Study Lebanese

I was listening to a song on youtube today, and in the comments section I came across a strange comment:

Is Google’s translator bad in Arabian or do the Lebanese just have a special dialect which Google doesn’t understand?

The commentator was asking this question, because he/she apparently copied the Arabic text of the lyrics of the song, which is in Lebanese, and pasted it in “google translate“. This is the text:

عم بسمع صدى جاي من مدى بعد ما فليت ما عدت إهتم ما عدت إهتميت خليها ذكرى خليها ذكرى جاي عابالي سافر لحالي هاجر غير لون شعري ظبط مكياجي خبي باسبوري لحالي خليها ذكرى عم بشرب قهوة لازمني صحوة من كل هالقصة صار لازم إنسى أتعلم صيني أو أرجنتيني لغير جو لثانية ولو لشو بتسمعني واللا تحكيني خليها ذكرى خليها ذكرى

The result was utter gibberish  of course. See how google translates it:

With Basma echo Jay from over after the Fleet you no longer cared what promised Ahtmit Khalaha memory Khalaha memory of Jay Aabala traveled tocurrent Hagar is the color of my hair Setting make-Hebei Baspura the current Khalaha anniversary with drink coffee to ally always wake of all Hakash became necessary Forget learn Chinese or Argentine for non-air for a second, even XuBtzmni Tgana Khalaha and no memory of the memory Khalaha

In comparison, this is a regular Arabic text from Al Jazeera news website:

وقد استطاعت فنلندا الحصول على موافقة من أثينا على تقديمها أموالا مقابل الضمانات في الأسبوع الماضي، لكن الدول الأخرى التي تقدم بقية القروض طالبت أثينا بالمعاملة نفسها.

وقال محللون في قسم الأبحاث في بنك أف أميركا ميريل لينش إن الاتفاق بين اليونان وفنلندا يثير القلق إذ إنه يلغي بالفعل الكثير من مساهمات القروض التي قدمها صندوق الاستقرار المالي الأوروبي لليونان.

وتقدم دول منطقة اليورو القروض عن طريق الصندوق الذي يصدر سندات على أساس ضمانات تقدمها دول المنطقة التي تتمتع بجدارة ائتمانية

And this is its translation in google translate:

Finland has been able to obtain approval from Athens to provide money in return for guarantees in the past week, but other countries that offer the rest of the loan called Athens the same treatment.

Analysts said the research department at the Bank of America F Merrill Lynch said the agreement between Greece and Finland raises concern as it already eliminates many of the contributions of loans granted by the European Financial Stability Fund for Greece.

The euro-zone countries loans through the fund, which issues bonds on the basis of guarantees provided by the countries of the region that enjoys well-deserved credit

Pretty comprehensible.

This goes to show that the Arabic letters are only used as a means to try to capture what is being said in Lebanese. You can as well use the Hindi alphabet or the Finnish alphabet (which actually has some good phonetics for vowels that probably would suit the Lebanese more than the Arabic letters) to express the Lebanese language. In a nut shell, the Arabic alphabet is nothing more than a transliteration system for the Lebanese language, for those who are wondering.

I just wanted to share with you some of the modern Lebanese songs that are charting a new kind of music in Lebanon. Here are a couple of my favorites:

Macrux Layla (Mashrou’ Leila)

Tania Saleh

Jean-Marie Riachi recycles music:

Some Lebanese Rap:

Did you know that there are some words in Lebanese that do not occur except in plural form. The word “parent” for example, only occurs in plural form in designating the term for “mother” and “father”. Whereas you can have the term “parent” in English in singular form, the Lebanese term is “ahil”, and it is always in plural form.

The other meaning of the word parent to designate the “origin” of something can come in singular form, such as “aṡil”.

On the other hand, I have a riddle for the ones who know Lebanese. What is the plural form of:

Rġiif (loaf of bread)

Now, I am asking for the Lebanese plural, not the Arabic plural “Arġifa” “أرغفة”.

From the Daily Star, July 19, 2011 01:23 AM

By: Mohammed Zaatari

SIDON, Lebanon: Among the 364 soldiers and officers in UNIFIL’s South Korea’s contingent are five women.

Lim, 27, who is one of two translators in the contingent, said she was encouraged to learn Arabic by her family who thought it would improve her chances of finding employment.

Lim joined the Korean Army 18 months ago and has six months of service left. She studied modern standard Arabic at a university in Korea for four years, then studied at an institute in Syria and later moved to Jordan where she worked at the Korean Embassy.

One of the main difficulties that Lim faces in her work as a translator is the difference between the formal language she learned in school and the colloquial Lebanese dialect.

“When I talk to the locals in standard Arabic, they reply in colloquial and sometimes I can’t understand it,” Lim said, adding that the locals joke that she is speaking the language of Mexican soap operas, which are dubbed in formal Arabic.

Lim’s work with the contingent is mainly focused on translation and Arabic culture.

According to Lim, there’s a world of difference between the Arabic and Korean languages. “I always make mistakes with the singular and plural forms, and instead of saying ‘We love you all,’ I say, ‘I love you all.’”

Lim also says she makes mistakes when nervously interpreting for the contingent’s commander, Col. Kim Tae-Up, but she finds great joy in talking to the local women and children who are always surprised to hear her speak their language.

She also enjoys listening to Arabic songs and loves Lebanese pop singers Nancy Ajram and Majida al-Roumi. She mentioned, laughing, that she watches Arabic TV stations which broadcast programs for children in standard Arabic.

Lim also has a soft spot for local cuisine. “I love Lebanese food, especially tabbouleh and rice with chicken.”

Lim aspires to work as more than a translator and dreams of becoming a diplomat, representing her country in Arab embassies.

Capt. Byun Hye-kyuin, another of the contingent’s female members, is one of two nurses.

Byun, who had just returned from treating patients, studied at the College of Nursing in the Korean Army.

When asked how she and her four female colleagues felt amid a sea of men, Byun said she felt alienated when she first decided to join the army but after 10 years, she now feels she’s part of the team.

Byun, who is working outside her native country for the first time, will be leaving Lebanon at the end of July. “We received the U.N. peacekeeping medal, and this is a great honor for me as it means I’ve worked for the U.N. and have given my services,” Byun said.

Byun’s medical services include caring for the health of the peacekeeping soldiers and officers, as well as that of the local residents of five southern villages. The services include blood pressure and blood sugar testing as well as treating wounds and preparing patients before being examined by a doctor.

“Before I came here to serve in the Korean contingent, I was instructed that a nurse should care especially for women and listen to their complaints, but when I treat people here, there is no difference between men and women. People love to come to me and I listen to all their complaints,” Byun said.

But Byun added that she was especially attentive to veiled women who refuse to be examined by male doctors. “This is the nature of the country, and I respect it.”

“The country is gorgeous; it has trees and diverse fruits as well as a sea and beautiful children,” Byun said. “I dream of coming back to Lebanon and I hope to return as a tourist next time.”

Me and another colleague from the Lebanese Language Institute, Mr. Hicham Bourjaili, will be giving a workshop on the Lebanese language at the NAM convention that will take place this year in Philadelphia, PA.

The workshop is on July 9, 2011, from 10:00am to 11:30am.

Hope to see some of you there.

The verb “want” in the Lebanese language is a very unique verb. It is what you can call an auxiliary verb, and there are many auxiliary verbs in Lebanese. A person trying to learn Lebanese, will find that this verb has some unique properties. It works in conjunction with the verb “Ken”, which is akin to verb “to be” in English to produce verbal phrases.

But its uniqueness is in the manner in which it could be used with the verb “Ken”. Whereas all other auxiliaries combine with verb “Ken” in all its forms of conjugation, that is, “Ken” is always conjugated with the personal pronouns, the verb “want” is the only verb that can use “ken” only with all forms of personal pronouns.

Example: “was/were going down” with the personal pronouns

Ana kint nezil
Inta kint nezil
Inti kinti nezli
Into kinto nezliin
Huwwi ken nezil
Hiyyi kenit nezli
Hinni keno nezliin
Niḣna kinna nezliin

As you can see “ken” is conjugated with all the personal pronouns. On the other hand, when used with “want” it becomes:

Note: All the following mean “Wanted”

Ana ken baddi
Inta ken baddak
Inti ken baddik
Into ken baddkon
Huwwi ken baddo
Hiyyi ken badda
Hinni ken baddon
Niḣna ken baddna

As you can see “ken” does not change with the personal pronouns. It remains the same. This phenomenon is unique only to this verb.

P.S. This verb is totally lacking in the Arabic language. It exists only in Levantine dialects.

Below is a document to teach the shapes in the Lebanese language.

This document is downloadable.

Below is a document to teach the colors in the Lebanese language.

This document is downloadable.

This is an Alphabet book that I developed to teach children the sounds of our language.

This book is downloadable.

This is part of a poem by the great Lebanese poet Ruukuz, written in 1983. It is ofcourse, as all traditional Lebanese poetry, written in the Lebanese language. It is titled Blasphemy and Belief.

Hayde aṡiidi kataba `Alla yorḣamo ccexir zzajali Ḱaliil Ruukuz sint 1983. L aṡiidi isma Kofr W Iimeen. Hayda jizi` minna:

Ttixriif:

Ḣilwi, bi dimmit kawn carxo mic ḣilo!
W mxalla`a bcexir ḣayeto mic ilo,
Wi`fit w eelit aaḱ! min ti`siirha
Raddad ṡada hal aaḱ kawn bkemlo!
Xriftha min aaḱha…w tifsiirha,
Darb l ḱalaaṡ btaxirfo… wi btijhalo!
Ballact ozrax sawrti btifkiirha
W okfor w iktob malḣamit tiḣriirha
Min `yudha w aleemha! tḣammalo!

Aaaaḱ!

Hal aaaḱ ma btilba` liki ya nexmi
W la btaxirfi bmixnetha tit`allami!
Baxdu ṫumuḣik ṫofl w sniinik ḣjel,
Ma zawwa`u lil ya`s ḋalli tbassami,
Ddinyi ilik axyed, w ġneni dalel,
Ya zanba`a bḣoḋn rrabiix tnaxxami,
Ya Xactarut jjezbiyyi wil jamel
W ġamzi barii`a bjifn baxdo eedami!
Ya ḣilim foḋḋi bḱaaṫir ssiḣr l ḣalel,
Kil l ḣala l mawhub, layki byintimi
Inti aṡiidit siḣr dawwabha l ḱayel,
B kes ruḣi w sirr xeyic b dammi

Ḣeji t`uli aaḱ! wi tġanni l muḣel,
W tib`i b mandiil ccarixa mlattami,
Carx l bacar bil iṡṫilaaḣ mic bil kamel,
Sannu `waniinu b layli możolmi

W niḣna b xomor hirben asrax min ġazel,
La tḋayxii bi mḣallali wi mḣarrami,
Kil cii bi tḣallilo nafsik ḣalel,
Ḣeji b Musa w lawḣtu titwahhami
La ti`naxi b wedi ntaha fiih l majel
W bicruṫ xamya lil adar tistasilmi
Ntol`i min l wedi w ġaṫṫi xa jjbel,
W t`ammali b hal kawn sirro btifhami
La tḋayxi forṡit wujuudik bil jidel
B tikwiin carx jdiid lezim tiḣimli,
B afwit ḱabar majhul naaṫorna zzawel
Bukra xa anwaar l ḣayet btindami…
Ma bimnaxik innik tḣibbi l ixtidel
Bil ḣob lekin ġeytik la tożolmi
L ḣob baddo ktiir ṡabr w iḣtimel
W taḋḣiyi w ġiirii w ameeni w makrimi
W hawdasi w tifkiir bi lyeli ṫṫwaal
W alb b yit`addam xa madbaḣ: t`addami
L ḣob killo ḣilim bi ḱmur l wiṡaal
W nażraat xa nażraat tiġca w tirtimi!

Ya tara `lub nnisa mitl rrjel
Btożhar xa cacet li xyun mtarjami
W min maxdan l iḱlaaṡ fiiha rismel
W fiiha wafa w ṡodo` w iraade ḣeekmi
W fiiha ḣa`ii`it ḣob a`wa mni ḋḋalaal
W fiiha ṫohr “Xaḋra” w amenit “Faaṫmi”?
Yamma mitil ma l xa`l ṡawwarha ḱayel
Mijirmi ḱil`it w bi`yit mijirmi?

W min baxd ma ġaraami katab eeḱir ma`el
W bi kteb Xomri ccayb ḱaṫṫ m`addmi
W rammad jamr caw`i w ġifi b janbi ccmel
W ma ḋall fi asaar nar mxalmi!
La tis`aliini kiif xed l alb mel
W kiif wixyit fii zikra neymi
Cefik min l ḣasraat wi tnahhad! .. w `el
B tistehli l ba`wi l bi xomri, tikrami
Addamt daxwa ḣaṡr irs w inti`el
farraġtillik albi w ḣayeto l moġrami
Albik iwi w albi caxar bil inḣilel
w min heik aḱḱar mawsamik xan mawsami,
Baxdik bi xomr l badr w ġaraamik hlel
W xomri ana xiicit masiiḣ mtammami
W mincen yirjax zarexna yijni ġlel
B ism rraja xomrik bi xomri ṫaxxmi
W ġaṫṫi ḱariifi b xoṫr cahr l maryami!

Bḣibbik mitl l banafsaj lil ġadiir
W ḣinniyet l ḱityaar la ṫṫofl zzġiir
W ḣobbik bi nafsi xirs ya`ża w intiṡaar
W zikrik maxi mitl l xaṡaayi la ḋḋariir
W caw`i la ruḣik caw` minfi la ddiyaar
W caw` l yatiimi xa fṡaatiin el ḣariir
W inti bi xyunik niyyit wled zzġaar
Bi twalxi w ma b taxerfi cu xam yṡiir