_1934.png) The academy the day of its inauguration in 1934 | |
 | |
| Formation | December 31, 1932 (14Sha'ban of 1351 of theHijra) |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Giza |
| Coordinates | 30°03′43″N31°13′27″E / 30.0620°N 31.2241°E /30.0620; 31.2241 |
| Website | https://www.arabicacademy.gov.eg |
TheAcademy of the Arabic Language in Cairo (Arabic:مجمع اللغة العربية بالقاهرة,romanized: Majmaʻ al-Lughah al-ʻArabīyah) is alanguage academy forArabic created inCairo,Egypt in 1932 byFuad I of Egypt.[1][2] It publishesAl-Mu'jam al-Kabir (The Great Dictionary) andAl-Mu'jam al-Wasīt [ar] (The Intermediary Dictionary), two of the most important dictionaries of theArabic language.[3][4][5]
It was founded as the Royal Academy for the Arabic Language (مجمع اللغة العربية الملكيmajma' al-lughah al'arabiyyah al-malaki) in 1932.[6] In 1938, it became the Fu'ad I Academy for the Language.[6] After the1952 free officers movement and the end of the monarchy, it became the Academy of the Arabic Language.[6]
The academy's first permanent secretary,Mansur Fahmi [ar], chronicled in an article entitled [History of the Academy] (تاريخ المجمع), published in the first issue of the academy's journal (مجلة مجمع اللغة العربية في القاهرة) in 1934, the attempts of Arabmen of letters to establish a regulatory institution for the Arabic language—none of which was successful.[7]
The Academy of the Arabic Language in Cairo was born out of ideas and movements of late 19th century Egypt, including:Pan-Islamism,Pan-Arabism, and theNahda.[7] It was modeled afterlanguage academies in the Arab world and abroad, most notably theInstitut d'Égypte.[7]
In 1826,Muhammad Ali sent a scholarly mission from Egypt to France, includingRifa'a at-Tahtawi, who later proposed the establishment ofMadrasat al-Alsun in 1836.[7][8]Dar al-Ulum, established in 1872, educatedAzhari scholars in modern sciences.[7] The works of translation produced by institutions like these introduced some of the earliest modern problems for the Arabic language.[7]
Muhammad Ali established theAmiri Press orBulaq Press, the first printing press in Egypt, in 1821.[7] It was followed by others, such asal-Matba'a al-Ahliya al-Qabtiya (المطبعة الأهلية القبطية) in 1860,Wadi an-Nil (مطبعة وادي النيل) in 1866,Gam'iyat al-Ma'arif (جمعية المعارف) in 1868,al-Ahram (الأهرام) in 1875,Sharikat Tab' al-Kutub al-'Arabiya (شركة طبع الكتب العربية) 1898.[7]
Establishing a language academy was proposed inEgyptian Parliament in the parliamentary year 1928-1929.[7]
On December 31, 1932 (14Sha'ban of 1351 of theHijra), the Academy of the Arabic Language in Cairo was established by royal decree issued from theAbdeen Palace, residence ofFuad I of Egypt.[7] Also involved were President of the Council of MinistersIsmail Sidky, Minister of EducationMuhammad Hilmi Isa, and likely also the previous minister of educationAhmed Lutfi el-Sayed andMansur Fahmi [ar].[7] Its constitution was inspired by the constitution of theAcadémie Française.[7]
The Academy of the Arabic Language in Cairo was established for the purposes of addressing urgent issues facing theArabic language and of adapting it to suit the needs of the 20th century.[7] One of the early tasks of the Academy of the Arabic Language in Cairo was to publish ahistorical dictionary of Arabic, tracing the changes of meanings and uses of Arabic words over time, though this was not achieved.[1]
KingFuad I of Egypt—who wanted an institute in the image of his regime, in its regard toward modern science and its domestic and foreign interests—played a major role in the selection of the academy's members.[7] Theulama, scholars, and intellectuals he chose were modernists and politically loyalists, moderates, or neutral.[7] These included:
Political figures
Academics
Azharis
Eastern members
Orientalists
At its inception, the Academy of the Arabic Language in Cairo was housed in the palace of Hussayn Riad at 1 Ibn Arhab Street in Giza, in front of the Egyptian University (nowCairo University).[7] It later moved to 110El Qasr El Einy Street [ar], a building that was then demolished to build a bank.[7] It finally moved to a villa at 26 Murad St in Giza.[7]
The Academy of the Arabic Language in Cairo was inaugurated byMuhammad Hilmi Isa Pasha on January 30, 1934 (14Shawwal 1352 of the Hijra), with all of the academy's members in attendance with the exception ofHassan Husni Abd al-Wahhab.[7]
In 1936, the academy, prompted by issues arising in the transliteration of names in European scripts into Arabic, discussed the possibility of reforming Arabic script.[10] This discussion was further expanded in 1938 with regard to the technical difficulty of printingvowels in Arabic at the time.[10] The discussions were published to engage a wider audience, and in 1945 a competition with a£E1,000 prize was announced calling for proposals.[10] The discussions continued for a number of years but no plan for reform of Arabic script was endorsed.[10] These discussions did, however, lead to the definition of پ pe and ڤ ve to representp andv.[10]
Muhammad Tawfiq Rafaat [ar],Ahmed Lutfi el-Sayed, andTaha Hussein served as presidents.[3]
Wafaa' Kamil [ar] was the first woman to become a member of the Academy of the Arabic Language in Cairo.[11][12]
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link){{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
