ABSTRACT
The data presented in this chapter are the product of a very simple comparison between the pre-Classical Arabic model and the variant forms present in the books of medieval Arab grammarians. In fact, the title of the chapter and the fact that it organizes features under tribal headings betrays a bias in the discussion presented in the previous chapter. This book is based on the assumption that variation in pre-Islamic Arabic is too diversified to be merely stylistic. It does not indicate local variations on the pre-Classical model, but rather reflects dialects. The data in the following paragraphs will testify to that. However, a word of caution is important here. The fact that we use the term ‘dialect’ does not indicate any underlying belief concerning the structural proximity and sub-categorization among dialects and between them and the pre-Classical variety. This remains an open question.
