Encyclopedia of Arabic Language and Linguistics (Set Volumes 1-5)

Kees Versteegh, Ph.D. (1977) is professor of Arabic and Islam at the University of Nijmegen. He has published on the history of Arabic and the Arabic linguistic tradition, including The Arabic Language (Edinburgh, 1997).

"The mere appearance of the Encyclopedia of Arabic Language and Linguistics (EALL) on the scene carries huge importance for linguists working with Arabic, but also for scholars from other disciplines like Islamic studies, Arabic literature, social sciences, as well as general linguists, whose research cross paths with Arabic linguistics.... The strength of the EALL as a reference tool is that it brings together notions and terms from different disciplines (classical grammatical theory, modern linguistic theory), and different eras (pre-classical, classical, modern). By weaving together a wide variety of terms, the end product achieves a degree of disciplinary integration that remains illusive for reference works limited to one theoretical framework....The EALL lives up to its claim to offering a framework within which data on all varieties of Arabic and different types of analyses can be drawn together from different parts of globe in order to improve the propagation of knowledge regarding one of the world's key languages.... Incorporated in the EALL are sketches of more than 40 dialects described according to a predetermined format, which allows the user to make quick cross-dialectical comparison."
Review on the Linguist List, 20 July 2010

"Rarely have I been so profoundly impressed by a work of collective scholarship, virtually beyond criticism in every respect. Contributions and editing alike are of exceptional quality, and its value embraces lay readers (who will find it readable, often amusing), serious students (who will make progress), and denizens of ivory towers (who will wish they had written part or whole). A brilliant contribution to knowledge, destined to be a benchmark for future research and popularisation. Recommended without reservation to all academic libraries.To qoute the greetings article in Arabic: 'ahlan!, 'ahlan!"
H.G.A. Hughes, Language and Literature, 21/6 (2007)

"In sum, this is a remarkable work. The vast majority of entires consitute excellent introductions to their subjects and are written by distinguised scholars."
Gonzalo Rubio, Diachronica, 25:1 (2008)