Doha: Linguists and lexicography experts involved in the Doha Historical Dictionary of the Arabic Language have described its completion as a major milestone in the history of Arabic language scholarship.
According to Qatar News Agency, the experts explained that the project's rigorous scientific methodology traces Arabic words in their historical and cognitive contexts from the earliest documented sources. They highlighted that the dictionary does more than just document language; it reconstructs the historical memory of the Arabic language, combining collective expertise with modern technology to strengthen Arabic's role in contemporary research.
Dr. Azzeddine Bouchikhi, executive director of the dictionary, stated that work began in 2013 with over 500 experts contributing to the project. The dictionary divides the history of Arabic into three main periods: up to 200 AH, 201-500 AH, and 501 AH to the present, with smaller sub-periods in between. The project has produced approximately 300,000 entries and a digital corpus containing nearly one billion words.
Bouchikhi emphasized the dictionary's historical focus, which maps each word and its meanings along a timeline. Achieving this required collecting Arabic texts spanning 20 centuries, creating a searchable digital corpus, and recording the evolution of words and roots.
Dr. Ramzi Baalbaki, head of the dictionary's scientific council, noted that the project overcame significant challenges, such as tracing the origins and developments of multiple word roots and verifying their historical usage. He praised Qatar's support for the project, highlighting the country's commitment to major scientific and linguistic initiatives.
Dr. Ali Ahmed Al Kubaisi, a member of the dictionary's scientific council, explained that the project documents the evolution of Arabic words from their earliest recorded usage to the present day, supported by historical evidence. He mentioned that this allows readers to trace semantic changes over time and understand how meanings developed within their original contexts.
Al Kubaisi added that the dictionary presents closely related meanings and draws on sources including the Quran, Prophetic traditions, and classical poetry, making it a significant linguistic resource. He credited Qatar's leadership for its sustained support of the project and noted the extensive collaboration among linguists, editors, and reviewers.
Dr. Moqbel Al Tam Al Ahmadi, head of lexicographic editing, pointed out that the richness of the Arabic language posed one of the project's biggest challenges, given its vast vocabulary. He stated that strong institutional support helped overcome these difficulties, resulting in a large digital corpus that reconstructs the historical memory of the language.
He stressed the importance of continuously updating the dictionary, emphasizing that a historical dictionary is only fully complete when its material continues to reflect linguistic change.
Dr. Abdulsalam Al Massadi, also a member of the scientific council, described the dictionary as a unique achievement rooted in advanced research and specialisation, asserting that Arabic must remain connected to its historical depth to maintain its global relevance.
Meanwhile, Dr. Mohammed Hassan Al Tayyan underscored that the dictionary represents the memory of the nation, commending the rigorous verification processes applied to its entries and acknowledging Qatar's role in supporting the project despite its scale and complexity.