Which Arabic and Why? Policies, Politics, and Teaching

Abstract

[One day, the famous grammarian] al-Farrā’ made several mistakes while speaking in the presence of Hārūn al-Rašīd. [The vizier] Ja‘far b. Yaḥyā al-Barmakī pointed this out to the caliph, who said: “Al-Farrā’, are you speaking incorrectly?”. “Commander of the Faithful”, replied al-Farrā’, “while it is natural for the Beduins to inflect words correctly, for citydwellers [like me] it is not. When I prepare, I speak correctly; when I speak off the cuff, I make mistakes”. Al-Rašīd appreciated al-Farrā’’s words. (Ibn Ḫallikān, 1968-72, vol. 6, 147)