Medieval Arabic writers ranked Arabic above all other languages in an evolutionary hierarchy
Evidence
The perfect language is the language of the Arabs and the perfection of eloquence is the speech of the Arabs, all others being deļ¬cient. The Arabic language among languages is like the human form among beasts. Just as huĀ manity emerged as the ļ¬nal form among the animals, so is the Arabic language the ļ¬nal perfection of human language and of the art of writing, after which there is no moreā4-a remarkable anticipation of the later concept of evolution. ā Bernard Lewis, From Babel to Dragomans, 153
Categorization
- CANDY: A medieval Arab linguist anticipating Darwinian evolution imagery is a striking little talking point.
- XREF: Parallels Eurocentric claims of linguistic and cultural superiority; useful for showing the tendency is near-universal, complicating a one-sided Orientalist narrative.