Western Neo-Aramaic Vocabulary

167 Pages·2020·1.702 MB·English

by  Yona Sabar

English - Neo-Aramaic Dictionary
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English - Neo-Aramaic Dictionary
Dialects of the Jews of Zakho, Nerwa, Amidya and Dehok
(North-West Kurdistan)
Yona Sabar
gp
2020
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2020 ܐ 1
ISBN 978-1-4632-4144-5 ISSN 1935-6838
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Printed in the United States of America
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Table of Contents .............................................................................................. v
Foreword ......................................................................................................... vii
Some Semantic and Lexical Observations ........................................................ ix
List of Abbreviations ...................................................................................... xiii
English—Neo-Aramaic Dictionary .................................................................... 1
v

FOREWORD

This dictionary is based on my Jewish Neo-Aramaic Dictionary (JNAD, 2002),
for readers and scholars who would like to know the Neo-Aramaic words. I, my-
self, use it whenever I want to know a Jewish Neo-Aramaic word that I have
forgotten. It is basically for functional purposes, and, therefore, does not include
grammatical details (m., f., pl.; regular and irregular verbal forms, etc.), and se-
mantic details (cognates or loanwords in original scripts, etc., which the inter-
ested user can easily find in JNAD, but I have included the origin of the words,
be it native Old Aramaic (OA), and, in the case of loanwords, the original lend-
ing language, Arabic (Ar), Kurdish (K), Persian (P), Turkish (T), etc. (see below
List of Abbreviations). The following short introduction mostly includes some
discussion of semantic observations, especially vis-à-vis English, that I have no-
ticed while preparing this volume.

vii

SOME SEMANTIC AND LEXICAL OBSERVATIONS
1. I will not repeat grammatical features that I have extensively described in the
Introduction to my JNAD. Instead, I will record below some semantic and lexical
observations that I have noticed while preparing this volume.
1.1 English lexemes may have several Neo-Aramaic translations, usually loan-
words from different languages, or dialects, periods, or with different nuances
useful for the culture, or from different, e.g. “arrange” has: צ-ר-ת t-r-ṣ (OA); ); -ר
ג-ד-ז r-z-d-g (K), ת-פ/ב-ד ḏ-b/p-t (Ar ?), ז-ר-כ x-r-z (OA), ר-ד-ס s-d-r (NT, OA);
and some with latent or obvious nuances such as “arrange nicely”: ק-ו-ז z-w-q
(Ar); ב-ת-ר-ת t-r-t-b (Ar).
1.2 “Basket” has nine or ten translations, according to shape, size, material from
which it is made, etc.: אליבמז zambīla wicker basket (Ar/K < OA); קבט ṭabaq
shallow basket (Ar); אשוכ kōša loose dress part that can be used as a basket to
carry small things (K “lap”); ארארכ xarara basket used by porters (Ar ?); הבכמ
mıkabbe large and heavy basket made of dry thin tree branches, with a lot of
holes for ventilation, used to cover food on the roof at evening so it will not be
eaten by birds, cats, etc. (Ar); רישלס sallašir deep basket, carried on the back
(KAr); אתכבלוע ʿulblkṯa small (wooden) —, H tevah (הבת) (Ar-K < OS); אתכלס/צ
ṣ/sallıkṯa basket, container (K); אפוק qūpa small wicker basket (OA< Ak), cog-
nate of H quppah; huge basket אלאטרק qırṭāla (OS/Ar < Gr); cf. OA אתילטרק
qarṭalīṯa small basket.
1.3 Similarly, there are several words for (types of) “gift” (distinction — not al-
ways clear): יראיד dıyyari (K < Ar); היידה hadīye (Ar); אתוהי yhōta (OA);
אנאתשית teštāna (K); אתאלכ xleʾta (Ar); generous אתייאטע ʿaṭāyıta (Ar); great —
שכשיפ pēškıš (K/P); holiday — אנאדיא ʾēḏāna (OA); grant a — א-ל-כ x-l-ʾ (Ar).
1.4 For types/degrees of “heat”: heat אמכ xımma (OA); אתומימכ (warmth)
xamīmūṯa (OA); אתמכ xımta (OA); תונכש šıxnūṯ(a); אתיגֹ ווהל lahwajīṯa (Ar);
ix
x ENGLISH—NEO-ARAMAIC DICTIONARY
אתירפט ṭapparīṯa (Ar ?); אניקלש šalaqīna (OA); אתלכלכ kalkalta (K); excessive sun
— אתיקרש šarraqīṯa (Ar); of noon — ארהט ṭahra (OA).
1.5 Complimenting various honest people: honest תסורוד durust (K); קדאצ ṣadıq
(Ar); חלאצ ṣālıḥ (Ar); אייקנ nıqya (OA); לדאע ʿādıl (Ar); ןמיהמ mhēman (OA);
אדאז-לאלח ḥalāl-zāda (Ar-K/P); אנאצורת troṣāna (OA); רשכ kāšḗr (H); תסאר rāst
(K/P); לאלחלא-ןבא ʾıbn-ilḥalāĺ (Ar) לאלחלא-דלו wıld-ılḥalāl (Ar); קידצ ṣaddīq (H);
אקאדצ ṣaddāqa (f.).
1.6 Many names and epithets for God, especially in Rabbinical texts, including
Judaic loanwords from Hebrew and Islamic from Arabic: אהאליא ʾilāha (OA);
(live, eternal) םייק qayyām (H); (Name) םש šēm (H); (exalted) אלאעת taʿāla (Ar);
הלא ʾaḷḷah (Ar); (maker of wonders) הבאֹגע תדאוא ʾawāḏıt ʿajābe (Ar); (merciful)
םיחר raḥīm (Ar); (merciful and compassionate) ןונחו םוחר rāḥūm we-ḥannūn (H);
(creator) אקאלכ xalāqa (Ar); (creator of the world) םלוע ארוב bōrē ʿōlām (H);
(Master of the world) םלוע דאתסא ʾıstāḏ ʿōlām (Ar-H); (God of the universes)
ןימלעד אהאליא ʾilāha dʿalamīn (OA-Ar); (benefactor) אתאיוווה דאארפ parāʾıd
hawuyāṯa (OA-Ar); (Master of Heavens) תאואמס לא בר rabb ıl-samāwāt (Ar);
(master of the world) םלועה ןובר rıbbōn ha-ʿōlām (H); ןימלאע לא בר rabb ıl-ʿālamīn
(Ar); (my God, my Master) יבר rabbi (Ar); ייאלומ mawlāyi (Ar); for God’s sake םש
םימש šēm šāmāyim (H); but דובעמ maʿbud “idol” (Ar); or םנצ ṣanam; הרז הדובע
ʿavōḏa zāṛa (H).
1.7 Types of vessels for preserving liquids, meats:
jar אנודכ kaddūna (OA); אקיב bīqa (Ar ?); אתנד danta (OA); אזוכ kūza (OA/OS);
אניאל lʾına (OA/OS); אפוכס saxōpa (OA/OS); אתקוק quqta (OS); (large —) היילדנק
qandalīye (K < Ar ?); (large — for carrying water from the river) אמלת talma
(OS); (hole in the ground holding the bottom of jars) הכנאד-יזוכ kūzi-dānke (K).
1.8 midwife (old lady) הכדגֹ jıddıke (K < Ar); (nanny) הנייאד dāyīne (K); (old
mother) הכריפאד dāpīrke (K); (“receiver, welcomer”) אתנלבקמ mqablanta (Ar);
אלאבק qabāla (Ar); serve as midwife ל-ב-ק q-b-l (Ar).
1.9 Nuances of (“manly”) human beings: ימדאא ʾādami (Ar); ןאסנע/א ʾı/ʿnsān
(Ar); םדא ןב bēn ʾādam (H); (humans) רשב ינב bani-bašar (Ar); הירב bırya (OA);
השאנ רב bır nāše (OA); (flesh and blood, weakling) םדו רשב basar wa-dam (H);
אשאנ nāša (OA).
1.10 Since many Kurdish Jews worked as loggers, they have different words for
different shapes and sizes of wood: הויצ ṣīwe (OA); הנאליא ʾilāne (OA, Am); many
trees הראד-הראד dāre-dāre (K); forest, thicket הלחד daḥle (K); poplars, cedars