Patterns of Selective Vowel-dotting in Early Qurʾānic Manuscripts

This paper investigates the primitive function of the vowel dots at the stage of the development of the whole diacritic system of the Arabic Qurʾānic manuscripts. It offers a detailed description of the dotting system on one particular early Qurʾān manuscript, Bibliothèque nationale de France, Arabe 340c. The dotting system is analysed as the product of the interaction of its parts showing that the absence of a diacritical marking (a dot) could be an intentional practice undertaken by the dotter. Its main functions are to mark the ending of words (reflecting morphological distinctions), as well as prefixes, suffixes, and infixes; to indicate boundaries between words; to intentionally clarify readings of certain words that are transmitted with different readings in the qirāʾāt literature. The analysis of the whole vocalisation system in the manuscript provides insights into the dotter’s professional and educational background, his familiarity with the recitation system(s), and his individual practice in some of the choices he made in dotting a particular manuscript.