Tag Archives: hans wehr

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 viewsContinue reading “The Archaic Particle لاتَ”

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 SemiticContinue reading “Dictionary Finds: ء-ل-ك and Angels”

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 (orderContinue reading “Searching for Meaning in Language”

Dictionary Finds: the Curious Case of the Question Mark

اِستِفهام root: ف-ه-م / form X verbal noun / definition: inquiry, question For me, this week has been characterised by a lovely long chat in a cosy café, arranging a flurry of travel vaccinations, and adding some fresh ideas to my growing list of side hustles. I don’t remember what I was doing, however, whenContinue reading “Dictionary Finds: the Curious Case of the Question Mark”

Three Arabic Phrases Meaning “to Take Someone’s Place”

اِستِبْدال root: ب-د-ل / verbal noun of form X / definition: replacement Back in December, we explored the مَـ of place and time. Today, we’re taking a look at three phrases meaning “to take someone or something’s place” that combine a verb with a place noun from the same root:

Strangeness and a Summer of Reading

غَريب root: غ-ر-ب / adjective / definition: strange Orhan Pamuk’s A Strangeness in My Mind has been sitting on the tiny, just-enough-space-for-tea-and-a-book shelf beside my bed, having remained unopened for far too long after I’d got into it and read a decent amount. I’m not sure why it’s hard for me to pick it backContinue reading “Strangeness and a Summer of Reading”

Dictionary Finds: Collocations of شقّ

جَوّ root: ج-و-و / noun / plural: أَجْواء / definition: air, atmosphere I try to evoke, in my physical spaces, an air of refreshing minimalism. My bedroom walls, for example, are washed in white and bare, save the two (white) floating shelves and narrow (white) floating desk that quite subtly jut out along one side.Continue reading “Dictionary Finds: Collocations of شقّ”