Western Egyptian Bedawi Arabic
{{Short description|Arabic variety of Western Egypt}}
{{Infobox language
| name = Western Egyptian Bedawi Arabic
| altname = Sahil Maryut Bedouin Arabic
Sulaimitian Arabic
| states = Egypt
| region = Alexandria, Beheira, Matrouh, Beni Suef, Cairo, Egypt–Libya border
| speakers = {{sigfig|1.000000|1}} million
| date = 2022
| ref = {{e28|ayl}}
|speakers_label = Speakers
| familycolor = Afro-Asiatic
| fam2 = Semitic
| fam3 = West Semitic
| fam4 = Central Semitic
| fam5 = Arabic
| fam6 = Maghrebi Arabic
| fam7 = Libyan Arabic{{e28|ayl}}
| script = Arabic alphabet
| glotto = west2774
| iso3 = ayl
| iso3comment = included in {{ISO 639|ayl|link=yes}} [ayl]{{e28|ayl}}
}}
Western Egyptian Bedawi Arabic, also known as Sahil Maryut Bedouin Arabic,{{sfn|Maṭar|1967}}{{sfn|Maṭar|1981}} is a group of Bedouin Arabic dialects spoken in Western Egypt along the Mediterranean coast, west to the Egypt–Libya border.{{e28|ayl}}{{sfn|Ennaji|1998|p=7}} Ethnologue and Glottolog classify Western Egyptian Bedawi Arabic as a Libyan Arabic dialect.{{Cite web |title=Glottolog 4.7 - Western Egyptian Bedawi Arabic |url=https://glottolog.org/resource/languoid/id/west2774 |access-date=2023-01-01 |website=glottolog.org}}{{e28|ayl|Arabic, Libyan Spoken}}
This variety is spoken by the Awlad Ali tribe,{{sfn|Al‐Wer|Jong|2017|p=529}}{{sfn|Hüsken|2019|p=39}} who settled in the edges of Lake Maryut and west of Bihera beginning in the 17th century from the region of Jebel Akhdar (Libya).{{sfn|Behnstedt|Woidich|1987|p=244-251}} It is also spoken in Wadi El Natrun.{{sfn|Wilmsen|Woidich|2011|p=2}} Their dialect is phonologically, morphophonemically and morphologically closer to the Peninsular Bedouin dialects than to the adjacent Egyptian dialects.{{sfn|Behnstedt|Woidich|2005|p=39}} Egyptian Arabic speakers from other parts of Egypt do not understand the Awlad Ali dialect.{{sfn|Hüsken|2019|p=54}}
Western Bedouin dialects influenced the dialects of southern Upper Egypt between Asyut and Idfu, and those of the Bahariyya Oasis and Bihera.{{sfn|Behnstedt|Woidich|1987|p=244-251}}
Classification
The dialects spoken in Matruh province as well as in eastern Libya have been traditionally classified as belonging to the Sulaymi Bedouin dialects, characterized by a /g/ reflex of Qāf, the gahawa-syndrome, and feminine plural conjugations and pronouns.{{Cite journal |last=Souag |first=Lameen |date=2009 |title=Siwa and its significance for Arabic dialectology |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/43525858 |journal=Zeitschrift für Arabische Linguistik |issue=51 |pages=51–75 |jstor=43525858 |issn=0170-026X}} However, the classification of North African Bedouin dialects into Hilalian, Sulaimitian, and Ma’qilian groups is not uncontroversial, and is based primarily on socio-historical and geographical considerations.{{Cite journal |last=Taine-Cheikh |first=Catherine |date=2017 |title=La classification des parlers bédouins du Maghreb : revisiter le classement traditionnel |url=https://www.academia.edu/36792764 |journal=Tunisian and Libyan Arabic Dialects: Common Trends - Recent Developments - Diachronic Aspects|language=fr}}{{Cite journal |last=Benkato |first=Adam |date=2019-12-13 |title=From Medieval Tribes to Modern Dialects: on the Afterlives of Colonial Knowledge in Arabic Dialectology |url=https://brill.com/view/journals/phen/4/1-2/article-p2_2.xml |journal=Philological Encounters |volume=4 |issue=1–2 |pages=2–25 |doi=10.1163/24519197-12340061 |s2cid=213987414 |issn=2451-9197|url-access=subscription }} While the dialects of Tripolitania represent a continuation of Tunisian dialects, the dialects of Cyrenaica show affinities with Eastern Bedouin dialects, especially with regards to the gahawa-syndrome and syllable structure.
Phonology
| class="wikitable"
|+ Consonants{{sfn|Behnstedt|Woidich|1987|p=244-251}} ! colspan="2" rowspan="2" | ! rowspan="2" |Labial ! colspan="2" |Interdental ! colspan="2" |Dental/Alveolar ! rowspan="2" |Palatal ! rowspan="2" |Velar ! rowspan="2" |Pharyngeal ! rowspan="2" |Glottal |
| plain
!plain |
|---|
| colspan="2" |Nasal
|{{IPA link|m}} | | |{{IPA link|n}} | | | | | |
| rowspan="2" |Stop
| | | |{{IPA link|t}} |{{IPA link|tˤʔ}} | |{{IPA link|k}} | | |
| voiced
|{{IPA link|b}} | | |{{IPA link|d}} | | |{{IPA link|ɡ}} | | |
| rowspan="2" |Fricative
|{{IPA link|f}} |{{IPA link|θ}} | |{{IPA link|s}} |{{IPA link|sˤ}} |{{IPA link|ʃ}} |{{IPA link|x}} |{{IPA link|ħ}} |{{IPA link|h}} |
| voiced
| |{{IPA link|ð}} |{{IPA link|ðˤ}} |{{IPA link|z}} | |{{IPA link|ʒ}} |{{IPA link|ɣ}} |{{IPA link|ʕ}} | |
| colspan="2" |Tap/Trill
| | | |{{IPA link|r}} | | | | | |
| colspan="2" |Approximant
| | | |{{IPA link|l}} | |{{IPA link|j}} |{{IPA link|w}} | | |
Notes:
- /ṭ/ is glottalized as in Upper Egyptian Arabic: [tˤʔ]
| class="wikitable"
|+ Vowels ! !Back |
| align="center"
|{{IPA link|i}} {{IPA link|iː}} | |{{IPA link|uː}} |
| align="center"
!Mid | |{{IPA link|ə}} | |
| align="center"
!Open | |{{IPA link|a}} {{IPA link|aː}} | |
Grammar
= Pronouns =
Contrary to MSA, Western Egyptian Bedawi uses the plural pronouns for dual pronouns:
| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|+Independent personal pronouns{{sfn|Behnstedt|Woidich|1987|p=244-251}} ! colspan="2" | !Singular !Plural |
| colspan="2" |1st person (m/f)
|nā, nābīdi |iḥna, niḥna |
|---|
| rowspan="2" |2nd person
!m |init |intu |
| f
|inti |intan |
| rowspan="2" |3rd person
!m |hū |həm |
| f
|hī |hin |
The following direct object pronominal suffixes are attached to verbs:
| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|+Direct object pronominal suffixes{{sfn|Behnstedt|Woidich|1987|p=244-251}} ! colspan="2" | !Singular !Plural |
| colspan="2" |1st person (m/f)
| -ni | -na |
|---|
| rowspan="2" |2nd person
!m | -ak | -kam |
| f
| -ik | -kan |
| rowspan="2" |3rd person
!m | -ih, -ah (near emphatics) | -həm ~ -ham |
| f
| -ha | -hin ~ -hən |
The following demonstrative pronouns are used. The form hāḏ̣ayīəhi is also used with the suffix -yīəhi:
| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|+Demonstrative pronouns{{sfn|Behnstedt|Woidich|1987|p=244-251}} ! colspan="2" | !Singular !Plural |
| rowspan="2" |Proximal
(this, these) !m |hāḏ̣a |hāḏowl |
|---|
| f
|hāḏi |hāḏeyn |
| rowspan="2" |Distal
(that, those) !m |hāḏ̣āk |hāḏ̣alówk |
| f
|hāḏīk |hāḏ̣alák |
The following interrogative pronouns are used:
| class="wikitable"
|+Interrogative pronouns{{sfn|Behnstedt|Woidich|1987|p=244-251}} !Arabic !English |
| eyš
|what |
| leyš
|why |
| eymítta
|when |
| weyn
|where |
| keyf, eyšinhū, eyšinhī
|how |
= Verbs =
== Perfect ==
There are two types of strong perfect stems, CiCáC (a-type) and CCiC (i-type). Examples of a-type perfects are misák, nizál, ṭiláʿ, fihám. Examples of i-type perfects are šrib, rkib, zʿil, smiʿ, ʿrif, gdir, kbir, kṯir, tʿib, lbis, ybis.{{sfn|Behnstedt|Woidich|1987|p=244-251}}
Some perfect conjugations are shown below:
| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
! colspan="2" | !Base !w/ Object Suffixes |
| rowspan="2" |3rd person sg.
!m |misák | |
|---|
| f
|msíkat |msikīət-ih, msikát-ta |
| rowspan="2" |3rd person pl.
!m |msíkaw | |
| f
|msíkan |msikánn-ih |
== Imperfect ==
There are three types of strong imperfect stems, CCiC (i-type), CCəC (ə-type), and CCaC (a-type). The vowel of the conjugation prefix harmonizes with the vowel of the stem: yiktib, yərgəd, yašṛab. The conjugation of the 1st person follows the niktib-níkitbu paradigm.{{sfn|Behnstedt|Woidich|1987|p=244-251}}
Influence
= Bihera =
The pronunciation [ʒ] for ǧīm occurs in the west of the Bihera, were Awlad Ali settled. Metathesized forms such as mašzid “mosque” may be a result of the influence of their dialect.{{sfn|Holes|2018|p=80}}
References
{{Reflist}}
Bibliography
- {{cite book |doi=10.1002/9781118827628.ch32 |chapter=Dialects of Arabic |title=The Handbook of Dialectology |year=2017 |last1=Al‐Wer |first1=Enam |last2=Jong |first2=Rudolf |pages=523–534 |isbn=978-1-118-82755-0 |publisher=Wiley|editor1-first=Charles|editor1-last=Boberg|editor-link1=Charles Boberg| editor2-first=John|editor2-last=Nerbonne|editor-link2=John Nerbonne| editor3-first=Dominic|editor3-last=Watt|oclc= 989950951 }}
- {{cite book |last1=Behnstedt |first1=Peter |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lpGYmQEACAAJ |title=Die ägyptisch-arabischen Dialekte: Texte. Delta-Dialekte |last2=Woidich |first2=Manfred |date=1987 |publisher=Reichert |isbn=978-3-88226-415-9 |language=de|volume=3|oclc=158521055}}
- {{cite book |last1=Behnstedt |first1=Peter |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/182530188 |title=Arabische Dialektgeographie : eine Einführung |date=2005 |publisher=Brill |first2=Manfred |last2=Woidich |isbn=90-04-14130-8 |location=Boston |oclc=182530188|language=de}}
- {{Cite book |last=Ennaji |first=Moha |author-link=Moha Ennaji|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/42746547 |title=Arabic varieties in North Africa |date=1998 |publisher=Vivlia |others=Centre for Advanced Studies of African Society |isbn=1-919799-12-5 |location=Florida Hills |oclc=42746547}}
- {{cite book |year=2018 |title=Arabic Historical Dialectology: Linguistic and Sociolinguistic Approaches |editor1-first=Clive |editor1-last=Holes |isbn=978-0-19-870137-8 |publisher=Oxford University Press|oclc= 1059441655 }}
- {{cite book |last=Hüsken |first=Thomas |chapter=People, Places and a Brief History |date=2019 |title=Tribal Politics in the Borderland of Egypt and Libya |pages=31–59 |place=Cham |publisher=Springer International Publishing |language=en |doi=10.1007/978-3-319-92342-0_3 |isbn=978-3-319-92342-0 |s2cid=165534196 |oclc=1059513981}}
- {{cite book |last=Maṭar |first=ʻAbd al-ʻAzīz|title=لهجة البدو في اقليم ساحل مريوط: دراسة لغوية |date=1967 |publisher=دار الكاتب العربي، |language=ar|oclc=784347217|trans-title=The Bedouin Dialect in Mariut Coast: A Linguistic Study}}
- {{cite book |last=Maṭar |first=ʻAbd al-ʻAzīz|title=لهجة البدو في الساحل الشمالي لجمهورية مصر العربية : دراسة لغوية |trans-title=Bedouin dialect in the northern coast of the Arab Republic of Egypt: A linguistic study|year=1981|url=https://www.nli.org.il/he/books/NNL_ALEPH990021477990205171/NLI |language=ar|location=Dār al-Maʻārif, [Cairo]|isbn=9789777334730|oclc=60506275}}
- {{cite book |last1=Wilmsen |first1=David |first2=Manfred|last2=Woidich|chapter=Egypt |title=Encyclopedia of Arabic Language and Linguistics |editor1-first=Lutz |editor1-last=Edzard |editor2-first=Rudolf |editor2-last=de Jong |doi=10.1163/1570-6699_eall_EALL_COM_vol2_0001 |year=2011|publisher=Brill|url=https://referenceworks.brillonline.com/entries/encyclopedia-of-arabic-language-and-linguistics/egypt-EALL_COM_vol2_0001}}
Further reading
- {{Cite book |last=Behnstedt|first=Peter|chapter=La frontière orientale des parlers maghrébins en Égypte |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/40820286 |title=Peuplement et arabisation au Maghreb occidental : Dialectologie et histoire |date=1998 |publisher=Casa de Velázquez |editor-first1=Jorge |editor-last1=Aguadé|editor-first2= Patrice|editor-last2= Cressier|editor-first3= Ángeles|editor-last3= Vicente |isbn=84-86839-85-8 |location=Madrid |oclc=40820286|language=fr|pages=85–96}}
- {{Cite journal |last=Owens |first=Jonathan |date=2003 |title=Arabic Dialect History and Historical Linguistic Mythology |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/277452735 |journal=Journal of the American Oriental Society |volume=123 |issue=4 |pages=715–740 |doi=10.2307/3589965 |jstor=3589965 |issn=0003-0279}}
- {{Cite book |last1=Behnstedt |first1=Peter |url=https://academic.oup.com/book/26748/chapter/195615421 |title=The formation of the Egyptian Arabic dialect area |last2=Woidich |first2=Manfred |date=2018-10-18 |publisher=Oxford University Press |volume=1 |language=en |doi=10.1093/oso/9780198701378.003.0003|section=Map 3.1: The Egyptian Arabic dialect area today}}
{{Varieties of Arabic}}
{{Languages of Egypt}}