The Hadhramis’ Concern with Grammatical Abbreviations

Abstract

This research explores the concern that the Hadramis paid to grammatical abbreviations, both in verse and prose. The research is organized into two main sections. The first section is dedicated to introducing grammatical abbreviations, including their concept, purpose, types, and the history of their emergence. The second section focuses on the manifestations of the Hadramis' concern to these abbreviations. This concern is evident in the classification of grammatical abbreviations, whether they were originally written by their authors, thus not being an abbreviation or an extension of another abbreviation, or whether they were derived from the works of others. The number of grammatical abbreviations under the first category reached twenty-five, while only two abbreviations were categorized under the second category. It should be noted that some of these attributions are questionable or uncertain, according to the researcher. Furthermore, the Hadramis' concern for grammatical abbreviations is reflected in their efforts to ensure that students memorize a number of them, in reciting and teaching them in various educational centers, and in explaining them, along with any subsequent abbreviations, extensions, or commentaries. The number of these commentaries reached thirty-three works.