Traditions Blending in: Contributions to the Arabic Linguistic Thinking

The ‘Greek hypothesis’ has been a controversial topic ever since Merx attempted to demonstrate the dependence of the Arabic linguistic discourse on the Greek thinking in the late 19th century. In this paper, we re-examine this discussion and suggest that a possible influence on the methodological framework deserves further investigation. After examining three representative examples from recent research, we discuss the problems that arise from researching the Greek influence in the borrowing of individual notions. We finally conclude that this influence could be rather assessed by considering the general methodological framework that may have been acquired through Greek educational models in the Byzantine provinces.