Misrata Arabic
The Arabic spoken in Misrata is a Libyan variety located in the so-called transitional zone, and thus featuring isoglosses that link to both Western and Eastern Libyan Arabic, in addition to some peculiar traits that set it apart from both. The Arabic of Misrata shows marked Bedouin (Hilāli) traits on the phonetic, morphological and syntactic level, even though the existence of a few sedentary features allow us to classify it as a mixed variety.
Misrata Arabic: əl-ʕīd
Árabe de Misrata: el Aid
(1) bi-smi-llāh. nəbdu bi-l-ʕīd əṣ-ṣġīra. (2) ṭabʕan, əl-ʕīd eṣ-ṣġīra hīya ʕīd el-faṭəṛ, taʔti baʕd… (3) dži baʕd baʕd əṣ-ṣyām, šhar ṛamaḍān. (4) ṭabʕan əl-ʕīd hādi yafəṛḥu bī-ha ən-nās kull-hum, u elli iži iʕayyəd igūl-l-ək in-šā-ḷḷa ṛabb-i yitqabbal, elli hu yitqabbəl šahaṛ ṣiyām kāmil. (5) fi l-ʕāde, ṭabʕan, el-ʕīd el-kbīra ədži, fi l-ʕīd əṣ-ṣġīra elli hūwa yikūnu n-nās šārīn dbaš, malābis. (6) əd-dbaš hādā ḥa-yikūn fi āxaṛ iyyām əṣ-ṣyām yikūn is-sūg zaḥma zaḥma zaḥma zaḥma xaṣṣtan fi l-lēl. (7) ibīʕu fī-ha fi l-elʕāb, ibīʕu fī-ha fī l-dbaš. (8) kull wāḥad ṭabʕan yešri fī dbaš ždīd, u l-aṭfāl yešrū-l-hum fi alʕāb, u l-banāt ḥatta [nəlʕab]. (9) fi l-ʕāda alʕāb əl-aṭfāl yikūnu ifaḍḍlu fi l-musaddisāt aw fi s-səyyārāt, ḥāža hekki (10) yaʕni anē ʕand-i xū-ya, ntfakkaṛ fī-h lamma kān ʕumr-a sitt əsnīn žibət-l-a səyyāra kassaṛ-ha, nibbi musaddis, (11) qaṣd-i kull-hum yoḥəbbu fi l-musaddis, uslūb ṭabʕan xaṭīr, (12) bi-ʕtibāṛ […] kull-hum musaddis xarāz, yaʕni, tṣīr fi ḥālāt wāžda fi l-ʕīd ənna wāḥəd yaxsaṛ fi ʕēn, aṭfāl u yiḍərbu ʕēn fi l-musaddis. (13) u l-bnāt fi l-ʕāda yāxdən fi bnābəl, bambəla, bārbi, mā bārbi, ḥāža šakəl hekki. (14) awwul yōm el-ʕīd, əṣ-ṣubaḥ es-sāʕa tmānya u-nuṣṣ, yəmšu n-nās, yaṭḷaʕu min əl-bēt mtāḥ-ḥum l-ʕand əž-žāmaʕ. (15) fi l-ʕāda, yaʕni, u l-afḍaḷ an tkūn timši ʕalē rižlē-k u ṭūl əṭ-ṭərīg mn el-bēt la-ʕand, min əl-ḥōš l-ʕand ež-žāmaʕ u tatkabbaṛ, aḷḷāhu akbaṛ, u ilay-hi əl-ḥamd, (16) ṣadaqa waʕd-a u aʕazza žund-a wa hazama l-aḥzāb waḥd-a. hādi ṭūl əṭ-ṭarīg. (17) tṣaḷḷu, ṭabʕan iži yuxṭub əl-imām. lāʔ, iṣaḷḷu fi l-ʕīd u mm əl-awwul awwul šey žži f əž-žāmaʕ kān mā-zāl mā-žā-š əl-imām, yugoʕdu yikabbṛu f əž-žāmaʕ. (18) baʕdēn iži l-imām. tṣaḷḷu, baʕdēn yarkəb əl-imām yuxṭub. (19) yuxṭub ənna hīya f əl-ʕīd məš igūl l-en-nās tsāmḥu baʕaḍ-kum yaʕni wāḥad zāʕal min xū-h wāla wāḥad zāʕal min žār-a wāla šey (20) yitsāmḥu baʕaḍ-hum u iʕayyidu, əlli gādər, wa l-awwal afḍaḷ, (21) u baʕd-a, baʕd mā təmm əl-xuṭba, elli f əž-žāmaʕ kull-hum isallmu ʕala baʕaḍ-hum u iʕayyidu ʕala baʕaḍ-hum, (22) u sāmaḥ-ni u aḷḷāh isāmḥ-ək, u in-šā-ḷḷa ṛabb-i yitqabbəl ṣyām-ək, hekki, yaʕni itkallmu. (23) baʕd-a iṛauwḥu l-əl-bēt. ṭabʕan, fi l-ʕāda yikūn bū-ya u xū-ya u xūt-i yaʕni ʕayyədət ʕalē-hum f-əž-žāmaʕ f-əl-ʕāde, w elli ma ḥāḍəṛ-š nžīh f-əl-bēt, əḥna mrawwḥīn f-əl-bēt nʕayyid ʕlēhum nʕayyid ʕalē umm-i u ʕalē bāgi xūt-i u bāgi l-ʔusra. (24) ṭabʕan anē bū-ya mədzawwiž itnēn, et-tānya tawwa yaʕni mā-li-hā-š wāžəd, mumkən lī-ha sana u nuṣṣ ḥāliyyan baʕd al-aḥdāt. (25) nži nʕayyid ʕalē umm-i, wa baʕdēn ižu xawāl-i fi l-ʕāda ḥnē. (26) ižu xawāl-i, nʕayyidu ʕalē-hum, xawāl-I u abnā xawāl-i, ulād xawāl-i, ulād xawāl-i (27) yaʕni ižu nʕayyidu ʕalē-hum, u baʕd-a, fi l-ʕašiyya, ṭabʕan əl-ʕāəla tkūn kull-ha mužtamʕa ḥnē bi-n-nisba ʕalē-na, kull, kull-hum mužtamʕīn. (28) baʕdēn fi l-ʕašiyya nʕaddu nʕayyidu ʕalē ʕammāt-i u ʕalē aʕmām-i. (29) hāde l-yōm əl-awwəl. əl-yōm ət-tāni, nəmši fi əl-xawāli, elli hūwa ʕand-i žedd-i u ḥannt-i, ntkall… nʕayyidu ʕalē-hum, nugʕudu nhaderzu mʕā-hum, (30) qaṣd-i l-yōm ət-tāni fi l-ʕāda yikūn, l-əl-xawāli. (31) il-yōm ət-tālət l-əl-aṣḥāb. xalāṣ əl-yōm ət-tālət kull wāḥəd mən ʕāylt-na iʕaddi itfaṛṛəgu. (32) hāda… elli ʕand-a ṣḥāb iʕaddi b-iʕayyəd ʕlēhum, hāda b-ən-nisba li-l-ʕīd əṣ-ṣġīra.
(33) əl-ʕīd əl-kəbīra. əl-kbīra, ṭabʕan, bi-dži baʕd… fi mawsim də l-ḥəžža elli hūwa baʕd əl-ḥažž. (34) ən-nās ḥa-tkūn kull wāḥəd yaʕni yidbaḥ uḍḥīt-a elli hūwa d-dbīḥa mtāʕ-a u əlli mā-ʕand-ā-š, (35) fi l-ʕāda, inn əl-ʔimām mtāʕ əž-žāmaʕ hūwa yiḍaḥḥi ʕalē nafs-a, yiḍaḥḥi ʕalē-h u ʕalē n-nās kull-hum. (36) yaʕni igūl aḷḷahumma tqabbal mən-ni u mən ummət muḥammad u mn elli mā-ʕand-ā-š yaʕni, ḥatta hūwa imši yənḥasib fi l-ʔažer in-šā-ḷḷāh. (37) fi l-ʕāda, əl-ʕāəla yədəbḥu ʕalē ʕalē stiṭāʕāt-hum yaʕni. (38) wāḥəd, tnēn, talāta, aṛbaʕa, tūṣəl ḥatta li-ʕand-sitta, mā-fī-š muškəla. (39) elli mədzawwuž, yədbaḥ, fi l-ʕāda, yaʕni ayy wāḥəd mədzawwuž yədbaḥ. (40) ʔamma l-ʕazzāb, elli mā-hū-š mədžawwuz, mʕā ahl-a. (41) fi l-ʕīd il-kbīra, əl-yōm əl-awwol yəkūn kull-a mʕā l-ʕāəla, fi d-dabaḥ, u s-saləx, u šwā u ikāl, (42) u tahədrīz, u ḍaḥak. hāda il-yōm əl-awwol. (43) əl-yōm ət-tāni, ingabbaʕu, əṣ-ṣubaḥ əngaṭṭʕu l-lḥam, nḥuṭṭū-h fi t-təllāža, u nelbsu d-dbaš ndāwšu, (44) u baʕd-a, nʕaddu kull wāḥad nʕaddu nʕayyidu, yaʕni, nafs əš-šey ʕa-l-xawāli u aʕmām-i, kull šey yaʕni. (45) əl-yōm ət-tālit, ət-tāni u fi t-tālit yaʕni kull-a ʕīd.
(46) ʕāšūṛa, fī ṭabʕan fī ḥāža ism-ha fəttāša, fəttāša, əlli hīya hādi, ṛāṣ əs-sana, fi ṛāṣ əs-sana l-ʕaṛabiyya mūš əl-hižriyya. (47) ṛāṣ əs-sana, əlli hūwa yigūlu aḥne l-ʕazāyəz yigūlən ənna ḥnē yifattšən bāgi d-dbaš, bāgi l-ʕīd. (48) baʕd el-ḥəžža, baʕd el-ḥəžža u fī šhar muḥarram, yōm wāḥəd muḥarram, hāda ižyu, qaṣd-i, idīru fī aklāt (49) tkūn kuskusi u daḥi u gəddīd u ḥāža ism-ha ləwāwi u təžtaməʕ əl-ʕāəla kull-hum u yāklu fī-h kull-a yaʕni. (50) hāda, hādi fəttāša, ʔakla bass bi-dūn muʕāyəda u šey yaʕni. (51) fī əlli yiḥabb fī-ha idīr ʕašē u fī əlli ġadē u kemma yəḥobbu n-nās yaʕni. (52) fī l-ʕāšūṛa. l-ʕāšūṛa hādi ṭabʕan fi d-dīn al-islāmi yaṣīmu yōm, yōm gabl-a əlli hūwa yōm tisʕa, aw yṣīm yūm ḥdāš, ya tṣīm tisʕa wa ʕašra ʔaw ʕašra wa ḥdāš.... (53) el-afḍaḷ tisʕa u ʕašra, bass mā-gdert-š tṣīm ḥatta ʕašra wa ḥdāš. (54) fī l-ʕāda ʕand-na əl-yōm, fi l-yōm ʕāšūṛa hāda yaṭubxu fī daḥi u fūl u lə-ṣġār yaṭḷʕu li-š-šāreʕ u iduggu ʕal əl-ḥōš yaʕṭū-hum fī fūl u daḥi (55) u n-nās taʕṭi l-əl-žirān, ḥatta ṣ-ṣġār yigūlu, yaṭḷʕu fī š-šārəʕ u yigūlu: ʕāšūṛa ʕāšūṛt-i (56) mlū-l-i ḍaḥūṛt-I ḍaḥūṛt-i məlyāna bi-š-šīš u l-ʕaṣbāna hāda qaṣd-i ġunya iġannu fī-ha. (57) əl-maʕna ʕāšūṛa ʕāšūṛt-i mlū-l-i ḍaḥūṛt-i əlli hīya baṭn-i yaʕni yuqṣəd bī-ha baṭn-i, (58) mlū-l-i ḍaḥūṛt-i, ḍaḥūṛt-i məlyāna, baṭn-i məlyāna, bī-š-šīš u l-ʕaṣbāna, əš-šīš əlli hūwa muqṣəd bī-h əl-fūl u d-daḥi u l-ʕaṣbāna. (59) qaṣd-i hāda l-… yeḥku fī-h yaʕni. hāda bi-n-nisba l-əl-aʕyād.
(1) In the name of God. Let’s start with the Lesser Eid. (2) Naturally, the Lesser Eid is Eid al-Fiṭr, it comes after (3) the fast, after the month of Ramadan. (4) Naturally everybody rejoices in it and whoever comes to exchange wishes says to you ‘God willing, May God accept, which means may He accept an entire month of fasting’. (5) Usually, naturally, the Greater Eid comes, in the Lesser Eid people buy clothes, clothes. (6) These clothes, during the last days of fasting, the market is very crowded, especially at night. (7) They sell toys, they sell clothes. (8) Everyone naturally buys new clothes and they buy toys for the children and little girls [play] too. (9) Usually, as far as toys are concerned, children prefer toy guns or cars, something like that. (10) I mean, I have a brother, I remember when he was six years old, I gave him a car and he broke it, “I want a gun!”. (11) I mean, they all love (toy) guns, which is naturally dangerous, (12) since they are all poorly built, I mean, a lot of accidents happen during the Eid: someone loses an eye, children hurt their eyes with toy guns. (13) The girls usually have dolls, a doll, Barbie or not, something like that. (14) On the first day of the Eid, in the morning, at eight and a half, people go, they go out, from their house to the mosque. (15) Usually, I mean, the best thing is that you go on foot and, while on the road from the house to the mosque, you praise: “Allāh akbar, may He be praised, (16) he fulfilled His promise, He fortified His army and defeated the allies, He alone.” This while you are on the road. (17) They pray, naturally the imam comes and preaches. No, they perform the Eid prayer and first, (when people) arrive at the mosque, if the imam hasn’t arrived yet, they keep on praising in the mosque. (18) Then the imam arrives. They pray, then the imam mounts the pulpit and preaches. (19) He preaches (saying) that during the Eid, he doesn’t say to people, forgive each other, that is, if somebody is angry with his brother or somebody is angry with his neighbour or something, (20) they forgive each other and they exchange wishes, the one who can, and the first is the best. (21) Afterwards, when the preach is over, all the ones who are in the mosque greet each other and exchange wishes: (22) “Forgive me” and “May God forgive you”, and “May God accept your fast, God willing”, they speak in this way I mean. (23) Then they go back home. Naturally, I usually have (already) exchanged wishes with my father, my brother and my (other) brothers, (so) I exchange wishes with my mother, with the rest of my brothers and the family. (24) Naturally, my father married twice, the second one, I mean, hasn’t been (by us) for a long time, maybe one year and a half now, after the facts. (25) I go and exchange wishes with my mother, and then my maternal uncles usually arrive. (26) My maternal uncles arrive, we exchange wishes, my maternal uncles and their sons, their children, my maternal uncles’ children. (27) I mean, they come, we exchange wishes, and then, in the evening, the family is naturally gathered. As far as we are concerned, they are all gathered. (28) Thereafter, in the evening, we go and exchange wishes with my paternal aunts and uncles. (29) This is the first day. The second day, I go to my maternal uncles, that is I go to my grandfather and grandmother, we speak, we exchange wishes, we stay and chat with them, (30) I mean the second day is usually for the maternal uncles. (31) The third day is for friends. That’s it, the third day everyone in our family goes by himself. (32) Whoever has friends goes and exchanges wishes for the Lesser Eid. (33) The Greater Eid. The Greater Eid, naturally, comes after..., in the season of Ḏū l-Ḥijja, that is after Pilgrimage. (34) People will be, I mean, everybody offers his sacrifice, which is his oblation, and if somebody doesn’t have one, (35) usually the imam of the mosque offers his sacrifice for himself, he offers the sacrifice for him and for everybody. (36) I mean he says: “My God, accept (the sacrifice) from me and from the community of Muḥammad and from whom doesn’t have it, I mean, so that it can be counted among the good deeds, God willing. (37) The family usually offers the sacrifice according to their possibilities, I mean. (38) One, two, three, four, it arrives even at six, no problem. (39) Every married man offers the sacrifice, usually, I mean everybody (who is) married offers it. (40) As for bachelors, for one who is not married, (he offers it) with his family. (41) During the Greater Eid, the first day is all with the family, with the sacrifice, its skinning, the barbecueing, the eating, (42) the chatting and the laughters. This is the first day. (43) The second day we stay awake, in the morning we cut the meat, put it in the refrigerator, get dressed, have a shower (44) and then we go, everyone goes and exchange wishes, I mean, the same thing, with the paternal and maternal uncles, everything I mean. (45) The third day, the second and the third, I mean, it’s all Eid. (46) ʕāšūrāʔ. There’s, naturally, there’s something we call fəttāša[1], fəttāša that is this, New Year, on the Arab New Year, not the hižrī. (47) New Year, which we, the old ladies say that we, New Year, which we, the old ladies say that we, they check the rest of the clothes, the rest of the Eid. (48) After the Pilgrimage, after the Pilgrimage and in the month of Muḥarram, the first day of Muḥarram, this, they come, I mean, they prepare food, (49) which is couscous and eggs and dried meat and something called ləwāwi[2] and the family gathers and eat everything, I mean. (50) This, this is fəttāša. Only the food, without wishes and other things, I mean. (51) Somebody likes to do it for dinner and (who likes to do it) for lunch, as people like, I mean. (52) There is ʕāšūrāʔ. For ʕāšūrāʔ, naturally, in the Islamic religion they fast one day, the day before, that is the ninth, or the tenth and the eleventh. (53) The best days are the ninth and the tenth, but if you couldn’t fast also the tenth and the eleventh. (54) Usually we have, on the day of ʕāšūrāʔ they cook eggs and fava beans and children go on the street and knock on the door (55) and people give them fava beans or eggs and people give to the neighbours, even the children say, they go out on the street and say: Oh ʕāšūrāʔ oh my ʕāšūrāʔ (56) fill my belly, my belly is full of kebab and stuffed intestines[3], this is, I mean, a song they sing. (57) The meaning (is) ʕāšūrāʔ my ʕāšūrāʔ fill for me ḍaḥūṛt-i, which means my belly, I mean the meaning is my belly, (58) my belly is full, my belly is full of kebab and stuffed intestines. Kebab, that means the fava beans and the eggs and the stuffed intestines. (59) I mean, this, they say, I mean. This is as far as feasts are concerned.[1] Fəttāša is both the name of the feast (New Year) and of a sort of witch used to scare children. [2] Ləwāwi is a sort of tripe. [3] ʕaṣbāna is a kind of food stuffed with meat and cooked vegetables.
Misrata Arabic: əl-ʕərs
Árabe de Misrata: la boda
(1) el-ʕerəs mən ʕašra snīn fātət kān yikūn hikki aṛbʕa iyyām. (2) əl-yōm əl-awwul elli hūwa yōm itnēn, yōm itnēn yikūn fī-h əḍ-ḍabḥ. (3) nešru bəll kema ngūlu ḥnē aw žməl zōz aw tlāta, yadəbḥu (4) u wazzʕu rasāyl li-əl-… li-l-ʕerəs, daʕwa ʔenna l-ʕazūma tkūn ġudwa. (5) ṭabʕan əl-yōm əl-awwul əḍ-ḍabaḥ u yunṣubu əl-xīm u idīru fi kull šey u iwaṭṭu fi kull šey ʕale asās ənna ʕāzimīn ġudwa n-nās, l-tāni yōm ən-nās. (6) ṭabʕan tāni yōm hāda insammu fī-h ḥnē ər-ramyəlli hūwa yōm ət-tlāt. (7) aṛ-ṛamy yuʕtabaṛ ši b-ən… ndīrū-ha ənna dbaš əl-ʕaṛūs, dbaš əl-ʕaṛūs, əd-dhab u l-… kull əl… w əz-zīna kull-hạ, əl-malābis u hādēna. (8) yarfʕu fī-ha li-hal əl-ʕaṛūs, ṭabʕan hāda nəḥkī-l-ək ʕalē ʕers l-ulạ̄d. (9) fa-yaʕzumu n-nās mʕā s-sāʕa ṭnāš mʕā ṣḷāt əḍ-ḍuhər. (10) iṣaḷḷu ḍ-ḍuhər u yitġaddu u yarfʕu elli hūwa aṛ-ṛamy. (11) aṛ-ṛamy yimšu li-ʕers əl-bint yarfəʕu d-dbạš, yagṛu l-fātḥa əlli hīya katb lə-ktāb yaʕni bə-l-… yagṛu l-fātḥa u yiṛauwḥu. (12) ṭabʕan tālət yōm elli hūwa yōm əl-irbʕa yōm əl-irbʕa yōm əl-ḥenna. (13) ṭabʕan l-ʕazūm yōm əl-irbʕa ʕalẹ̄ mōla, mōla l-bint əlli hūwa ʕərs əl-bint. (14) ṭabʕa ḥnē fī ʕādat-na fi miṣṛāta anna taqrībən yōm əl-irbʕa yidīru fi kuskusi, kuskusi u ʕaṣba. yōm əl-irbʕa, fa-hiya ʔahl əl, ʔahl əl-ʕarīs yarfʕu əlli hənna l-ḥənnāyāt. (15) n-nsāwīn, uxt-a, maṛt-a, ah maṛt-a uxt-a, umm-a, ʕammt-a l-aqribā mtāʕə-na u yaṭḷʕu li-ahl əl-ʕaṛūs, iḥannu, itʕaššu u baʕd ṣaḷāt əl-moġṛob yiṛowḥu. (16) žu li-ṛābaʕ yōm elli hūwa yōm… ḥnē naʕtəbrū-h yōm əz-zəffa aw yōm əž-žəḥfa nəḥna ngūlū-l-a fi məṣṛāta yōm əž-žəḥfa. (17) əž-žəḥfa ṭabʕan, əž-žəḥfa əlli hūwa yōm əl-xamīs kəma gut-l-ək. (18) ahl əl-ʕaṛūs bə-l-ʕaks: izeyynu l-ʕaṛūs, baʕd ṣḷāt l-ʕaṣər, yaṭḷʕu, yaṭḷʕu bī-hā wēn? (19) yaṭḷʕu bī-ha li-hal əl-ulad əlli humma ʕars əl-ulad. (20) tūṣəl ġādi gabəl l-moġṛob b-šway, ṭabʕan, yōm əl-… ṛābaʕ yōm əlli hūwa yōm, yōm əz-zəffa yiʕəzmu baṛḍu ahl əl-ʕarīs. (21) yuʕəzmu n-nās, yitʕaššu, baʕd əl-ʕaṣṛ l-xamsa s-sitta ʕla ḥasab ṣlāt l-moġrob yitʕaššu yūṣəl əṣ-ṣəlṭān əlli nəḥne ngūlu əṣ-ṣəlṭān yaʕni əlli hūwa l-ʕarīs. (22) əṣ-ṣəlṭān yūṣəl gabəl l-moġṛob b-nuṣṣ sāʕa, sāʕa əlla təlt taqrībən, yəlga kūšta wātya əlli hiya l-mnəṣṣa mtāʕ əl-ʕarīs yəlga l-kūš yixušš fi l-kūš u mʕā-h zōz tlāta elli kāynīn yilabbsu fi l-ʕarīs. (23) fa-yihannū-h n-nās, ixušš l-əž-žəḥfa yixušš li-d-duxla. (24) əd-duxla ḥnē ṭabʕan aṣ-ṣulṭān iṣalli l-moġṛob u yudxul. (25) yudxul nuṣṣ sāʕa, mūš maʕṛūf giddēš yaṭḷaʕ baʕ… baʕd baʕd əd-duxla yaṭḷaʕ, ihannū-h maṛṛa tānya elli hīya tahnīna tahnīna bə-r-rifāh w al-banīn. (26) yuṣalli l-ʕašē u tamm, tamm əl-ʕers.
(1) The wedding. The wedding used to be this way, four days. (2) The first day, which is Monday, was the day of the slaughter. (3) We buy camels, as we say, or a camel (žməl), two or three, they slaughter (4) and send letters for… for the wedding, invitations (saying) that the banquet will be on the next day. (5) Naturally (we have) the slaughter, they pitch the tents, do everything and prepare everything to invite the people on the following day, on the second day. (6) Naturally, we call the second day ramy, which is on Tuesday. (7) The ramy is considered - what can I (say)? – we prepare the clothes of the bride, the jewellery and all the ornaments, all of it, the clothes and all. (8) They bring them to the bride’s family, of course I’m talking about the wedding of young couples. (9) They invite people at twelve, at the time of the noon prayer. (10) They perform the noon prayer, have lunch and bring the ramy. (11) The ramy: they go to the girl’s (i.e. the bride’s) party and bring the clothes, they read the Fātiḥa, which is the scripture of the contract with the… I mean, they read the Fātiḥa and go back. (12) Naturally, the third day, which is Wednesday, Wednesday is the henna day. (13) Naturally, the invitation, on Wednesday, is on the bride’s father, it is the bride’s party. (14) Naturally, we, in our custom, in Miṣrāta, it’s on Wednesday that they usually prepare couscous, couscous and ʕaṣba. On Wednesday, the bridegroom’s family brings the women who apply the henna. (15) The women, his sister, his wife, oh his wife, (I mean) his sister, his mother his paternal aunt and our relatives go to the family of the bride, they apply the henna, they have dinner and after the sunset prayer go back. (16) They arrive to the fourth day, which is, we consider it the day of the procession of the bride (zəffa or žəḥfa). We say žəḥfa in Miṣrāta. (17) The procession, naturally, the procession is on Thursday as I told you. (18) The bride’s family, on the contrary, ornate the bride and after the afternoon prayer, hey go out with her, and where do they go? (19) They go with her to the bridegroom’s family. It’s the bridegroom’s party. (20) She arrives there a little before sunset, naturally, on the fourth day, which is the day of the procession, they also invite the groom’s family. (21) They invite the people, have lunch, the sulṭān arrives – we say the sulṭān, that is the bridegroom. (22) The sulṭān arrives before sunset, half an hour, or about forty minutes, he finds the (wedding) kiosk and enters it accompanied by two or three people that have (previously) dressed him. (23) People congratulate him and he enters for the žəḥfa, enters for the duxla. (24) The duxla we…naturally the sulṭān perform the sunset prayer and enters. (25) He enters for half an hour and nobody knows when he’s going to exit. After the duxla he exits, they congratulate him once again, saying: ‘Congratulations, congratulations, (we wish you) happiness and children.’ (26) He performs the evening prayer and it’s over, the wedding is over.
Phonology and Phonetics
The etymological /q/ is realized as a voiced velar plosive [g]. e.g. ṭarīg “road”, yigūlu “they say”, iduggu “they knock”, ngūl-l-ək “I tell you”. Exceptions, of course, include religious and legal terms and lexical items felt as borrowings from MSA. e.g. yitqabbal “he accepts”, tqabbal “he accepted”.
The three interdental phonemes /θ/, /ð/ and /ðˤ/, however, have not been preserved, but merged into the corresponding alveolar plosives /t/, /d/ and /dˤ/, e.g. hẹ̄di “this.F”, dabaḥ “slaughter”, yōm əl-itnēn “Monday”, yōm et-talāt “Tuesday”, tālit “third”.
The Arabic of Misrata has five long vowels, /ā/, /ē/, /ī/, /ō/, /ū/. /ē/ and /ō/ are the reduction of the etymological diphthongs /ay/ and /aw/. e.g. əl-itnēn “Monday”, lēla “night”, yōm “day”, zōz “two”;
The system of short vowels include two clearly recognizable phonemes: /ə/, in which the ancient /a/ and /i/ merged, and /u/, featuring a high number of conditioned realizations. Short vowels in open unstressed syllables are, moreover, often allowed. e.g.: ṭarīg “road”, nesāwīn “women”, xamīs “Thursday”, šabāb “boys”. Further research is, however, needed in this field.
Verb Morphology
The morphology of the Arabic spoken in Miṣrāta is particularly conservative. Gender distinction is preserved in the plural of verbs, e.g.: ketəbu vs ketəbən “they wrote” yəfahmu vs yəfahmən “they understand”.
Future is optionally expressed by means of the preverbal marker ḥa-, probably borrowed from Egyptian Arabic
Noun Morphology
Gender distinction is also preserved in the plural of personal pronouns, p.e.: humma vs hənna / hunna “they”, ẹntu vs ẹntən “you.PL”.
The plural of quadrilateral nouns featuring a long vowel is based on the Bedouin pattern C1C2āC3īC4, (sedentary dialects have C1C2āC3əC4). e.g.: ṣəndūg → ṣnādīg “chests”, məftāḥ → mfātīḥ “keys”.
The synthetic dual is still productive and not restricted to parts of the body and members of a pair, e.g.: xaṭṭēn bi ṭ-ṭūl u xaṭṭēn bi l-ʕaṛəd “Two vertical and two horizontal lines”
An analytical dual, formed using the numeral zōz followed by the plural, is also available, but less used.
Possession is prevalently expressed by means of the classical iḍāfa, while the analytical structure, using an inflected mtāʕ, occurs more sporadically even when alienable possession is involved.
No marker for indefiniteness exists.
Author: Luca D’Anna
Misrata (in Arabic مصراتة [miṣrāta]) is a coastal town in the Libyan region of Tripolitania, 187 km east of Tripoli and 825 km west of Benghazi. With its 500.000 inhabitants, it represents the third largest Libyan centre and one of the country’s main commercial hubs. The site was a station on the Phoenicians’ trade route at least since the 10th century BCE, and was later called Thubactis during the Roman period. In the 7th century AD, the area was conquered by the Arab-Islamic armies, and Misrata became a major caravan center on the Saharan route. During the Ottoman period, starting in 1551, the city maintained its commercial relevance and witnessed frequent moments of tension between the central government and the politically dominant clans of the area. After the Italian colonial aggression, the town resisted the early attempts of the invaders to bring it under their control and did not become a centre of Italian colonisation until the mid-Twenties After independence (1951) and Gaddafi’s ascent to power, the town witnessed the same tremendous growth and urbanisation as other big Libyan centres. In 2011, Misrata revolted against Gaddafi and fell under the insurgents’ control, taking part in the major battles that overthrew the regime.
Author: Luca D’Anna
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