Linguist Suleiman describes the role of the Arabic language in the articulation of nationalist ideology in the Arab Middle East. The focus is on the use of the language as a marker for group identity from medieval times to the present. The study combines detailed readings of Arabic nationalist literature with the scholarly literature on nationalism and the techniques of sociolinguistics. The author teaches at the U. of Edinburgh. Annotation (c) Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)