Problems of the Doha Historical Dictionary of the Arabic Language: Circularity and Synonymy in Grammatical Terminology

Abstract

This study aims to examine the problems of circularity and synonymy in grammatical terminology in the Doha Historical Dictionary, to investigate the extent to which these two issues are present, and to analyze the methods adopted by the dictionary in addressing them. The study employs a descriptive-analytical approach by tracing lexical entries in the Doha Historical Dictionary of the Arabic Language in order to demonstrate and analyze the presence of circularity and synonymy in grammatical terminology. The research concludes that the Doha Dictionary has not succeeded in eliminating the problems of circularity and synonymy. The existence of these two issues has led to ambiguity in defining the meanings of terms. If such problems become widespread, there will be little difference between the classical dictionaries and the Doha Dictionary, and it will not be able to fulfill one of its primary objectives, namely eliminating the problems found in both classical and modern dictionaries.