Wallace M. Erwin

I skimmed this and it seems very well done. There is a lot to be gleaned here, which is still true after 50 years. Every relevant aspect of Muslim Baghdadi Arabic is taken in turn in an orderly fashion without overmuch reference to Standard Arabic, which is often a large distraction in these kinds of books. That said, I have two things I would disagree with:

- The titular conflation of “Iraqi” with “Muslim Baghdadi” is emblematic of Western institutions reinforcing, rather than balancing, the existing power structures of national “dialects”; Jewish Baghdadi, Christian Baghdadi, Mosul Arabic, and North Mesopotamian Arabic all coexist with Muslim Baghdadi Arabic in a complex ecosystem, and Muslim Baghdadi Arabic is only privileged into the title “Iraqi Arabic” because of the accident of power. In that sense, I would firmly deny that this book gives a complete picture of “Iraqi Arabic”.

- Widespread variation between i and u (kasra and dhamma) doesn’t seem to be adequately dealt with in any of the reference grammars on Eastern, Bedouin-type dialects. The Measure I active participle is given as CaaCiC/CaaCuC, and yet these are assumed to be different vowel phonemes in the phonology section.

This book is a standard reference for Muslim Baghdadi Arabic and I would highly recommend this book for anyone interested in systematic accounts of the dialects in this area; even for Gulf Arabic, the majority of the information would apply, which is why I got it in the first place.… (meer)