Re-Examining Usama Ibn Munqidh's Knowledge of "Frankish": a Case Study of Medieval Bilingualism During the Crusades
Re-examining Usama ibn Munqidh's Knowledge of "Frankish": A Case Study of Medieval Bilingualism during the Crusades Bogdan C. Smarandache The Medieval Globe, Volume 3, Issue 1, 2017, pp. 47-85 (Article) Published by Arc Humanities Press For additional information about this article https://muse.jhu.edu/article/758505 [ Access provided at 27 Sep 2021 14:33 GMT with no institutional affiliation ] RE-EXAMINING USAMA IBN MUNQIDH’S KNOWLEDGE OF “FRANKISH”: A CASE STUDY OF MEDIEVAL BILINGUALISM DURING THE CRUSADES BOGDAN C. SMARANDACHE a Syrian gentleman, warriorpoet, Muslim amir, and fāris (488–584/1095–1188)—described variously as uignorancesaMa Iofbn the Munq FrankishIdh language in his Kitab al-iʿtibar (The Book of Learning (knight)—professes by Example), when recounting one of his childhood memories. Born to the Arab dynasty of the Banu Munqidh, who ruled the castle and hinterland of Shayzar on the Aṣi (or Orontes) River, Usama had grown up in close proximity to the Frankish Principality of Antioch. In the decade following the First Crusade (488–492/1095–1099), the Banu Munqidh and their Frankish neighbours engaged begun his military training. Recalling that time decades later, he remembers that in periodic raids and skirmishes. By that time, Usama was a youth and might have Tancred, the Christian ruler of Antioch (d. 506/1112), had granted a guarantee unfortunate young cavalier was actually heading into a trap that cost him his right of safe-conduct to a skilled horseman from Shayzar, a man named Hasanun. (The Ifranjī eye, but he had trusted in Tancred’s good will.) After describing the initial negotia 1 tion of safe-conduct, Usama adds that “they speak only in Frankish ( ) so we had no idea what they were saying.” To date, Usama’s statement has deterred scholars from investigating the small number of Frankish loanwords preserved in his book, it appears to leave extent of his second language acquisition in greater depth.
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