Chapter 4. Morphology

This chapter documents the morphological variation attested in Vat. Ar. 13 across categories where variation exists — including independent and suffixed pronouns, demonstratives, relative pronouns, interrogatives, numerals, and verb forms — with a particular focus on the degree to which the forms attested align with Ḥiǧāzī/Quranic norms versus forms associated with the Naǧdī or later Classical tradition. While most morphological forms in the manuscript are familiar from other early Islamic-era Arabic texts, their distribution across the four scribal hands reveals systematic differences: Hand A, in particular, shows a marked preference for Old Ḥiǧāzī/Quranic forms, whereas later hands increasingly adopt forms associated with the broader ʿArabiyyah tradition. The chapter argues that morphological variation in Vat. Ar. 13 reflects conscious scribal selection from a pluriform linguistic landscape rather than inconsistency or error.