The Term in the Doha Historical Dictionary of Arabic Language: The Root (jamada) as a Model

Abstract

The Doha Historical Dictionary is distinguished by its systematic documentation of Arabic lexical items from the earliest stages of their attestation in inscriptions and texts, as well as the changes that have occurred in their formal structures and meanings within their textual contexts, tracing the chronological trajectory of this development. This study aims to investigate the presence of technical terminology in this dictionary through an examination of the entry (j-m-d) as an applied case study that enables the tracking of terms within a single lexical entry and the analysis of the specialized domains to which they belong. Employing a descriptive methodology, the study follows the terminological records associated with this entry, classifies them according to their terminological fields, and then analyzes the degree of representation of each field in terms of the number of records and their significance. This approach contributes to highlighting the status of terminology in the Doha Historical Dictionary and assessing its degree of presence in comparison with general lexical items, their derivatives, and everyday vocabulary. It also elucidates the dictionary’s treatment of technical terms, particularly with regard to definitions that adhere to lexicographical craftsmanship rather than encyclopedic exposition. The findings indicate that technical terms constitute no more than (7%) of the total components of the selected entry, a proportion that is consistent with the nature of derivation and the commonly attested meanings of the root. The results further reveal diversity in the terminological domains represented, encompassing (7) fields comprising (26) records. This demonstrates a substantive presence of terminology in the dictionary and reflects the editors’ awareness of the importance of this dimension in documenting the semantic development of the Arabic language.