Page 128 - Zbornik 40

128 Fuad Baćićanin 40/2017

Fuad Baćićanin
Museum „Ras” Novi Pazar

Arabica, a Modified Arabic Alphabet in Several Century Use with Us

Abstract: As the Ottoman State expanded on the Balkan, thus the Arabic
alphabet appeared with us. Firstly used by the administrative Ottoman management
and their administration, this alphabet took its place by the time in written
communication and it was so spread out, it had to be adjusted to our sound system.
In the beginning period, the Ottoman alphabet was used, the Ottoman version of the
Arabic alphabet, so as later on, each author for himself, adjusted the graphemes to
our sound system. All these adjusted forms of the alphabet had sense but they did
not have a wide public support. One of the reformers of the Arabic alphabet and its
adjustment to our sound system was Arif Brkanic Sarajlija from Novi Pazar. Reis
Dzemaludin Causevic modified the Arabic alphabet and made a unique alphabet
of Arabica, and it was widely used in public. All printed books were written in
Causevic’s Arabica, so-called old one or Maktab’s one.
The Arabic alphabet, i.e. Arabica was used for several centuries in this
speaking area. The Muslim population completely accepted it since it was the Quran
alphabet, either. At the beginning of XX century, Arabica was forbidden, but with
individuals, mostly religious persons, it remained in its permanent use. With this
paper, we want to direct the attention onto Arabica, one of the three alphabets used
in our area in their widest.

Key words: Arabica, Arabic alphabet, Ottoman State, Turkish language,
Dzemaludin Causevic, Arif Sarajlija