Marijn Van Putten
Biographic Data
| ID | 701705 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Marijn Van Putten |
| GIVEN NAMES | Marijn |
| FAMILY NAME | Van Putten |
| SIGNATURE | VAN PUTTEN M |
| AFFILIATIONS | Leiden University |
| ORCID | 0000-0003-4670-0937 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 18 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 7 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 18 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2015 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2025 |
| H-INDEX | 2 |
Finding Dūrī: Communal Transmission of Abū ʿAmr among the People of ʿIrāq
This paper challenges the conventional understanding of the transmission of Abū ʿAmr’s reading tradition. It argues that the now dominant two-rāwī system, which designates al-Dūrī and al-Sūsī as the sole transmitters of Abū ʿAmr, is a later simplification of an earlier communal transmission in early qirāʾāt works. By examining these works, it is shown that al-Dūrī was initially understood as representing a group of Iraqi transmitters (Ahl al-ʿIrā…
Pronominal variation in Arabic among the grammarians, Qurʾānic reading traditions and manuscripts
In the early Islamic period, the literary form of Arabic had an astounding amount of variation in its pronominal morphology.This paper examines the pronominal morphology of especially the third person masculine singular and plural pronouns, as they are described by the early Arabic grammarians, how they appear in the the descriptions of the canonical and non-canonical reading traditions and finally the pronominal systems as they appear in actual …
Reconstruction of the Proto-Berber Light Verbs
The reconstruction of the Proto-Berber light verbs (i.e. CCC, *ălməd ‘to learn’, VCC, *agəm ‘to draw water’, CC *ăǵən ‘to lie down’ and C̄C: *ăffəɣ ‘to go out’), has received considerable attention in Berber historical linguistics. But, verbs that have u in the second syllable such as Ghadamsi əmdu ‘to finish’ and əṭkur ‘to fill’ require further study. These verbs share several formal similarities with the regular light verb of the type *ălməd ‘t…
The Ark of the Covenant’s Spelling Controversy: A Historical Linguistic Perspective
This article examines a famous element in the reports on the canonization of the Qurʾānic text under the auspices of Uthman, in which the committee of scribes that were to write the standard text came to a disagreement on how to write the Qurʾānic word for at-tābūt “Ark.” After examining the different versions of the report that contain this episode, and concluding that the report of this episode goes back to the common link of Ibn Šihāb al-Zuhrī…
The Berbero-Semitic adjective
It has long been recognized that the Semitic suffix conjugation and the Berber adjectival perfective suffix conjugation have striking similarities in their morphology, which has been correctly attributed to be the result of a shared inheritance from Proto-Afro-Asiatic. Nevertheless, the function of these conjugations in the respective language families is quite distinct. This article argues that ultimately this suffix conjugation is a predicative…
Mamlūk Qurʾān Manuscripts: The Scribal Appendices
The present article focuses on additional texts or appendices by scribes to three Qurʾānic manuscripts of the Mamlūk era. These appendices were accidentally found in the collections of Dār al-Kutub al-Miṣriyyah in Cairo: in Maṣāḥif 81 dating from 734/1334; Maṣāḥif 94 from 830/1427; and Maṣāḥif 143 also from 879/1474–1475. The three manuscripts are one-volume luxury copies of the Qurʾān. The subjects of these scribal appendices are mostly matters …
The Development of the Hijazi Orthography
This paper examines the main orthographic innovations of the early Islamic orthography in comparison to the Nabataean orthography and traces through new epigraphic evidence when and where these innovations came to be used. It is shown that a number of them clearly develop already in the pre-Islamic period. Besides this, the paper looks at the complexities of Arabic orthography and morphophonological spelling as it is reflected in the Quranic orth…
When the Readers Break the Rules: Disagreement with the Consonantal Text in the Canonical Quranic Reading Traditions
The Quranic text today is recited in ten canonical reading traditions with two distinct canonical transmissions each. These reading traditions are distinct in their phonological and morphological details, as well as the interpretation of the ambiguous consonantal text. However, they all have in common that they adhere to the consonantal skeleton of the standard Quran text. Despite this adherence, on rare occasions readers do deviate from this sta…
Quranic Arabic: From its Hijazi Origins to its Classical Reading Traditions
12PM via free access contents ix 6.4.5 dan l-l 160 6.4.6 Durriyy du/irr 160 6.4.7 Mayi 160 6.4.8 Mo Ma (im) 164 6.4.9 Zakariyy Zakariyy 164 6.4.10 Sq, sq saq, suq/suq 165 6.4.11 Ks kas 167 6.4.12 Yuhna yuhina 167 6.4.13 A-bna a-bina 167 6.4.14 Conclusion 168 6.5 Failure to Insert Hamzah 168 6.5.1 Long Vowels Followed by Hamzah 171 6.5.1.1 Nab, nabn, anbi, nubah 171 6.5.1.2 Barah/bariyyah 173 6.5.1.3 Nas 173 6.5.1.4 Xaah pl. xay 'sin' 174 6.5.2 Po…
The Oldest Manuscripts from India and Their Histories: A Re-assessment of IO Loth 4 in the British Library
This essay examines a copy of the Qur’ān from India, now in the India Office Collections at the British Library. The manuscript, registered as IO Loth 4, belongs to the reasonably large group of early Qur’āns that date to the eighth and ninth centuries CE. While some of these manuscripts have charted histories, what is not widely known is that early Qur’āns also made their way to India. There they have their own special histories, meanings and as…
Madd as Orthoepy Rather Than Orthography
This article explores the function and distribution of the maddah sign throughout the history of the Islamic manuscript tradition. It demonstrates that, to date, descriptions have not adequately described its use, and it shows that rather than being a part of Classical Arabic orthography, medieval sources clearly indicate that the maddah sign was specifically used to express an orthoepic feature of Classical Arabic prose, namely madd , the pronun…
The Regional Recitations of al-Jazūlī’s Dalāʾil al-Ḫayrāt as Reflected in Its Manuscript Tradition
Muḥammad al-Jazūlī’s Dalāʾil al-Ḫayrāt is one of the most popular and widespread Islamic prayer books in the Sunni Islamic world; consequently, most library collections around the world have many copies of this manuscript. Despite its prolific written form, it is its recitation that should probably be considered the most prominent expression of the text. This paper undertakes a careful analysis of the vocalization and orthoepic signs added to thr…
Hišām's ʾIbrāhām: Evidence for a Canonical Quranic Reading Based on the Rasm
In early quranic Manuscripts the name of the prophet ʾIbrāhīm occurs in two different spellings either ابرهم or ابرهيم . These two spellings are spread haphazardly throughout the Quran. Close examination of the patterns in the manuscript, however, show that the distribution of this spelling is not random or up to the whims of the scribe. The location where one spelling or the other occurs is highly correlated across the early manuscripts. Moreove…
"The Grace of God" as evidence for a written Uthmanic archetype: The Importance of Shared Orthographic Idiosyncrasies
This paper takes a novel approach to the question of when and how the text of the Quran was codified into its present form, usually referred to as the Uthmanic text type. In the Quran the phrase niʿmat allāh/rabbi-ka "the grace of god/your lord" can spell niʿmat "grace" either with tāʾ or tāʾ marbūṭah. By examining 14 early Quranic manuscripts, it is shown that this phrase is consistently spelled using only one of the two spellings in the same po…
The feminine endings*-ayand*-āyin Semitic and Berber
This paper examines the evidence for the marginal feminine endings*-ay-and*-āy-in Proto-Semitic, and the feminine endings*-eand*-ain Proto-Berber. Their similar formation (*CV̆CC-ay/āy), semantics (verbal abstracts, underived concrete feminine nouns) and plural morphology (replacement of the feminine suffix by a plural suffix with -w-) suggest that this feminine formation should be reconstructed to a shared ancestor which may be called Proto-Berb…
The Feminine Ending -at as a Diptote in the Qurʾānic Consonantal Text and Its Implications for Proto-Arabic and Proto-Semitic
This paper examines the feminine ending -at in the Qurʾānic Consonantal Text. It argues that from the Qurʾānic Consonantal Text, and various data of comparative linguistic evidence, it is likely that the language of the Qurʾānic Consonantal Text goes back to a variety of Arabic where the feminine ending was treated as a diptote. It is moreover argued, that this feminine ending was likely also diptotic in Proto-Arabic
The origin of mid vowels in Siwi
Recent documentation has established that the Siwi language of western Egypt, unlike most other Berber languages, has two phonemic mid vowels appearing not only in Arabic loanwords but also in inherited vocabulary: /e/ and /o/. This article examines their origin. Proto-Berber originally had a single mid vowel *e, which appears to have been retained in Siwi only before word-final /n/. In all other environments the contrast between *i and *e has be…
Attrition and revival in Awjila BerberFacebook posts as a new data source for an endangered Berber language
Awjila Berber is a highly endangered Berber variety spoken in eastern Libya. The minimal material available on it reveals that the language is in some respects very archaic and in others grammatically unique, and as such is of particular comparative and historical interest. Fieldwork has been impossible for decades due to the political situation. Recently, however, several inhabitants of Awjila have set up a Facebook group Ašal=ənnax (“our villag…
"The Grace of God" as evidence for a written Uthmanic archetype: The Importance of Shared Orthographic Idiosyncrasies
This paper takes a novel approach to the question of when and how the text of the Quran was codified into its present form, usually referred to as the Uthmanic text type. In the Quran the phrase niʿmat allāh/rabbi-ka "the grace of god/your lord" can spell niʿmat "grace" either with tāʾ or tāʾ marbūṭah. By examining 14 early Quranic manuscripts, it is shown that this phrase is consistently spelled using only one of the two spellings in the same po…
The feminine endings*-ayand*-āyin Semitic and Berber
This paper examines the evidence for the marginal feminine endings*-ay-and*-āy-in Proto-Semitic, and the feminine endings*-eand*-ain Proto-Berber. Their similar formation (*CV̆CC-ay/āy), semantics (verbal abstracts, underived concrete feminine nouns) and plural morphology (replacement of the feminine suffix by a plural suffix with -w-) suggest that this feminine formation should be reconstructed to a shared ancestor which may be called Proto-Berb…
The Berbero-Semitic adjective
It has long been recognized that the Semitic suffix conjugation and the Berber adjectival perfective suffix conjugation have striking similarities in their morphology, which has been correctly attributed to be the result of a shared inheritance from Proto-Afro-Asiatic. Nevertheless, the function of these conjugations in the respective language families is quite distinct. This article argues that ultimately this suffix conjugation is a predicative…
Attrition and revival in Awjila BerberFacebook posts as a new data source for an endangered Berber language
Awjila Berber is a highly endangered Berber variety spoken in eastern Libya. The minimal material available on it reveals that the language is in some respects very archaic and in others grammatically unique, and as such is of particular comparative and historical interest. Fieldwork has been impossible for decades due to the political situation. Recently, however, several inhabitants of Awjila have set up a Facebook group Ašal=ənnax (“our villag…
The origin of mid vowels in Siwi
Recent documentation has established that the Siwi language of western Egypt, unlike most other Berber languages, has two phonemic mid vowels appearing not only in Arabic loanwords but also in inherited vocabulary: /e/ and /o/. This article examines their origin. Proto-Berber originally had a single mid vowel *e, which appears to have been retained in Siwi only before word-final /n/. In all other environments the contrast between *i and *e has be…
The Feminine Ending -at as a Diptote in the Qurʾānic Consonantal Text and Its Implications for Proto-Arabic and Proto-Semitic
This paper examines the feminine ending -at in the Qurʾānic Consonantal Text. It argues that from the Qurʾānic Consonantal Text, and various data of comparative linguistic evidence, it is likely that the language of the Qurʾānic Consonantal Text goes back to a variety of Arabic where the feminine ending was treated as a diptote. It is moreover argued, that this feminine ending was likely also diptotic in Proto-Arabic
The feminine endings*-ayand*-āyin Semitic and Berber
This paper examines the evidence for the marginal feminine endings*-ay-and*-āy-in Proto-Semitic, and the feminine endings*-eand*-ain Proto-Berber. Their similar formation (*CV̆CC-ay/āy), semantics (verbal abstracts, underived concrete feminine nouns) and plural morphology (replacement of the feminine suffix by a plural suffix with -w-) suggest that this feminine formation should be reconstructed to a shared ancestor which may be called Proto-Berb…
"The Grace of God" as evidence for a written Uthmanic archetype: The Importance of Shared Orthographic Idiosyncrasies
This paper takes a novel approach to the question of when and how the text of the Quran was codified into its present form, usually referred to as the Uthmanic text type. In the Quran the phrase niʿmat allāh/rabbi-ka "the grace of god/your lord" can spell niʿmat "grace" either with tāʾ or tāʾ marbūṭah. By examining 14 early Quranic manuscripts, it is shown that this phrase is consistently spelled using only one of the two spellings in the same po…
Hišām's ʾIbrāhām: Evidence for a Canonical Quranic Reading Based on the Rasm
In early quranic Manuscripts the name of the prophet ʾIbrāhīm occurs in two different spellings either ابرهم or ابرهيم . These two spellings are spread haphazardly throughout the Quran. Close examination of the patterns in the manuscript, however, show that the distribution of this spelling is not random or up to the whims of the scribe. The location where one spelling or the other occurs is highly correlated across the early manuscripts. Moreove…
Madd as Orthoepy Rather Than Orthography
This article explores the function and distribution of the maddah sign throughout the history of the Islamic manuscript tradition. It demonstrates that, to date, descriptions have not adequately described its use, and it shows that rather than being a part of Classical Arabic orthography, medieval sources clearly indicate that the maddah sign was specifically used to express an orthoepic feature of Classical Arabic prose, namely madd , the pronun…
The Regional Recitations of al-Jazūlī’s Dalāʾil al-Ḫayrāt as Reflected in Its Manuscript Tradition
Muḥammad al-Jazūlī’s Dalāʾil al-Ḫayrāt is one of the most popular and widespread Islamic prayer books in the Sunni Islamic world; consequently, most library collections around the world have many copies of this manuscript. Despite its prolific written form, it is its recitation that should probably be considered the most prominent expression of the text. This paper undertakes a careful analysis of the vocalization and orthoepic signs added to thr…
When the Readers Break the Rules: Disagreement with the Consonantal Text in the Canonical Quranic Reading Traditions
The Quranic text today is recited in ten canonical reading traditions with two distinct canonical transmissions each. These reading traditions are distinct in their phonological and morphological details, as well as the interpretation of the ambiguous consonantal text. However, they all have in common that they adhere to the consonantal skeleton of the standard Quran text. Despite this adherence, on rare occasions readers do deviate from this sta…
Quranic Arabic: From its Hijazi Origins to its Classical Reading Traditions
12PM via free access contents ix 6.4.5 dan l-l 160 6.4.6 Durriyy du/irr 160 6.4.7 Mayi 160 6.4.8 Mo Ma (im) 164 6.4.9 Zakariyy Zakariyy 164 6.4.10 Sq, sq saq, suq/suq 165 6.4.11 Ks kas 167 6.4.12 Yuhna yuhina 167 6.4.13 A-bna a-bina 167 6.4.14 Conclusion 168 6.5 Failure to Insert Hamzah 168 6.5.1 Long Vowels Followed by Hamzah 171 6.5.1.1 Nab, nabn, anbi, nubah 171 6.5.1.2 Barah/bariyyah 173 6.5.1.3 Nas 173 6.5.1.4 Xaah pl. xay 'sin' 174 6.5.2 Po…
The Oldest Manuscripts from India and Their Histories: A Re-assessment of IO Loth 4 in the British Library
This essay examines a copy of the Qur’ān from India, now in the India Office Collections at the British Library. The manuscript, registered as IO Loth 4, belongs to the reasonably large group of early Qur’āns that date to the eighth and ninth centuries CE. While some of these manuscripts have charted histories, what is not widely known is that early Qur’āns also made their way to India. There they have their own special histories, meanings and as…
Mamlūk Qurʾān Manuscripts: The Scribal Appendices
The present article focuses on additional texts or appendices by scribes to three Qurʾānic manuscripts of the Mamlūk era. These appendices were accidentally found in the collections of Dār al-Kutub al-Miṣriyyah in Cairo: in Maṣāḥif 81 dating from 734/1334; Maṣāḥif 94 from 830/1427; and Maṣāḥif 143 also from 879/1474–1475. The three manuscripts are one-volume luxury copies of the Qurʾān. The subjects of these scribal appendices are mostly matters …
The Development of the Hijazi Orthography
This paper examines the main orthographic innovations of the early Islamic orthography in comparison to the Nabataean orthography and traces through new epigraphic evidence when and where these innovations came to be used. It is shown that a number of them clearly develop already in the pre-Islamic period. Besides this, the paper looks at the complexities of Arabic orthography and morphophonological spelling as it is reflected in the Quranic orth…
Pronominal variation in Arabic among the grammarians, Qurʾānic reading traditions and manuscripts
In the early Islamic period, the literary form of Arabic had an astounding amount of variation in its pronominal morphology.This paper examines the pronominal morphology of especially the third person masculine singular and plural pronouns, as they are described by the early Arabic grammarians, how they appear in the the descriptions of the canonical and non-canonical reading traditions and finally the pronominal systems as they appear in actual …
Reconstruction of the Proto-Berber Light Verbs
The reconstruction of the Proto-Berber light verbs (i.e. CCC, *ălməd ‘to learn’, VCC, *agəm ‘to draw water’, CC *ăǵən ‘to lie down’ and C̄C: *ăffəɣ ‘to go out’), has received considerable attention in Berber historical linguistics. But, verbs that have u in the second syllable such as Ghadamsi əmdu ‘to finish’ and əṭkur ‘to fill’ require further study. These verbs share several formal similarities with the regular light verb of the type *ălməd ‘t…
The Ark of the Covenant’s Spelling Controversy: A Historical Linguistic Perspective
This article examines a famous element in the reports on the canonization of the Qurʾānic text under the auspices of Uthman, in which the committee of scribes that were to write the standard text came to a disagreement on how to write the Qurʾānic word for at-tābūt “Ark.” After examining the different versions of the report that contain this episode, and concluding that the report of this episode goes back to the common link of Ibn Šihāb al-Zuhrī…
The Berbero-Semitic adjective
It has long been recognized that the Semitic suffix conjugation and the Berber adjectival perfective suffix conjugation have striking similarities in their morphology, which has been correctly attributed to be the result of a shared inheritance from Proto-Afro-Asiatic. Nevertheless, the function of these conjugations in the respective language families is quite distinct. This article argues that ultimately this suffix conjugation is a predicative…
Finding Dūrī: Communal Transmission of Abū ʿAmr among the People of ʿIrāq
This paper challenges the conventional understanding of the transmission of Abū ʿAmr’s reading tradition. It argues that the now dominant two-rāwī system, which designates al-Dūrī and al-Sūsī as the sole transmitters of Abū ʿAmr, is a later simplification of an earlier communal transmission in early qirāʾāt works. By examining these works, it is shown that al-Dūrī was initially understood as representing a group of Iraqi transmitters (Ahl al-ʿIrā…
History (17 works) · Linguistics (16 works) · Philosophy (16 works) · Historical and Linguistic Studies (13 works) · Archaeology and Historical Studies (12 works) · Art (11 works) · Arabic (10 works) · Literature (10 works) · Language, Linguistics, Cultural Analysis (9 works) · Computer Science (7 works)