Step-by-Step Arabic Literature Translation #13

اِستِسلام

root: س-ل-م / form X verbal noun / definition: surrender

I was torn this week between: writing about Arabic-Akkadian case endings; adding to the Uncommon Arabic Words for… series; and dedicating my time to a step-by-step literature translation.

As you can see from the title, I settled on the third option. It only seemed logical as I’ve officially enrolled for my PhD as of Thursday and, with that, I’ve accepted that I’m to fully surrender to Arabic literature for the next three-and-a-half years.

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The Exclamation of Lament

أَسَف

root: ء-س-ف / noun / definition: grief

We’re all familiar with the vocative particle (حَرف نِداء) that is يا, which we use to call on someone. (And you can find another use of يا explained in the comments under Wehr Wednesdays #174…)

But how many of us have heard of the particle وا, which is used as an exclamation of lament?

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Resource: Palestinian Literature Arabic Podcast

تَضاؤُل

root: ض-ء-ل / form VI verbal noun / definition: waning

It’s an unseasonably warm evening here in London and I’m feeling grateful for this flare of heat that’s allaying the melancholy that inevitably arises from the waning of summer.

But with my graduate school inductions beginning in less than two weeks, I sit here with one of the primary sources for my PhD research and remind myself that September quietly announced its arrival over a week ago.

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Arabic-Turkish Observations: the Mediterranean Sea

أَبيَض

root: ب-ي-ض / adjective / definition: white

Anyone who knows both Turkish and Arabic might have realised that the terms for the Mediterranean Sea in both languages include the word “white”: we have Akdeniz in Turkish, and البحر الأبيض المتوسّط in Arabic.

But the reasons this sea is described as “white” in these two languages are very different.

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Some Arabic Proverbs from the Hans Wehr Dictionary

مَثَل

root: م-ث-ل / noun / plural: أَمْثال / definition: proverb

I almost completed writing an entirely different post to publish today, but it just didn’t feel like the right day to post it. That happens sometimes when I write posts, and I then store them in my drafts to publish another week, or I occasionally—with a slight feeling of guilt—leave them there untouched forevermore.

Anyway, I guess part of me wanted to write this post instead: a list of some proverbs you can find in the Hans Wehr dictionary.

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The Archaic Particle لاتَ

زِفاف

root: ز-ف-ف / noun / definition: wedding

After 24 hours of travel (each way), I’ve returned (very jetlagged) from a blissful week in Malaysia where I got to celebrate my friend’s wedding after not having seen her for eight whole years!

Ah, the lush tropical greenery juxtaposed with glass skyscrapers… and the awe-inspiring views as we swam in the rooftop pool… and the delicious food that had this non-foodie eating like it was her pastime… All round good times that I won’t be forgetting any time soon.

And of course, the first thing I think about when I get back (other than sleep, after many caffeine-fuelled, half-awake hours) is what to write for my next blog post.

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Dictionary Finds: ء-ل-ك and Angels

مَلَك

root: م-ل-ك or ل-ء-ك or ء-ل-ك… / noun / plural: مَلائِكة / definition: angel

I had a conversation with my teacher about the Akkadian root ʔ-l-k (the equivalent of ء-ل-ك) which carries the general meaning of “to go” and, discussing one of his theories, he mentioned that he wasn’t sure whether this ancient Semitic root survived to Modern Arabic.

And, sure, there was no trace of the root in the Hans Wehr—but I did find it in Lane’s Lexicon, where I was met with a really surprising entry.

I’m going to share this intriguing find with you in reverse order to how I pieced it together, so it’ll make more sense…

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Searching for Meaning in Language

بَحْث

root: ب-ح-ث / form I verbal noun / definition: searching, looking

It’s Thursday and we’ve been busy translating clauses from Hittite laws in class and for homework. And my mind, exhausted but enriched from a second intense week of ancient language learning, can’t stop running.

As well as concreting my love for dictionaries (order is a beautiful thing), this course has so far taught me a few things about myself. And one of them is that I love searching for Meaning (capital M) in dictionaries, rather than just meanings.

What do I mean by that?

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Some Arabic-Akkadian Lexical Observations

Assyrian inscriptions, on display at the British Museum

أَكّادي

root: ء-ك-د / nisba adjective, noun / definition: Akkadian

For the past week, I’ve been intensively studying Akkadian as part of the three-week Ancient Languages of Anatolia program, run by the Koç University Research Center for Anatolian Civilisations (ANAMED).

And when I say intensively, I mean it: I feel like I’ve studied the equivalent of two years worth of Arabic grammar (verb forms and all!) in addition to getting to grips with the cuneiform writing system as well as how to transcribe, transliterate, and translate texts… in the space of five days.

But as an enthusiastic linguist and unashamed grammar nerd, I honestly couldn’t have found a better way to spend three weeks of my summer!

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Reading Arabic Literature: Vocabulary That Caught My Eye

إطْلاق

root: ط-ل-ق / form IV verbal noun / definition: launch

I quietly launched The Arabic Pages shop a few days ago, with the first designs inspired by the uncommon Arabic word for “moonlessness” that we explored in Wehr Wednesdays #175.

(You might say it’s slightly ironic, then, that the design features an undeniably-present illustration of the moon… but I’d call it poetic juxtaposition… or something…)

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