(CE:1266b)
IBN AL-DAHIRI, a thirteenth-century bishop of Damietta who wrote a grammar called Muqaddimat ibn al-Dahiri. G. Graf lists him under the name al-Thiqah ibn al-Duhayri and as one who exchanged dictionaries with the grammarian al-MU’TAMAN IBN AL-‘ASSAL. The latter requested from al-Dahiri a copy of al- Kifayah by the Coptic grammarian al-Wajih al-Qalyubi, who had lived in the thirteenth century (Simaykah, 1939, p. 38). Ibn al-‘Assal declared that grammar to be erroneous in parts and incomplete, and told al-Dahiri of the work of IBN KATIB QAYSAR. Al-Dahiri recognized that the grammars of both men depended on that of Yuhanna al-Dahiri, bishop of Samannud. Al-Dahiri then wrote his own grammar, trying to avoid the errors and omissions of the others. He used the established divisions into nouns, verbs, and particles, and gave numerous examples (Kircher, 1648, pp. 273-495).
VINCENT FREDERICK
