Vocabulary (Lexicon) - Sample 1

This transcript is from the same conversation between two government employees in the city of al-^cAin. It includes a colloquial expression /tiÐrib xATT/ “hit the road.” This and other distinctive vocabulary items are highlighted in yellow. Some distinctive sounds are highlighted in light blue and grey, as in the previous transcript. For example, speaker A says /aayiy/ “I come” rather than /ajiy/. This pronunciation is highlighted in blue.

A:    fa-m… hAAĐA aħla əd-dəwAAm, ma^c inni kənt bə^ciid, ma^c inni kənt bə^ciid ya^cni adAAwwəm fi-abu Đabi,
AR: he he
A:    w-ana hiní fi-l-^ceen, wa-laakín, kint mərtaħ [< murtaaħ] nafsiyyan ya^cni, leeš li¿an əd-dəwAAm, rasmi,
AR: kənt yooméen təĐərəb xaTT^h
A:    la la maa
AR: ^calaa¿ bu ĐAbi
A:    la ma-kint aĐərəb yóomeen xaTT ya^cni kənt, aa mit^cawwəd taγriiban kill yooméen,
AR: mm
A:    kill yooméen aayiy, miθalan is-sabt wə-l-áħad, ana hənAAk, abAAt hənAAk fi-l-ma^cáskar,

Translation

A:    So, this is the sweetest work schedule, even though I was far, even though I was far away, you know, I work in Abu Dhabi,
AR: yes, yes.
A:    and I [live] here in al-^cAin. But I was psychologically comfortable. Why? Because the work schedule was [the] official [working hours, i.e. not scattered working shifts].
AR: So every two days you’d hit the road
A:    No, no, not…
AR: to go to Abu Dhabi?
A:    No, I didn’t hit the road every two days. I was accustomed, every two days,
AR: mm-hmm
A:    I would come every two days, for example Saturday and Sunday I’d be there, I’d spend the night there in the military camp,

 Vocabulary (Lexicon) - Sample 2

In this excerpt a man from al-^cAin tells us about the difficulties of preparing for a holiday for a married man. Distinctive vocabulary items are highlighted in yellow. Some distinctive sounds are highlighted in light blue and grey, as in the previous transcripts.

ta^caal ħagg il-məzzowwuj, yiwaddi, ħəramt-a(h) wə-^cayaal-a(h) s-suug, yimkin aa, yoomiyyan li-muddit xamst ayyaam, arba^ct ayyaam, yíštəri hAAði yirja^c yištíri. zaħma ba^cdeen t^cÁrif, ma-yigdar yiTla^c doom. yiTla^c i(y)šuuf zaħma leen-ma yuuSəl maħall waaħid maħalleen radd, ya^cni yit^cab fi-t-təsawwəg, fi-l-^ciid, haay-l-miškila, ba^cdeen ^cind-ək, yíštəri ħagg il-beet, ya^cni wajibAAt γiðaa¿iyya wə-fəwaakih wə-hAAðA ħagg əD-Dyuuf, wə-^cənd-ək aa, ya^cni, iltizaamAAt akθar minzowwuj, əl-^caazib mərtaaħ, nəħən ^cind-na fi-l-^ciid, il-^ciid ^cibaara ^can, rAAħA ya^cni, fatərət rAAħa wə-lixaa¿ [< wi-liqaa¿], been, been il-¿ahal wə-l-¿aSdixaa¿ [< wi-l-¿aSdiqaa¿] ya^cni,

Translation

But look at the situation of [lit. ‘come {look at} what belongs to’] the married man. He takes his wife and his children to the market, maybe every day for five days, four days. He buys this, he goes back and buys [some more]. And it’s crowded, you know. He can’t always go out. When he goes out he encounters [lit. ‘sees’] crowds right up until he reaches one store, two stores, and over again. That is, he gets tired from shopping during the holiday. That’s the problem. And then you’ve got to buy things for the house, you know, food supplies and fruits and so on for the guests. And you’ve got, uhm, more obligations [when you’re] married. The bachelor is relaxed. During the holiday in our country, the holiday is for relaxation. You know, a period of rest and get-togethers with the family and friends.

 Vocabulary (Lexicon) - Sample 3

In this excerpt two friends (A and AR) tell an American (B) about the problem of finding a good barber on the evening before an Islamic holiday. Distinctive vocabulary items are highlighted in yellow. Note that the plural of “barber,” /ħalaaliig/, is distinctive. Although it is heard throughout the Gulf, it is not found in Levantine or Egyptian or Yemeni dialects.

Another distinctive vocabulary word is the verb /yiħallig/ “give a shave and a haircut.” In Emirati Arabic it is a Form II verb. In other dialects it is a simple, Form I verb: /yiħliq/ (in Baghdadi Arabic) or /yiħlig/ (in Qatar)¹. In other Gulf dialects, such as Bahraini Arabic, the “gahawa syndrome” has inserted an extra vowel, producing /yiħalig/². But the Emiratis have taken this change one step further by also adding an /l/, producing the Form II verb /yiħallig/.

A third distinctive word is the verb /yinTiri/ “wait for.” In Bahrain the corresponding Form VII verb, /yinTara/, means “be mentioned.” To say “wait,” the Bahrainis say /yinTir/³. It appears that, in the Emirates, the two Bahraini verbs have merged, producing the distinctive Emirati verb (which has the morphology of a Bahraini Form VII verb but the meaning of the Bahraini Form I verb, “wait for.”) Some distinctive sounds are highlighted in light blue, as in the previous transcripts.

AR: kəll mukAAn ya^cni. leeš? ya^cni, il-wAAħid yimuut wəllaa¿ ləħíyət-a(h) ma-tkuun mirAttaba aw ša^car-a(h), yoom il-^ciid, ahámm šey, ya^cni hAAðA šey ma^cruuf ya^cni fi-kəll məkAAn,
B:    ħiluw
AR: fa-tə^caal šuuf il-ħalaaliig leelt il-^ciid, ya^cni, itšuuf aa… əl-ħallAAg, θalAAθ i(y)ħalguun fii-h, wə-fii-(h) ^cašara gAA^cdiin yinTəreyyuun ze… ¿inta yoom itšuuf manĐar əl-ħallaag təguul la ma-yinfa^c, itdawwər γeer-a(h) nafs iš-ši, wə-haakaða. fa-fii-(h) ħalaaliig, ma-ħadd yiħalləg ^cind-(h)um, leeš? ma-fii-hum, ya^cni maħAAra fi-l-ħəlaaga, ba^cĐ il-ħalaaliig, ba^cĐ il-… ya^cni… ya^cni¿. fa-nəħən nəTTarr [< niÐTarr] ¿in inruuħ ^cin(d) il-ħalaaliig haðeela, illi ma-yiħa… ¿illi ma-fi-hum mahAArA,
B:    aa
AR: hee wallaahi. leeš? zaħama maa-fii-(h) faayida, ma-ši waqt.

Translation

AR: In every place, you know. Why? Well, a guy would rather die that have his beard or his hair not be neat and tidy on the holiday. That’s the most important thing. This is well-known, in every place.
B:    Nice!
AR: So come look at the barbers on the night of the holiday. Well, you see the barbers, three of them are shaving one barber, while ten [customers] are sitting [there] waiting. When you see the barber’s appearance, you say ‘No, that doesn’t work.’ You look for another one, [but it’s] the same thing. And so on. There are barbers that no one [goes to] for a shave and haircut. Why? They don’t have any skill when they barber, some of the barbers. So we are compelled to go to those barbers, who don’t…who have no skill
B:    aa.
AR: Right, by God. Why? Crowds, there’s no use, there’s no time.

Top of the page