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Cambridge Language Sciences

Interdisciplinary Research Centre
 

Research

The research of Geoffrey Khan includes philological and linguistic studies of Hebrew, Aramaic and Arabic. He has a broad interest in all periods of the Hebrew language and is editor-in-chief of the Encyclopedia of Hebrew Language and Linguistics, which was first published in 2013 (Boston: Brill) and is updated on an annual basis. This contains approximately 1,000 articles on all periods, traditions and methodological approaches to the Hebrew language. He has a specific interest in Biblical Hebrew. In his Ph.D. thesis he addressed various aspects of Biblical Hebrew syntax and subsequently worked on a variety of manuscript sources relating to the Tiberian Masoretic tradition and the pronunciation traditions of Biblical Hebrew. A concise overview of his work in this field can be found in his book A Short Introduction to the Masoretic Hebrew Bible and its Reading Tradition (Gorgias, Piscataway, 2nd edition, 2013). Closely related to his work on the Tiberian Masoretic tradition is his research on medieval Hebrew grammatical thought, especially that of the Karaite grammarians, who were closely associated with the Tiberian Masoretes. He has been commissioned by Oxford University Press to prepare the Oxford Grammar of Biblical Hebrew, which will present an updating and major expansion of Gesenius’ Hebrew Grammar. Geoffrey Khan’s interests in Aramaic focus for the most part on the documentation of modern spoken forms of the language. He has undertaken extensive fieldwork on the many endangered dialects of the so-called North-Eastern Neo-Aramaic subgroup, which were originally spoken in northern Iraq, southeastern Turkey and western Iran. This research has resulted in the publication of a variety grammatical descriptions and an on-line database. In the field of Arabic his main published research has been on medieval Arabic documents. He has edited various corpora of documents, including Arabic papyri from early Islamic Egypt, documents from early Islamic Khurasan, and documents from Fatimid and Ayyubid Egypt that have been preserved in the Cairo Genizah. He is currently working on documents from the Fatimid period that were discovered in Qaṣr Ibrīm (Nubia) by the Egypt Exploration Society. He also works on some aspects of the history of the Arabic language, in particular the development of Judaeo-Arabic at various historical periods, including the modern spoken varieties, on which he has carried out fieldwork.

Publications

Key publications: 

The Neo-Aramaic Dialect of the Assyrian Christians of Urmi. 4 vols. Vol. 1 Grammar: Phonology and Morphology. Vol. 2 Grammar: Syntax. Vol. 3 Lexical Studies and Dictionary. Vol. 4 Texts (Brill, Leiden, 2016)

A Short Introduction to the Masoretic Hebrew Bible and its Reading Tradition (Gorgias, Piscataway, 2012, second expanded edition 2013)

The Jewish Neo-Aramaic Dialect of Sanandaj (Gorgias, Piscataway, 2009), 631pp.

The Jewish Neo-Aramaic Dialect of Urmi (Gorgias, Piscataway, 2008), 624pp.

Neo-Aramaic Dialect Studies, editor, (Gorgias, Piscataway, 2008), 204pp.

The Neo-Aramaic Dialect of Barwar. 3 vols.Vol. 1 Grammar. Vol. 2 Lexicon. Vol. 3 Texts. (Brill, Leiden, 2008), 2175pp.

Arabic Documents from Early Islamic Khurasan (Nour Foundation, London, 2008), 183pp.

 

 

 

Publications (from Symplectic)

Books

2015

  • Khan, G. and Napiorkowska, L., 2015. NeoAramaic and Its Linguistic Context
  • 2014

  • Khan, GA., 2014. The Christian Neo-Aramaic Dialect of Urmi
  • 2013

  • 2013. Encyclopedia of Hebrew language and linguistics
  • 2012 (No publication date)

  • Khan, GA., 2012 (No publication date). Tiberian reading tradition of the Hebrew bible according to Karaite sources
  • 2012

  • Khan, GA., 2012. A Short Introduction to the Tiberian Masoretic Bible and its Reading Tradition
  • 2012. Studies on the text and versions of the Hebrew Bible in honour of Robert Gordon
  • 2011

  • 2011. The Semitic languages: an international handbook
  • 2009

  • Khan, G., 2009. The Jewish Neo-Aramaic Dialect of Sanandaj
  • Khan, G., 2009. Neo-Aramaic Dialect Studies
  • 2008

  • Khan, G., 2008. The Jewish Neo-Aramaic Dialect of Urmi
  • Khan, G., 2008. The Jewish Neo-Aramaic Dialect of Urmi
  • Khan, G., 2008. The Neo-Aramaic Dialect of Barwar
    Doi: http://doi.org/10.1163/ej.9789004167650.i-2198
  • 2007

  • Khan, G. and Foundation, N., 2007. Arabic documents from early Islamic Khurasan
  • 2005

  • 2005. Semitic studies in honour of Edward Ullendorff
  • 2004

  • Khan, G., 2004. The Jewish neo-Aramaic dialect of Sulemaniyya and Ḥalabja
  • 2004. Published material from the Cambridge Genizah collections: a bibliography 1980-1997
  • 2003

  • Abu al-Faraj Harun ibn al-Faraj, ATC., Khan, G., Gallego, MÁ. and Olszowy-Schlanger, J., 2003. The Karaite tradition of Hebrew grammatical thought in its classical form: a critical edition and English translation of al-Kitāb al-kāfī fī al-luġa al-ʻIbrāniyya by ʼAbū al-Faraj Hārūn ibn al-Faraj
  • 2002

  • Khan, G., 2002. The neo-Aramaic dialect of Qaraqosh
  • 2001

  • 2001. Exegesis and grammar in medieval Karaite texts
  • 2000

  • Khan, G., 2000. Early Karaite grammatical texts
  • Khan, G. and Joseph ben Noah, ATC-TCDEJ-A., 2000. The early Karaite tradition of Hebrew grammatical thought: including a critical edition, translation and analysis of the Diqduq of ʼAbū Yaʻqūb Yūsuf ibn Nūḥ on the Hagiographa
  • 1999

  • Khan, G., 1999. A grammar of neo-Aramaic: the dialect of the Jews of Arbel
  • 1993

  • Khan, G., 1993. Arabic legal and administrative documents in the Cambridge Genizah collections
  • Khan, G., 1993. Bills, letters and deeds: Arabic papyri of the 7th to the 11th centuries
  • 1992

  • Khan, G., 1992. Arabic papyri: selected material from the Khalili Collection
  • 1990

  • Genizah, C. and Khan, G., 1990. Karaite Bible manuscripts from the Cairo Genizah
  • 1988

  • Khan, G., 1988. Studies in Semitic syntax
  • Journal articles

    2014

  • Khan, GA., 2014. Paul Kahle and the Cairo Genizah manuscripts Henoch Journal, v. 36
  • 2012

  • Doron, E. and Khan, G., 2012. The typology of morphological ergativity in Neo-Aramaic Lingua, v. 122
    Doi: 10.1016/j.lingua.2011.11.008
  • Sims-Williams, N. and Khan, GA., 2012. Zandaniji Misidentified Bulletin of the Asia Institute, v. 22
  • Khan, GA., 2012. Remarks on the dialects of Assyrians in North-Western Iran Journal of Assyrian academic studies JAAS : a semi-annual publication of the Fund for Modern Assyrian Studies., v. 26
  • 2011

  • Khan, GA., 2011. Remarks on Constructions with the Copula in North-Eastern Neo-Aramaic Dialects Aula Orientalis, v. 29
  • 2010

  • Khan, GA., 2010. Kitve yad aravim yehudim menukadim mi-genizat Kahi Masorot : meḥḳarim bė-masorot ha-lashon u-vi-lėshonot ha-yėhudim = Massorot- Studies in language traditions and Jewish languages, v. 15
  • 2009 (Published online)

  • KHAN, G., 2009 (Published online). The Syntax and Discourse Structure of Neo-Aramaic Narrative Texts ARAM Periodical, v. 21
    Doi: 10.2143/aram.21.0.2047091
  • 2008

  • Khan, GA., 2008. Remarks on the historical background and development of the early Arabic documentary formulae Asiatische Studien, v. 45
  • 2007

  • Khan, G., 2007. The North-Eastern Neo-Aramaic dialects J SEMITIC STUD, v. 52
    Doi: http://doi.org/10.1093/jss/fgl034
  • Khan, GA., 2007. Remarks on the Historical Background of the Modern Assyrian Language Journal of Assyrian academic studies JAAS : a semi-annual publication of the Fund for Modern Assyrian Studies., v. 21
  • 2006

  • Khan, GA., 2006. A Judaeo-Arabic commercial letter from early nineteeth century Egypt Ginze ḳedem: shenaton le-ḥeḳer ha-Genizah.גנזי קדם : שנתון לחקר הגניזה., v. 2
  • 2003

  • Khan, G., 2003. Some remarks on linguistic and lexical change in the North Eastern Neo-Aramaic dialects Aramaic Studies, v. 1
    Doi: http://doi.org/10.1163/000000003780492665
  • Khan, GA., 2003. The Arabic Paper Fragments from Berkeley Bulletin of the Asia Institute, v. 17
  • 2002

  • Khan, GA., 2002. The medieval Karaite tradition of Hebrew grammar Boletín de la Asociación Española de Orientalistas, v. 38
  • Khan, GA., 2002. The notion of transitive and intransi- tive actions in the early Karaite grammatical tradition Jerusalem studies in Arabic and Islam, v. 27
  • 2001

  • Khan, GA., 2001. A study of morphology in the Diqduq of Joseph ben Noah’ Meḥḳarim be-lashon = Language Studies, v. 8
  • 2000

  • Khan, G., 2000. The verbal system of the Jewish Neo-Aramaic dialect of Arbel J AM ORIENTAL SOC, v. 120
  • 1999

  • Khan, G., 1999. The Neo-Aramaic dialect spoken by Jews from the region of Arbel (Iraqi Kurdistan) B SCH ORIENT AFR ST, v. 62
  • 1998

  • KHAN, G., 1998. THE BOOK OF HEBREW GRAMMAR BY THE KARAITE JOSEPH BEN NOAH Journal of Semitic Studies, v. XLIII
    Doi: 10.1093/jss/xliii.2.265
  • 1997

  • Khan, GA., 1997. The historical depth of two features of the Sephardi reading traditions Masorot : meḥḳarim bė-masorot ha-lashon u-vi-lėshonot ha-yėhudim = Massorot- Studies in language traditions and Jewish languages, v. 9-11
  • Khan, G., 1997. ’Abū al-Faraj Hārūn and the Early Karaite Grammatical Tradition Journal of Jewish Studies, v. 48
    Doi: 10.18647/2002/jjs-1997
  • Khan, G., 1997. A Note on the Trade Argot of the Karaite Goldsmiths of Cairo Mediterranean Language Review, v. 9
  • Khan, GA., 1997. The Arabic Dialect of the Karaite Jews of Hīt Zeitschrift für arabische Linguistik, v. 34
  • 1996

  • Khan, G., 1996. The pronunciation of res(h) in the Tiberian tradition of biblical Hebrew HEBREW UNION COLL AN, v. 66
  • KHAN, G., 1996. REMARKS ON VOWELS REPRESENTED BY SEWA AND HATEP SIGNS IN THE TIBERIAN VOCALIZATION SYSTEM Journal of Semitic Studies, v. XLI
    Doi: 10.1093/jss/xli.1.65
  • 1994

  • Khan, GA., 1994. The pre-Islamic background of Muslim legal formularies ARAM Periodical, v. 6
  • KHAN, G., 1994. AN ARABIC DOCUMENT OF ACKNOWLEDGMENT FROM THE CAIRO-GENIZAH J NEAR EASTERN STUD, v. 53
  • Khan, G., 1994. An Arabic legal document from the Umayyad period Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society, v. 4
    Doi: 10.1017/s1356186300005976
  • Khan, G., 1994. The historical background of the vowel "ṣere" in some Hebrew verbal and nominal forms Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, v. 57
  • 1993

  • KHAN, G., 1993. ON THE QUESTION OF SCRIPT IN MEDIEVAL KARAITE MANUSCRIPTS - NEW EVIDENCE FROM THE GENIZAH BULLETIN OF THE JOHN RYLANDS UNIVERSITY LIBRARY OF MANCHESTER, v. 75
  • KHAN, G., 1993. THE ORTHOGRAPHY OF KARAITE - HEBREW BIBLE MANUSCRIPTS IN ARABIC TRANSCRIPTIONS J SEMITIC STUD, v. 38
  • 1992

  • Khan, GA., 1992. The Medieval Karaite Transcriptions of Hebrew into Arabic Script Israel Oriental Studies, v. 12
  • Khan, GA., 1992. Notes on the grammar of a late Egyptian Judaeo-Arabic text Jerusalem Studies in Arabic and Islam, v. 15
  • 1991

  • Kahn, G., 1991. סית ... Sefunot: Studies and Sources on the History of the Jewish Communities in the East / ספונות: מחקרים ומקורות לתולדות קהילות ישראל במזרח, v. ה (כ)
  • Khan, GA., 1991. Standardisation and Variation in the Orthography of Hebrew Bible and Arabic Qurʾān Manuscripts Manuscripts of the Middle East, v. 5
  • 1990

  • Khan, G., 1990. The historical development of the structure of medieval Arabic petitions Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies, v. 53
    Doi: 10.1017/s0041977x00021224
  • KHAN, G., 1990. AL-QIRQISANI OPINIONS CONCERNING THE TEXT OF THE BIBLE AND PARALLEL MUSLIM ATTITUDES TOWARDS THE TEXT OF THE QURAN + 'KITAB AL-ANWAR WAL-MARAQUB', KARAITE LITERATURE JEWISH QUART REV, v. 81
  • Khan, G., 1990. A petition to the Fāṭimid caliph al-'Āmir Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain & Ireland, v. 122
    Doi: 10.1017/s0035869x00107841
  • 1989

  • KHAN, G., 1989. THE PRONUNCIATION OF THE HEBREW MAH BEFORE DAGESH IN THE MEDIEVAL TIBERIAN HEBREW READING TRADITION J SEMITIC STUD, v. 34
  • 1988

  • Khan, G., 1988. The relevance of the Genizah documents for the history of medieval North Africa The Maghreb Review, v. 13
  • 1987

  • Khan, G., 1987. Vowel length and syllable structure in the tiberian tradition of biblical hebrew Journal of Semitic Studies, v. 32
    Doi: http://doi.org/10.1093/jss/XXXII.1.23
  • 1986

  • Khan, G., 1986. A copy of a decree from the archives of the Fāṭimid Chancery in Egypt Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies, v. 49
    Doi: 10.1017/s0041977x00045067
  • Khan, GA., 1986. The Arabic fragments in the Cambridge Genizah collections Manuscripts of the Middle East, v. 1
  • 1984

  • Khan, GA., 1984. Object markers and agreement pronouns in Semitic languages Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies, v. 47
    Doi: 10.1017/s0041977x00113709
  • Book chapters

    2013

  • Khan, GA., 2013. A Judaeo-Arabic Document from Ottoman Egypt in the Rylands Geizah Collection
  • Khan, GA., 2013. Aspiraion: pre-Modern Hebrew
  • Khan, GA., 2013. Biblical Hebrew: Linguistic Background of Masoretic Text
  • Khan, GA., 2013. Biblical Hebrew: Pronunciation Traditions
  • Khan, GA., 2013. Compensatory Lengthening
  • 2012

  • Khan, GA., 2012. The Evidential Function of the Perfect in North-Eastern Neo-Aramaic Dialects
  • 2011

  • Khan, GA., 2011. A Petition to the Fāṭimid Caliph al-Āmir from the Cairo Genizah concerning an inheritance
  • Khan, GA., 2011. A poem in the Jewish neo-Aramaic dialect of Sanandaj
  • 2010

  • Khan, GA., 2010. Vocalised Judaeo-Arabic Manuscripts in the Cairo Genizah
  • Khan, GA., 2010. Documents arabes juridiques de la Guenizah du Caire et leur contexte historique
  • 2008

  • Khan, GA., 2008. ‘Remarks on the Transcriptions of Syriac Words in the Kitab al-Musta ini of Ibn Baklarish (according to the Arcadian Library MS)’ in C.Burnett (ed), Ibn Baklarish’s Book of Simples. Medical Remedies between three faiths in Twelth Century Spain
  • Khan, GA., 2008. The expression of definiteness in North-Eastern Neo-Aramaic Dialects
  • 2007

  • Khan, GA., 2007. Aramaic in the medieval and modern periods
  • Khan, GA., 2007. Conjoining according to medieval Karaite grammatical theory
  • 2004

  • Khan, GA., 2004. Aramaic and the impact of languages in contact with it through the ages
  • 2003

  • Khan, GA., 2003. An early Arabic legal papyrus
  • Khan, GA., 2003. Contribution of the Karaites to the study of the Hebrew Language
  • 2001

  • Khan, G., 2001. Biblical exegesis and grammatical theory in the Karaite tradition
  • 1998

  • Khan, GA., 1998. A Genizah fragment of a Judaeo-Arabic lament for the Holy Land
  • 1995

  • Khan, GA., 1995. Arabic papyri
  • 1991

  • 1991. A document of appointment of a Jewish leader in Syria issued by al-Malik al-Afḍal ʻAlī in 589 A.H./1993A.D.
  • Regius Professor of Hebrew
    Departments and institutes: 
    Professor Geoffrey  Khan

    Contact Details

    Email address: 
    (+44) (0)1223 335114

    Affiliations

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