اللّامَعْنى root: ع-ن-ي / compound abstract noun / definition: meaninglessness The clocks went back the day before yesterday and, like every year, it feels like someone somewhere switched off the warming daylight and left us in a cold, dark wintertime. I think about how a shift of just an hour changes so much, and IContinue reading “Exploring Time in the Arabic Dictionary: “the Future””
Tag Archives: grammar
Arabic Headline Analysis #11
صَديقة root: ص-د-ق / feminine noun / plural: صَديقات / definition: friend Has it really been over a year since I last wrote an Arabic headline analysis? My archives nod “yes” and guilt sinks me into my chair. I think of my friend who was the inspiration behind both the headline analysis and literature translationContinue reading “Arabic Headline Analysis #11”
A Useful Structure: ما إن ـــــ حتى ـــــ
إبْريق root: ب-ر-ق / noun / plural: أَباريق / definition: teapot, jug With the pouring of a never-emptying teapot and the stealing of smiling glances, another Sunday passed and this week has left me in unfamiliar but exciting territory. I served the dolma and wondered if any of the leaves had gotten stuck between myContinue reading “A Useful Structure: ما إن ـــــ حتى ـــــ”
Exploring Time in the Arabic Dictionary: “the Past”
حُلْم root: ح-ل-م / noun / plural: أَحْلام / definition: dream A few nights ago, I had a series of vivid dreams—each storyline defined and profound in and of itself. And yet I couldn’t help but to try to tie those threads together in my fervent hunt for “greater meaning”. I think that sums upContinue reading “Exploring Time in the Arabic Dictionary: “the Past””
Exploring Time in the Arabic Dictionary: “Hour”
سائِع root: س-و-ع / form I active participle / definition: abandoned Do you remember, back in January, when we explored why سنة is longer than عام? Well, we’re back with the Exploring Time series—and this time we’re taking a deep dive into the Arabic word for “hour”. And it’s more interesting than you might expect…
Root Exploration: ر-ح-م
رَحّال root: ر-ح-ل / adjective / plural: رُحَّل / definition: nomadic Every now and then, a wave of embarrassment that I thought had ebbed into nonexistence surges over me once more. Once upon a time, I received feedback for one of my undergrad Linguistics essays and was mortified to find that the teacher had correctedContinue reading “Root Exploration: ر-ح-م”
Step-by-Step Arabic Literature Translation #16
حَصاد root: ح-ص-د / form I verbal noun / definition: to harvest Last week left me exhausted. So I spent the weekend wearily harvesting whatever grains of energy I’d managed to sow, and trying hard to herd unwieldy guilt into the back of my mind. I’ve noticed I tend to write step-by-step literature translation postsContinue reading “Step-by-Step Arabic Literature Translation #16”
Exploring Time in the Arabic Dictionary: Is سنة Longer than عام?
سَنَة root: س-ن-ه or س-ن / noun / definition: year Both سَنة and عام are translated into English as “year”, and they’re used interchangeably. So why does the dictionary tell us that one of these years is longer than the other? What’s the real difference between these two words?
Root Exploration: ء-ب-د
دَهْر root: د-ه-ر / noun / plural: دُهور / definition: long period of time, epoch If you’ve been reading closely, you’ll have noticed that I’ve been talking about time a lot lately. My term of studying here in Doha officially ends next week, and it’s as though I’m inside an hourglass trying to grapple withContinue reading “Root Exploration: ء-ب-د”
Exploring Time in the Arabic Dictionary: “Tomorrow”
غَدًا root: غ-د-و / adverb of time / definition: tomorrow In the new Exploring Time series last week, we took a trip to yesterday. This week, we’re looking ahead: exploring how we can understand the notion of tomorrow through the Arabic dictionary. (Yes, we’re skipping today—call me future-thinking or something.)
Exploring Time in the Arabic Dictionary: “Yesterday”
أَمْسُ root: ء-م-س / noun / definition: yesterday Some places make you feel as though you’ve stepped back into a distant yesterday or an even further yesteryear. And walking through Souq al Wakra at night, past its cosy courtyards snuggled into alleys meandering towards the coast, I’d set foot into a yesterday I was livingContinue reading “Exploring Time in the Arabic Dictionary: “Yesterday””
Small Arabic Words with Conditional Powers
قُوّة root: ق-و-ي / noun / plural: قُوًى / definition: power, force Big things come in small packages—oh wait, that’s not how it goes. Nor is it what I meant actually. Maybe I meant “small but mighty” but didn’t want to sound like I’m advertising laundry detergent pods. Ahem… today we’re looking at a groupContinue reading “Small Arabic Words with Conditional Powers”
The Feminine Superlative in Arabic: When to Use It
سوق root: س-و-ق / noun / plural: أَسْواق / definition: market, bazaar It’s nearing midnight and I’ve just returned from Souq Waqif having mistakenly ordered a very sugary tea of which I could only drink half before succumbing to the headache and nausea that now strike whenever I consume sugar. A cup of (very muchContinue reading “The Feminine Superlative in Arabic: When to Use It”
Arabic Headline Analysis #10 and an Invitation to Akkadian Class
دَعْوة root: د-ع-و / noun / plural: دَعْوات / definition: invitation, call There’s not much that lifts my spirits like an email from my enthusiastic Akkadian teacher, who reached out a few days back about resuming our language classes in October. As I’m spending a semester here in Qatar (and drowning in the workload ofContinue reading “Arabic Headline Analysis #10 and an Invitation to Akkadian Class”
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”
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”
The لِ and كَ of Distance
هَزّاز root: ه-ز-ز / adjective / definition: rocking Even after ten sweet days in Morocco, there’s nothing like coming back home and falling into the gentle swing of my rocking chair. I rock, and lull my prodding thoughts about the angle of the chair’s swing into silence to make way for some other brain activity.Continue reading “The لِ and كَ of Distance”
Case Endings on the Alif Maqsoora (ى)
مَقْصور root: ق-ص-ر / form I passive participle / definition: limited, shortened I’ve been thinking recently about this blog. Well, of course I have—I’ve been writing posts twice a week, every week, for four-and-a-half years now—I can’t think of a way not to think about it. But I guess my dedication to writing here doesContinue reading “Case Endings on the Alif Maqsoora (ى)”
The Arabic Pages 