جهود العلماء العُمانيين في صناعة المعجم العربي

A survey of what Omani civilization has produced, past and present, confirms for the student the prominent role and far-reaching effect of Oman's scholars in the renaissance of the community. Turning the light on their service to Arabic and its sciences, one finds that its outstanding scholars left a linguistic and intellectual legacy at an early point in the history of the community, and above all in the making of dictionaries. This study brings out the contribution of Oman's early scholars to Arabic lexicography — among them al-Khalīl al-Farāhīdī, Ibn Durayd al-Azdī, al-Mubarrad al-Azdī and al-ʿAwtabī al-Ṣuḥārī, together with others who introduced matters into the language in which they had no predecessor in their field. To achieve its aim the study falls into three chapters: the stages in the making of the Arabic dictionary; the contribution of Oman's early scholars to that making; and the effect of these scholars upon those who came after them in the lexicographical craft.