The Place of War in the Sociocultural Life of the Arabs and the War-Related Vocabulary in Akhtari-yi Kabir

Abstract

This article aims to examine the place of war in the sociocultural structure of Arab society, alongside the vocabulary related to war found in Akhtari-yi Kabir, one of the most significant works of classical lexicography. The study focuses on instruments of war, verbs related to combat, warrior typologies, and the concept of enmity, in order to analyze the mindset and cultural priorities of the period. Furthermore, it explores how war is conceptualized in the language and the context in which it appears. The irritability, vengeance, sense of revenge, and the desire to protect honor and dignity of the tribe-centered Arab society were effective in the emergence of wars. These wars, which took place both between tribes and with neighboring countries, deeply affected the Arabs in political, social, economic and psychological terms, were accepted as the most important factor forming the literary products in the Arabic language and literature and made significant contributions to the development of language and literature. In this context, when Akhtari Mustafa Efendi's dictionary named Akhtari-yi Kabir is taken into consideration, it indicates that approximately four hundred words are mostly related to war by Arabs; Words such as sword, arrow, bow, bayonet, enmity, fighting, being victorious, enmity, fighting, hitting, victory was used. Although the vocabulary about war in Akhtari-yi Kabir is quite wide, the various words are rich. Therefore, it is understood that the phenomenon of war became a way of life in the past and was indispensable for the Arabs.