Author Archives: thearabicpages

Root Exploration: ع-ذ-ب

سِلْسِلة root: س-ل-س-ل / noun / plural: سَلاسِل / definition: series, chain Due to an unexpected series of events, I found myself this weekend somewhere I never thought I’d go: mini golf. As it turns out, I’m quite the pro (for a beginner, anyway). But I bring myself back to more familiar territory now, asContinue reading “Root Exploration: ع-ذ-ب”

Prepositions and Pronoun Suffixes: Pronunciation Shifts

نُطْق root: ن-ط-ق / noun / definition: pronunciation We’re probably all aware that Arabic prepositions can take pronoun suffixes to denote the object. For example, we can add the suffix ـكَ (you) to مَعَ (with) to give us مَعَكَ (with you). However, when we add (certain) pronoun suffixes to certain prepositions, the spelling and pronunciationContinue reading “Prepositions and Pronoun Suffixes: Pronunciation Shifts”

Arabic’s Chameleon Words: حقّق

حَقّ root: ح-ق-ق / noun / definition: truth After I washed down the social anxieties of last week with a few Kalms‘, I woke up this Monday looking ahead to an empty social calendar for the next two weeks. Huh. Feels odd. Well, it’ll give me some time to work on creating more content forContinue reading “Arabic’s Chameleon Words: حقّق”

A New Resource and a New Schedule

جَلْسة root: ج-ل-س / noun / plural: جَلسات / definition: session I coerced myself into attending an online writing session starting at 10am this morning so the sense of accountability from strangers’ faces in boxes on my screen would push me to finally write up and send off the short article that hadn’t made itContinue reading “A New Resource and a New Schedule”

Step-by-Step Arabic Literature Translation #15

قَيْلولة root: ق-ي-ل / noun / definition: nap It must be this autumnal weather that’s breezed into mid-summer like an uninvited guest that has me seeking out daytime naps all of a sudden. Maybe I’m squirrelling away energy so I can cope with the gloom. But I’ll claw myself away from another micro-hibernation long enoughContinue reading “Step-by-Step Arabic Literature Translation #15”

Some Arabic Words for “Darkness”

اِسْحِنْكاك root: س-ح-ك / form XIV verbal noun / definition: to be extremely dark Last week for me was full of meetings, meet-ups, appointments, and a good three-hour conversation over dinner. So my productivity and social battery, this week, are dragging their feet to recovery—and taking a few hits on the way. But we’re onContinue reading “Some Arabic Words for “Darkness””

“Gaza! Gaza! Gaza!”: Life Through Literature

غَزّة root: غ-ز-ز / proper noun / definition: Gaza A tidal wave of sleep overwhelmed me late yesterday afternoon, with its undercurrents pulling me further into the depths of somnia until I washed up on the shores of wakefulness this morning and listlessly stretched my way out of bed. I basked in the sun forContinue reading ““Gaza! Gaza! Gaza!”: Life Through Literature”

Reading Arabic Literature: Thinking Back

التَّمْر root: ت-م-ر / collective noun / definition: dates Akkadian class flew by this week as we ate dates and drank (only mê, water, not karān-am, wine) all in order to learn new vocabulary and begin talking about our daily routines. I noted how the Akkadian word for “star”, kakkab-um, mirrors the Arabic كَوكَبٌ, kawkab-un,Continue reading “Reading Arabic Literature: Thinking Back”

A Summer School, Sardinia, and Spent Ink

حِبْر root: ح-ب-ر / noun / definition: ink Never have I veered so close to spontaneity before. It was a Thursday morning and I had just applied for a linguistics summer school—without realising that it was due to start just four days later in Sardinia’s capital, and that the deadline had passed weeks before. Somehow,Continue reading “A Summer School, Sardinia, and Spent Ink”

Arabic’s Chameleon Words: اهتمّ

حِرْباء root: ح-ر-ب / noun / plural: حَرابي / definition: chameleon There are many Arabic words from which multiple meanings bloom, taking on a certain one according to the context. A bit like how a chameleon adapts to its immediate environment. Learning the meanings of these chameleon words is especially beneficial to us Arabic studentsContinue reading “Arabic’s Chameleon Words: اهتمّ”