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- Title
MARONITE GARSHUNI TEXTS: ON THEIR EVOLUTION, CHARACTERISTICS, AND FUNCTION.
- Authors
MOUKARZEL, JOSEPH
- Abstract
This article aims to study the history of Maronite Garshuni which is basically the Arabic language written in Syriac letters. For a very long time after the conquest of Islam, the Maronites have used Syriac for Sacred books and liturgical affairs and Garshuni for other matters. The use of Garshuni seems to be first and foremost an issue of practicality because at first Maronites, like other Syriac Christians, began to speak colloquial Arabic and were unable or scarcely able to write it. The other functions of Garshuni, like cultural, religious or national, were deduced later. Until recently, there was a wide belief that the Maronites were behind the invention of Garshuni, or, at least, that the Maronite milieu played a leading role in the emergence and development of this system. This claim is no longer accepted, as many West Syrian manuscripts written in Garshuni serto are older than Maronite ones. The oldest Maronite Garshuni notes go back to the 12th century, while the oldest dated manuscript is from 1402 A.D. The Maronites used Garshuni for many literary genres and contributed to its etymological hypotheses. Furthermore, the Maronites used Garshuni in inscriptions and in their printed texts until late 20th century. Nowadays, we witness a "reverse Garshuni" in the Maronite liturgical books when many Syriac texts are transcribed in Arabic letters to assist the full participation of the people during the liturgy. While it is true that Garshuni is a transcription system, it did not generate complex grammar, but rather simple general rules, adopted by copyists throughout the ages, depending on the cultural background, religious tradition, and geographical location of each of these copyists. Nevertheless, Maronite Garshuni improved during its evolution, varieties, and specificities.
- Subjects
GARSHUNI; MARONITES; HISTORY of manuscripts; SYRIAC language; SYRIAC alphabet; LITERARY criticism; SYRIAC literature; ARABIC language; HISTORY
- Publication
Hugoye: Journal of Syriac Studies, 2014, Vol 17, Issue 2, p237
- ISSN
1937-318X
- Publication type
Article