Owens awarded the British Academy Prize

The long-established British Academy has recognised Jonathan Owens’ outstanding academic achievements in the field of Arabic linguistics. In its citation, it describes him as a leading international authority on Arabic linguistics, particularly for his research into previously little-documented Arabic dialects and his analyses of the earliest Arabic grammarians.

The award is one of the most prestigious honours in the humanities and social sciences in the United Kingdom. At the awards ceremony in London, academics from numerous European countries were honoured for their work, which opens up new perspectives on language, culture, history and society. The Edward Ullendorff Medal is awarded specifically for outstanding contributions to Semitic and Ethiopian studies.

Jonathan Owens shaped the field of Arabic Studies at the University of Bayreuth for almost three decades. Following postings in Libya, Nigeria and Jordan, and a research stay in Erlangen as a Humboldt Fellow, he was appointed to the Chair of Arabic Studies at the University of Bayreuth in 1987. Until his retirement in 2016, he developed the department into an internationally recognised centre for Arabic linguistics.

His research is characterised by an exceptional combination of fieldwork, linguistic description and historical linguistics. Owens studied Arabic language varieties in North Africa, on the Arabian Peninsula and, in particular, in sub-Saharan Africa. With works such as *A Linguistic History of Arabic* and the *Oxford Handbook of Arabic Linguistics*, which he edited, he set new standards for international research. Most recently, in 2023, he published the monograph *Arabic and the Case against Linearity in Historical Linguistics*, in which he discusses fundamental questions of language change.

Even after his retirement, Owens remains active in academic research. His list of publications includes numerous monographs, edited volumes and scholarly articles on Arabic dialects, language contact, sociolinguistics and the history of the Arabic language. Back in 2018, he received the prestigious Sheikh Mohammad bin Rashid Al Maktoum Award for his contributions to research into the Arabic language.

This honour from the British Academy not only underlines the international significance of Jonathan Owens’ academic work, but also the long-standing strength of the University of Bayreuth in the fields of linguistics and cultural studies. His research has made a decisive contribution to highlighting the diversity of the Arabic language and opening up new perspectives on its history and development. The Edward Ullendorff Medal now honours a scholar whose work has had a lasting impact on Arabic studies worldwide.