Musta‘rib vs muta‘ağğim. Il dilemma della lingua araba per i mamelucchi di prima generazione

Although the knowledge of the Arabic language of first-generation Mamluks is an important element in understanding this social group, scarce information has reached us on the subject from the historiography of that period. Taking a cue from Ulrich Haarmann’s article “Arabic in Speech”, the present study aims to investigate this significant matter in the various historiographies and biographical dictionaries. It intends to outline the main traits and offer a reflection on the difficult rapport between the Turko-Circassian military oligarchy and the language of Quran.