 The southern region of Iraq is of great importance in studying the linguistic relationships between the Semitic languages ​​and the Persian language. It, the southern region, is the cradle of the birth of the Semitic branch, according to one of the well-known opinions.

The various terms indicate a long coexistence that emerged through linguistic reflections on both sides, represented by their use of common vocabulary in the economic, living, political, and intellectual aspects of life. Modern linguistic studies adopt the values ​​of connection between language and society, and sociolinguistics has emerged. It is a real linking factor not at the level of a single society, but rather a close bond between generations. This research is a first attempt to highlight the effort expended on the dictionary, and an attempt to develop first visions for reprinting it in a way that reveals the values ​​of interconnection between different language families.