Tag Archives: language

New Hats, and More Wednesday Writings

دَوْر root: د-و-ر / noun / plural: أَدْوار / definition: role What’s new? Well, quite a lot. I’ve found myself, as we tick through month one of twenty-twenty-six, switching between several roles—with my work placement, consultation sessions, study, and new endeavours. (I also keep meaning to set a date for my workshop; let me knowContinue reading “New Hats, and More Wednesday Writings”

Exploring Time in the Arabic Dictionary: “Autumn”

ضَباب root: ض-ب-ب / noun / definition: fog, mist It’s never great to have brain fog. It’s even worse if someone else suggests you have it. And more so if your brain doesn’t feel particularly foggy and you start to question what “symptoms” the other person noticed… And then, all of a sudden (the sameContinue reading “Exploring Time in the Arabic Dictionary: “Autumn””

Reading Arabic Literature: Back to ذا

خُبْز root: خ-ب-ز / collective noun / definition: bread After much anticipation, I’ve finally started my work placement with an Arabic literary magazine. I spent the day with head tucked into laptop, pausing now and then to graze on the delicious flour-free muffins I’d made at 7am and—now—I remind myself that I said I’d startContinue reading “Reading Arabic Literature: Back to ذا”

A Word from the Saudi Dialect: بزران

مَزْرَعَة root: ز-ر-ع / noun / plural: مَزارِع / definition: farm, plantation In Medina, the week before last, we’d wandered off-path and through-open-gate into someone’s land. Unknowing trespassers, our eyes took in the palm trees, running water, greenery. And then—oops—the someone whose land it was walked over and asked how we got in. It wasContinue reading “A Word from the Saudi Dialect: بزران”

What’s the Difference between Form II and Form IV Verbs?

سَبَبِيّة root: س-ب-ب / abstract noun / definition: causality You probably already know that different Arabic verb forms point to different general meanings. For example, form X verbs refer to seeking something, and form VII indicates that the verb meaning is passive. But have you noticed that form II (فَعَّلَ / يُفَعِّلُ) and form IVContinue reading “What’s the Difference between Form II and Form IV Verbs?”

An Eastern Dialect, a Return to the Peninsula

شَرقِيّ root: ش-ر-ق / nisba adjective / definition: eastern It’s funny. In the summer, I was preparing to spend my winter studying in Jeddah, but ended up cancelling my plans for one reason and the other. And now we’re nearing the end of December, I’m here in Jeddah—on completely different terms. I’m on a four-cityContinue reading “An Eastern Dialect, a Return to the Peninsula”

Three Arabic Words for “Sleeplessness”

سَهْران root: س-ه-ر / adjective / definition: sleepless Here I sit, nearby suitcase half-packed with un-ironed clothes, and I remember that it’s been a while since our last post in the synonyms series. In fact, it was over two months ago—so, before my move—that I wrote Seventeen Arabic Words for Peace and my thesaurus-inclined mind cravesContinue reading “Three Arabic Words for “Sleeplessness””

Winter, Visas, Bowl

صَحْن root: ص-ح-ن / noun / plural: صُحون / definition: bowl, dish In case any one of you hadn’t noticed that daylight hours have dwindled to their almost-minimum: it’s winter. (And if you actually hadn’t noticed, I apologise for being the bearer of this heavy news.) That is, of course, unless you’re over on theContinue reading “Winter, Visas, Bowl”

Arabic Observations: The Root of Falling, and Love

مَهْوًى root: ه-و-ي / noun of place and time / plural: مَهاوٍ / definition: abyss I love little linguistic crossovers between languages. The ones where we find that two or more languages, far-removed in terms of place and origin, express a particular concept through the same semantic lens. Maybe I love them because they revealContinue reading “Arabic Observations: The Root of Falling, and Love”

Dictionary Finds: A Form XIV Verb

نادِر root: ن-د-ر / adjective, form I active participle / definition: uncommon, rare As they say, one discovery in the dictionary leads to another. So that’s why—for the second week in a row—I couldn’t resist adding to the Dictionary Finds series. And this time, our dictionary find brings us back to an uncommon triliteral verbContinue reading “Dictionary Finds: A Form XIV Verb”