| A Comparative Glossary of Cypriot Maronite Arabic (Arabic-English): With an Introductory Essay Contributor(s): Borg, Alexander (Author) |
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ISBN: 9004131981 ISBN-13: 9789004131989 Publisher: Brill OUR PRICE: $229.90 Product Type: Hardcover - Other Formats Published: July 2004 Annotation: Cypriot Arabic, an unwritten language and mother tongue of several hundred bilingual(Arabic/Greek) Maronites from Kormakiti (N.W. Cyprus), evolved from a medieval Arabic colloquial brought to the island by Christian Arab migrants (probably from Asia Minor and Syria). It represents the outcome of a unique linguistic and cultural synthesis drawing on Arabic, Aramaic, and Greek; its Arabic component also shows a hybrid areal profile combining Greater Syrian traits with formal features typical of the contemporary S.E.Anatolian-Mesopotamian dialectal continuum. A number of rare Aramaic substratal elements in Cypriot Arabic suggest a relatively earlyseparation of its parent dialect from mainstream Arabic. This lexicon surveys about 2000 Cypriot Arabic terms against the background of extensive comparative material from the Arabic dialects, Old Arabic, and colloquial and literary varieties ofAramaic. Many Cypriot Arabic terms are here cited with illustrative examples and ethnographic commentary where relevant. Cypriot Arabic is an endangered language; the present glossary is the most comprehensive lexical record of this scientifically intriguing variety of peripheral Arabic. It is primarily intended for orientalists and linguists specializing in comparative Semitics and Arabic dialectology. |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Foreign Language Study | Arabic - Architecture | Interior Design - General - Social Science | Islamic Studies |
| Dewey: 492.770 |
| LCCN: 2003048108 |
| Series: Handbook of Oriental Studies: Section 1; The Near and Middle East |
| Physical Information: 1.44" H x 6.58" W x 9.62" (2.32 lbs) 492 pages |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: Cypriot Arabic, an unwritten language and mother tongue of several hundred bilingual (Arabic/Greek) Maronites from Kormakiti (N.W. Cyprus), evolved from a medieval Arabic colloquial brought to the island by Christian Arab migrants (probably from Asia Minor and Syria). It represents the outcome of a unique linguistic and cultural synthesis drawing on Arabic, Aramaic, and Greek; its Arabic component also shows a hybrid areal profile combining Greater Syrian traits with formal features typical of the contemporary S.E.Anatolian-Mesopotamian dialectal continuum. A number of rare Aramaic substratal elements in Cypriot Arabic suggest a relatively early separation of its parent dialect from mainstream Arabic. This lexicon surveys about 2000 Cypriot Arabic terms against the background of extensive comparative material from the Arabic dialects, Old Arabic, and colloquial and literary varieties of Aramaic. Many Cypriot Arabic terms are here cited with illustrative examples and ethnographic commentary where relevant. Cypriot Arabic is an endangered language; the present glossary is the most comprehensive lexical record of this scientifically intriguing variety of peripheral Arabic. It is primarily intended for orientalists and linguists specializing in comparative Semitics and Arabic dialectology. |