Expert: Jim - 10/4/2002

Question
Hi Jim,
    I'm currently preparing a series of talks which I'm calling  "The West's Debt to Islam" for the local U3A.
Find myself wondering about the etymology of the Arabic word transliterated as "Falasifa." Is it just a co-incidence or is it in fact an Arabic transliteration of the Greek? What are the root consonants?
Many thanks for your help.
Regards
Ken Anderson

Answer
Ken,

Felsefa is an Arabic transliteration of the Greek.  Arabic vocabulary is generally based on verbs constructed from 3 root consonants.  In virtually every case where there are fewer or more root consonants, as this one, the word is borrowed, usually from Greek or Turkish, some from Farsi.

Arabic will take a borrowed word and try to apply its rules of grammar to the word.  For example, when the Arabic version of the letter "m" is placed before a word, it often means someone or something that performs the action of the verb.  An alternative to this is to elongate the first vowel of the word.  There are other modifications to spelling, accent, and vowelling of the root words that modify the meaning of the basic verb.  This grammar adaptation has not been particularly successful with the word "felsefa".  Here are its basic variations as adapted by the Arabic language:

- Felsefa:  the verb, to philosophize
- Tefelsefa:  to pretend to be a philosopher
- A variation of the Arabic spelling of "Felsefa" is the noun: philosophy
- Felsafi: philosophical
- Failasuf: philosopher
- Mufalsif: philosopher

That's pretty much it!

The closest native Arabic word carrying our meaning of "philosophy" would be, I think, "Fakara" which means to think, ponder, reflect, cogitate, speculate.  This word carries the typical range of Arabic root adaptations conveying modification of meaning that the borrowed, 4 consonant word "Felsefa" is unable to bear.

I wish I could sit in on your lectures.  By the way, what is "U3A".  

I hope this helped.  Good luck with your lecture series!

r/

Jim