The Relationship between Arabic <i>Allāh</i> and Syriac <i>Allāha</i>Der IslamSyriaca.org: The Syriac Reference PortalThe National Endowment for the HumanitiesThe International Balzan Prize FoundationDavid A. Michelsoncbsc_adminRecord added to Zotero bycbsc_adminSyriaca.org: The Syriac Reference Portalhttp://syriaca.org/cbss/EEH26DYX/tei
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CREATED: This bibl record was autogenerated from a Zotero record.DavidKiltzThe Relationship between Arabic <i>Allāh</i> and Syriac <i>Allāha</i>http://syriaca.org/cbss/EEH26DYXhttps://www.zotero.org/groups/a_comprehensive_bibliography_on_syriac_studies/items/EEH26DYXhttps://www.zotero.org/groups/4861694/items/EEH26DYXDer Islam88:1201233-50Various etymologies have been proposed for Arabic <i>allāh </i>but also for Syriac <i>allāhā</i>. It has often been proposed that the Arabic word was borrowed from Syriac. This article takes a comprehensive look at the linguistic evidence at hand. Especially, it takes into consideration more recent epigraphical material which sheds light on the development of the Arabic language. Phonetic and morphological analysis of the data confirms the Arabic origin of the word <i>allāh</i>, whereas the problems of the Syriac form <i>allāhā </i>are described, namely that the Syriac form differs from that of other Aramaic dialects and begs explanation, discussing also the possibility that the Syriac word is a loan from Arabic. The final part considers qur’anic <i>allāh </i>in its cultural and literary context and the role of the Syriac word in that context.
The article concludes, that both, a strictly linguistic, as well as cultural and literary analysis reveals a multilayered interrelation between the two terms in question. The linguistic analysis shows, that Arabic <i>allāh </i>must be a genuinely Arabic word, whereas in the case of Syriac <i>allāhā</i>, the possibility of both, a loan and a specific inner-Aramaic development are laid out. Apart from linguistic considerations, the historical and cultural situation in Northern Mesopotamia, i. e. the early Arab presence in that region is taken into scrutiny. In turn, a possible later effect of the prominent use of Syriac <i>allāhā </i>on the use in the Qur’an is considered. It is emphasized, that we are presented with a situation of prolonged contact and exchange, rather than merely one-way borrowings.
Kiltz, David. “The Relationship between Arabic Allāh and Syriac Allāha.” Der Islam 88:1 (2012): 33–50.
David Kiltz, The Relationship between Arabic Allāh and Syriac Allāha,” Der Islam 88:1 (2012): 33–50.Classical SyriacGodMuslim-Christian relationsQuranSyriac influence [Arabs]Syriac languageSyriacismsVII CEVII-XVIII CElexicography