Three proverbs in Muslim and Jewish Arabic from Baghdad

Authors

  • Ali Faraj University of Milano-Bicocca

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.13135/1825-263X/12684

Abstract

The aim of this short article is to present three proverbs in Muslim Baghdadi and Jewish Baghdadi dialects, characterized by conveying teachings and moral values that have parallels and similarities with concepts expressed in the Quranic text, and to offer their linguistic analysis and description in order to show some features of the two varieties. The interaction between language and religion is very significant for Arabic paremiology, as the Qurʾān is a rich source of proverbs. On the one hand, many Quranic verses are used as proverbs; on the other, many proverbs are mentioned and recalled in the Quranic text.

As far as the analysis of proverbs is concerned, the transcription in Latin characters and the translation into English will be undertaken by the author. For each proverb, a commentary on its use and on the message transmitted will be provided, along with the Quranic verses that convey similar concepts. Then, some phonological and morphological features of the two dialects will be described, taking the move from the analysis of the most significant expressions and terms of the proverbs; for this purpose and to better highlight the characteristics of the two varieties a comparison with Classical Arabic will be offered.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biography

Ali Faraj, University of Milano-Bicocca

Ali Faraj, former professor of Semitic languages at the University of Baghdad, teaches Arabic language at the University of Milano-Bicocca, Department of Human Sciences for Education ‘Riccardo Massa.’ His research interests encompass the study of Arabic inscriptions and manuscripts, incantation texts written in Arabic, Jewish Babylonian Aramaic, Mandaic and Syriac preserved in the Iraq National Museum of Baghdad as well as Arabic language, its history and its dialects, in particular those of the Mesopotamian area.

Ali can be contacted at: ali.faraj@unimib.it

Downloads

Published

2026-01-10

Issue

Vol. 29 No. 1 (2025): Kervan 29

Section

Notes and Squibs

License

Gli autori che pubblicano su Kervan accettano le seguenti condizioni:

  1. Gli autori mantengono i diritti sulla loro opera e cedono alla rivista il diritto di prima pubblicazione dell'opera, contemporaneamente licenziata sotto una Licenza Creative Commons - Attribuzione che permette ad altri di condividere l'opera indicando la paternità intellettuale e la prima pubblicazione su questa rivista.
  2. Gli autori possono aderire ad altri accordi di licenza non esclusiva per la distribuzione della versione dell'opera pubblicata (es. depositarla in un archivio istituzionale o pubblicarla in una monografia), a patto di indicare che la prima pubblicazione è avvenuta su questa rivista.