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د. إيمان أبو حرب
Dr. Iman Abou Harb
Arabic Language Scholar · University Lecturer · Editor · Translator · Peer Reviewer

PhD in Arabic Language and Literature (University of Sharjah). I study how the classical Arabic linguistic tradition organized itself — morphology, lexicography, and the recognized dichotomies of Arabic grammatical thought — and how that tradition meets artificial intelligence today: the mental lexicon, predictive dictionaries, and morphological disambiguation.

8Peer-reviewed papers
8International conferences
7Academic degrees
20+Years teaching
About

A scholar between two traditions

I hold a PhD in Arabic Language and Literature from the University of Sharjah (2025), with my dissertation on Aspects of Observance (Murāʿāh) in the Recognized Dichotomies of Arabic Morphology, and an MA from the American University of Beirut, where my thesis examined semantic fields in the Arabic lexicographical tradition under the supervision of Prof. Ramzi Baalbaki. My seven degrees span Arabic linguistics, Islamic studies, and comparative jurisprudence — from Beirut to Sharjah.

Today I teach Arabic at the American University in Dubai, review fascicles of the Historical Dictionary of the Arabic Language at the Arabic Language Academy in Sharjah, referee research for ARID International Journals, and edit books from classical heritage texts to contemporary works. My current research asks how AI can serve — and learn from — the Arabic lexicographical tradition.

Research & Publications

Morphology, lexicography, and the life of dictionaries

Published

  • Observance of the Origin-and-Branch Dichotomy in Arabic Morphology: Applied ModelsARID International Journal for Humanities and Social Sciences, Vol. 8, Issue 15 — Jan 2026
  • The Influence of the Origin-and-Branch Dichotomy on Word Structure in Vocalic Alternation (Iʿlāl)Al-Ādāb Journal, University of Baghdad, Issue 155 — Dec 2025
  • Arabic Lexicography: Origins, Trajectory, and Transformation — Kitāb al-ʿAyn, Lisān al-ʿArab, and the Historical Dictionary (Sharjah)Fikr wa Maʿrifa Journal, Issue 4 — 2024
  • Semantic Fields in the Arabic Lexicographical Tradition: A Comparative Study of Lexical Organization in Arabic LexicaAl-Abhath, Issue 72 — American University of Beirut / Brill, 2024
  • Michael Carter's Readings of Sibawayh's Role in Engineering Arabic GrammarMuṣṭalaḥiyyāt, Arab Forum for Terminology, Morocco, Issues 17–18 — 2024

Forthcoming

  • The Role of Strength and Weakness in Shaping Word Structure in Arabic MorphologyAl-Ādāb Journal, University of Baghdad, Issue 156 — Mar 2026
  • Keys of the Mind in the Holy Qurʾan: A Functional Study in Light of Qurʾanic ContextARID International Journal for Humanities and Social Sciences
  • The Mental Lexicon: Definition, Components, Organization — and How It Differs from the Linguistic LexiconARID International Journal for Humanities and Social Sciences

In progress

  • Euphemism (al-Talaṭṭuf) in Arabic discourse — strategies and pragmatics.
  • The Arabic Predictive Dictionary: an AI-informed lexicographical model.
  • Avoidance of morphological ambiguity (Amn al-Labs) and AI — toward a disambiguation algorithm.
  • The Doha and Sharjah historical dictionaries of Arabic: a comparative evaluation.
Presented at eight international conferences (2019 – 2025) in Dubai, Sohar, and Ankara — including the 11th International Conference on the Arabic Language, where I also proposed an initiative for introducing dictionary studies into school curricula.
Teaching

From university halls to young learners

American University in Dubai — Adjunct Instructor
Jan 2026 – Present
Arabic for Non-Native Speakers (MEST 202).
American University in the Emirates — Lecturer
Spring 2023
Islamic Culture.
Youth programs — ARID / Abnāʾ al-ʿUlamāʾ platforms
2024 – 2025
Designed and delivered “The Young Orator” and the “Minds Development Camp” (academic writing & presentation skills).
Earlier: American University of Beirut (research assistant); institutes in Beirut
2005 – 2019
Arabic language, Qurʾan, inheritance law, and hadith terminology.
Certified through specialized diplomas in teaching Arabic to non-native speakers and digital teacher preparation, alongside 250+ hours of manuscript-studies and taḥqīq training in Istanbul, Cairo, Agadir, and Berlin.
Editorial & Review Services

Precision for texts that matter

I take on freelance commissions from publishers, journals, institutions, and authors — with the same standard I apply to a dictionary fascicle or a peer-reviewed journal.

Linguistic proofreading & editing

Books, theses, and articles — classical heritage texts and contemporary works alike.

Recent: Mabādiʾ al-Sulūk (2 vols, 2025) · ʿAqliyyat al-Muʾassis (2025) · Ansāb al-Ashrāf indexing (2019)

Peer review & research evaluation

Refereeing for journals and conferences in Arabic linguistics and related humanities.

Reviewer for ARID International Journals and the ARID International Conference

Lexicography & dictionary work

Fascicle review, entry drafting, terminology folios, and biographical entries (tarājim).

Historical Dictionary of the Arabic Language — letters Lām, Nūn, Qāf, Wāw

Manuscripts & taḥqīq support

Reading, indexing, attribution documentation, and editorial preparation of heritage texts.

Trained at the Institute of Arabic Manuscripts (Cairo), Sultan Ahmed Waqf (Istanbul), Berlin State Library

Translation & source cross-referencing

Academic translation between English and Arabic — including restoring translated citations to their original Arabic sources.

Byzantium Viewed by the Arabs (Prof. Nadia El-Cheikh) — translation support and source restoration, 2019–2020
Service & Recognition

Beyond the page

  • Contributor to One Hundred Women Creators — Arabic Language Centre, Abu Dhabi (2023 – 2024).
  • Guest interview on Sharjah TV about the Arabic language and lexicography (2026).
  • Initiative to bring dictionary studies into school curricula — presented at the 11th International Conference on the Arabic Language (2025).
  • Translation support for Byzantium Viewed by the Arabs (Prof. Nadia El-Cheikh) — restoring English citations to their original Arabic sources.
Contact

Let's talk about your text

For teaching opportunities, editorial commissions, review assignments, or research collaboration — the fastest way to reach me is email.

Based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.