Dialects of diplomacy in eighteenth-century Morocco

Middle Arabic in the correspondence of ambassador Aḥmad al-Ghazzāl

Bibliographic Data

ID8030144
AuthorsPeter Kitlas (0009-0000-3913-8179, American University of Beirut), Mike Turner (University of North Carolina Wilmington), Michael S Turner (0000-0003-2323-2456, University of North Carolina Wilmington, corresponding author)
Year2024
Volume29
Issue6
Pages1016-1051
Publication date2024-07-29
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueThe Journal of North African Studies (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1362-9387 • E-ISSN: 1743-9345
PublisherTaylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/13629387.2024.2369098
OpenAlexW4401067979
LanguageEN
References cited22

Aḥmad al-Ghazzāl was a Moroccan scribe and litterateur who served as Sultan Muḥammad III's (r. 1757-1790) chief diplomat to Spain from 1766 to 1775. In this capacity he wrote over thirty letters to his Spanish and other foreign counterparts around the Mediterranean. We use these letters to examine how al-Ghazzāl strategically employed Middle Arabic, defined as a written variety that incorporates both classical and colloquial elements, as part of an effective diplomatic agenda. His use of Middle Arabic combined previously established norms with innovations that have up to now not been documented in this period or genre. Proposing a historical-linguistic analysis, we argue that al-Ghazzāl's innovative rhetorical strategies offer insight into both spoken and written Arabic in the early modern period and developments in diplomatic thought and practice from a North African perspective

Aesthetics · Ancient history · Arabic · Archaeology · Art · Diplomacy · Linguistics · Literature · Middle East · Period (music · Perspective (graphical · Political science · Rhetorical question · Variety (cybernetics · Classics · Computer Science · Hispanic-African Historical Relations · Historical and Linguistic Studies · History · Law · Medieval History and Crusades · Philosophy

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