Algerian Arabic jəḥmum جحموم "blackbird", and its Kabyle counterpart ajeḥmum, derive from Classical Arabic yaḥmūm يحموم "soot-black". This otherwise very irregular change y- > j- is perfectly paralleled in another animal name of the form yaCCūC: jəṛbuʕ جربوع "jerboa" from yarbūʕ يربوع. Could this be the regular outcome of this particular template? We need to check if any other yaCCūC animal names have survived.
The Korandje word for "vulva", imən, looks phonologically like an obvious match for Berber iman "soul, self". However, I could never see any sufficiently clear connection between the two semantically. The missing link is provided by Colin's (1918:118) description of the Moroccan Arabic dialect of Taza: there, rōḥ is glossed as a euphemistic term for "vulve de la jument ou de la vache". Is this attested in Berber itself anywhere, I wonder?
Another Korandje word, tasənɣəyt, refers to a type of rock; after Paleolithic discoveries near Tabelbala, paleoarcheologists ended up giving its name to an Acheulian cleaver type, the "Tachenghit" cleaver. This seems to match Jijel Arabic ašənɣud "pierre lisse (pour broyer)" (Marçais 1954:333), although Hassaniya Arabic may offer a more direct point of comparison. I don't remember seeing this in any Berber dictionary so far; is that attested?
13 comments:
Yes, asenɣud is attested in both Tasahlit (at least Aït Segoual) and Jijeli Arabic (alos (es-)senɣuda), it is clearly the verbal name of ssenɣed "to grind', the factitive derived of nɣed "to be ground' (Taqbaylit qqed), both attested in Tasahlit.
In the Aït Bouysef Tasahlit variety, we also called the blackbird "ajeḥmum" (versus Aït Laâlam and Jijeli Arabic : asisaq), and got the state verb jjeḥmem 'to have big wings'
En Tachelhit : NƔD. -aor.nɣd, Inac. nɣɣd/nqqd.« Ecraser » n.act. tanɣda « Poudre ». Aussi "nqqa" < (tuer?). ex: ar tt inqqd aylliɣ tga agg°rn./ ar tt inqqa aylliɣ tga agg°rn.
-----
Pour (MN). on trouve le suivant: on trouve le suivant: Tamunni .(Anus). (Demnat, Ntifa, Imeghran). (possible de verbe "mun?).
Thanks for both comments!
roH is used in ghmara for 'penis', don't know if it refers to 'vulva' as well. nghed 'crush' taneghda 'powder' exists in Tarifiyt as well.
In Azilal en the lexicon of Zawit Aḥnṣal: amunni < behind, anus
ac-/agh prefix:
axnfur < anfur
axncuc < ancuc
axmuy/axmum < amum
hypothetically:
ax°na < °na
axʷna < ʷna
axuna < una
*b~m
- Abanna: gros derrière [Moyen-Atlas] [see zerradd]
- Abanna: queue touffue dur renard../tabennat: queue [Tachelhit] [see zerrad]
I recall a discussion with somone from Ida Utanan area telling me that ‘amunni’ is used there fort he behind of a lamb/sheep. In one of the editions of Emile Laoust, amunni or tammuni is refferd to as anus d’un poison (Mogador area?) [DICTIONNAIRE FRANÇAIS-BERBÈRE: Dialecte des Ntifa/ Maurice Dray]
sorry i don’t have the exact sources fort he moment.
Thanks Khalid and anonymous.
One more data point: apparently "in Tangiers the word used for vagina translates to mean the soul" (don't bother following the link).
You're welcome Lameen,
Could that mean that there is a possible relation between the'Korandje word for "vulva", imən' and the Amazigh word for soul: iman?
tacenɣit :
Genre de marne blanche qu'on rencontre à une certaine profondeur dans la vallée du Mzab, lors du creusement des puits.
In Hebrew you have the biblical יחמור yahmur, which is apparently fallow deer (scientific name Dama) in English and الأيِّل الأسمر in MSA. Don't know any Jahmurs...
Anon: yes, that would seem to be suggested...
Afifay: Merci - c'est le même sens je crois, et ça explique mieux l'étymologie.
Sagi: ِArabic has يحمور too, but not Algerian Arabic as far as I know.
Concerning the passage y > j in North Africa, I am always been convinced that the well known proper name Jḥa of many folktales is but an outcome of *Yuḥa(nna), with a development which is well known in many romance languages like English John, French Jean, Italian Giovanni. You could add this to your bunch of examples...
Post a Comment