Les voies de la transmission du Kitab de Sibawayhi

The Kitab of Sibawayhi, edited in the 8th century, is the oldest Arabic grammar in existence. It has gone through many recensions, but all are based on a copy from the 18th century. The author of this text has studied 77 manuscripts of the Kitab , of which more than 40 were used to contribute to a new understanding of the history of the text. She has now shown that all of the recensions, oriental and occidental, follow closely the - now lost - copy of al-Mubarrad (c. 14th century), which functioned as a true vulgate. Only one manuscript, found in Milan, managed to escape its influence and adhere to the rival Kufan grammatical tradition. This manuscript provides a new version of the text and makes a fresh reading of the Kitab possible.