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 hereContinue reading “Resource: Palestinian Literature Arabic Podcast”
Tag Archives: learning
Wehr Wednesdays #201
A new word or phrase from the Hans Wehr dictionary, every Wednesday.
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 twoContinue reading “Arabic-Turkish Observations: the Mediterranean Sea”
Wehr Wednesdays #200
A new word or phrase from the Hans Wehr dictionary, every Wednesday.
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 IContinue reading “Some Arabic Proverbs from the Hans Wehr Dictionary”
Wehr Wednesdays #199
A new word or phrase from the Hans Wehr dictionary, every Wednesday.
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”
Wehr Wednesdays #198
A new word or phrase from the Hans Wehr dictionary, every Wednesday.
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”
Wehr Wednesdays #197
A new word or phrase from the Hans Wehr dictionary, every Wednesday.
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”
Wehr Wednesdays #196
A new word or phrase from the Hans Wehr dictionary, every Wednesday.
Some Arabic-Akkadian Lexical Observations
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 equivalentContinue reading “Some Arabic-Akkadian Lexical Observations”
Wehr Wednesdays #195
A new word or phrase from the Hans Wehr dictionary, every Wednesday.
Wehr Wednesdays #194
A new word or phrase from the Hans Wehr dictionary, every Wednesday.
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”
Wehr Wednesdays #193
A new word or phrase from the Hans Wehr dictionary, every Wednesday.
Arabic Verbs for “to Look at” (Part 2)
نَظَر root: ن-ظ-ر / noun / plural: أَنْظار / definition: sight, view We’re adding to our synonyms series this week, with part two of Arabic Verbs for “to Look at”. And this time, we’re including some phrases. Let’s get into it:
Wehr Wednesdays #192
A new word or phrase from the Hans Wehr dictionary, every Wednesday.
Arabic Observations: the True Meanings of Poetry
اِرتِباط root: ر-ب-ط / form VIII verbal noun / plural: اِرتِباطات / definition: connection, link During one of your sessions journeying through an Arabic dictionary, you might have stumbled upon the entry for شِعْر, and maybe you also noticed how it has two primary meanings: knowledge and poetry. (You’ll find quite a nice phrase underContinue reading “Arabic Observations: the True Meanings of Poetry”
The Arabic Pages 