Egyptian Self-Taught

by Carl Albert Thimm

MARLBOROUGH'S SELF-TAUGHT SERIES.

Egyptian Self-Taught (ARABIC).

CONTAINING Alphabet and Pronunciation—
Vocabularies—Elementary Grammar—Idiomatic
Phrases & Conversations —Travel Talk—
Money, Weights and Measures.

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BY

CAPTAIN C. A. THIMM.

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Fourth Edition, Revised and Enlarged by

MAJOR R. A. MARRIOTT, D.S.O.

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London:
E. MARLBOROUGH & CO., 51, Old Bailey, E.C
1914.

[ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.]

NOTE TO THIRD EDITION.

It has been the fashion since the occupation of Egypt to speak slightingly of the colloquial form of Arabic in use there.

This is partly because, as is the case in every country, the commoner forms of speech seem uncouth and unclassical to students who have learnt their Arabic either in universities, from munshis in India, or from Syrians (who are frequently in Egypt the professed instructors).

The basis of the common speech is, however, classical, though not directly recognisable as such. The fact that some of the words have not been encountered in the comparatively scanty literature of the Arabs, nor in the Koran, does not preclude them from being Arabic, though the forms of speech may not rank higher than such English forms as shan't, ain't, and I've.

Take, for instance, the word so often heard—ballāsh, gratis (used often where "gratis" is scarcely the translation). This is the Egyptian form of bila shey, without anything; and mush (not) is ma shey, like the ne and pas in French, though the proper negative is mā, lā, or leyss.

The Egyptian language has also the characteristic of using many words in their diminutive form. Thus mā, water, becomes moyyah; saghīr, small, saghayyar, hence also the form shuwāayyah which again is scarcely recognisable in the expression bi shweysh meaning slowly. Further, letters are sometimes transposed : zōg, a pair, becomes gōz; yil'an' becomes yin'al, the most common expletive in use, in the form yin'al abūk! "May your father be cursed"!

Some scholars are of opinion that the Egyptian Arabic, showing kinship with the Aramaic, is entitled to as high a place in the pedigree of the language as is the language of the Koran.

Everyone of standing or education in Egypt speaks with a superstructure of good Arabic, so that a student of the language may rest assured that as he advances in knowledge of the expressions and words used amongst the educated natives he in learning Arabic which will stand him in good stead elsewhere.

R. A. MARRIOTT.

Chelmsford, 1907.

PREFACE.

THIS little manual is intended as a practical handbook of colloquial Arabic, as spoken in Egypt, for the Army and Navy, Travellers, Missionaries and Traders, in the Nile Valley and Delta, or in the Sudan.

By the use of this book, students, tourists and others will find they are quite competent to make themselves understood by all classes of Arabs met with in Egypt, the Sudan, and a considerable part of North Africa.

Full Vocabularies of words in common, every-day use are supplied, including a particularly comprehensive list of Military terms and a useful section of Conversational Phrases and Sentences of a practical character. In addition an outline of the Grammar of Arabic is given, and students of the Language will find this of great assistance in mastering the construction of sentences.

In the Vocabularies the plural has in most cases been added to the nouns, as well as the imperative of the verbs, which also occasionally presents difficulties. The system of transliteration adopted is of a simple and phonetic character, and is clearly laid down at the commencement of the book, where the forms of the Arabic characters are given, together with a full explanation of the peculiarities of pronunciation, the Egyptian rendering of the Arabic alphabet, and the equivalent sound of each letter in English—thus supplying the key to the second column throughout.

Thanks are due to Professor Flinders Petrie for revising the proofs, and to Sir Alfred Milner, K.G.B., Dr. Andrew Watson, Captain H. C. Prichard, Mr. D. A. Cameron and others for useful suggestions made.

CONTENTS.

	PAGE
The Alphabet	5
The Forms of the Letters	6
Remarks on the Pronunciation of Arabic	8
Vocabularies.—Pages 12 to 60.
Animals, Birds and Fishes	14
Colours	34
Commercial and Trading Terms	59
Countries and Nations	31
Eating and Cooking Utensils	21
Fruits, Trees, Flowers, Herbs and Vegetables	16
Government Ministries and Administrations	45
House and Furniture	22
Mankind: Relations	18
Dress	19
Food and Drink	20
Human Body, The	16
Military Titles	46
Naval and Military Terms	47
Numbers: Cardinal, Collective	32
Parts of Speech: Adjectives, Adverbs, etc., Conjunctions, Interrogatives, Prepositions, Pronouns, Verbs	34 to 45
Professions and Trades	24
Religious Words for Missionary Workers	60
Reptiles and Insects	15
Ships and Shipping	25
Shooting Implements and Fishing Tackle	28
Time and Seasons	29
Town and Country	23
Travelling	26
World and its Elements, The	12
Land and Water ; Minerals and Metals	13
Writing	27
The Grammar of Arabic-Pages 61 to 66.
Remarks—The Verb: Auxiliary Verbs; General Formation of Tenses—Pronoun—Formation of Plurals—Definite Article—Negative—Adjective—Polite Diction.
Conversations.—Pages 67 to 79.
Directions to Workmen	72
Travel Talk : Arrival	73
An Excursion	76
On the Nile	77
The Railway	74
Simple and Practical Phrases	68
Useful and Necessary Expressions	67
Weights and Measures	79
Egyptian Money	80