YAZIJI, NASIF

born , March 25, 1800, Kafr Shima, Lebanon died Feb. 8, 1871, Beirut Lebanese scholar who played a significant role in the revitalization of Arabic literary traditions. Until 1840 Yaziji was employed in the service of Bashir Shihab II, the emir of Lebanon. He then moved to Beirut, where he continued his literary work. He was a Christian, and for a while he helped some American missionaries prepare Arabic textbooks for use in local mission schools. He had a deep love for the Arabic language and a deep appreciation for the beauty of classical Arabic literature. He was also a purist in that he sought to eliminate corruptions that through the centuries had been absorbed into language and to return to the practices of the classical scholars. In previous centuries the classic literature had fallen into neglect, but the writings of Yaziji and of other Christian Arabs helped to revive it as an active element in contemporary Arabic culture.