Arabic-L:LING:Yemeni Jewish dialect responses
Dilworth Parkinson
dilworth_parkinson at BYU.EDU
Fri Apr 6 22:34:05 UTC 2007
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Arabic-L: Fri 06 Apr 2007
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-------------------------Directory------------------------------------
1) Subject:Yemeni Jewish dialect response
2) Subject:Yemeni Jewish dialect response
3) Subject:Yemeni Jewish dialect response
4) Subject:Yemeni Jewish dialect response
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1)
Date: 06 Apr 2007
From:paul roochnik <proochnikllc at yahoo.com>
Subject:Yemeni Jewish dialect response
Kareema Dauod requests information on Yemeni Jewish dialects of
Arabic. During my stays in Yemen (1995, 1996, and 2000), I traveled
to the northern city of Sa'dah (not far from the Saudi border) to
research this subject. Although most of the Jews have left Yemen, a
small community remains in Sa'dah. When I introduced myself, they
were frightened to speak with me. They did not want to be caught
speaking with a foreigner, especially an American. Even after I
explained that I had already received permission from the tribal
sheykh of Sa'dah to conduct research, they still became visibly
nervous and suggested that I go elsewhere. A great disappointment,
needless to say.
All that notwithstanding, if you still want to travel to Yemen to do
your research, go to Sa'dah. Enter the gates to the old city and
immediately turn left. There you will find several silversmith
shops, one right after the other. These silversmiths are Yemeni
Jews. At least that was the situation as of February 2000. Maybe
they also left Yemen.
Another town that has (had?) a small Jewish enclave is (was?) Rayda,
about an hour north of Sanaa.
Just one word of caution: Sa'dah is not the safest place for
tourism. With all the clashes and occasional kidnapping going on up
there, it's risky business. Having said that, I must add that when I
was there, the people of Sa'dah for the most part were exceedingly
gracious and hospitable to me... as were the people of Yemen as a
whole. I will make no bones about it: I love Yemen and wish I could
go back there right this minute!
Cheers,
Abu Sammy
ps:
Here's a clip from the website, yemen.chez-alice.fr/culture.html
En 1929, il y avait 150 000 juifs au Yémen. En 1931 selon
l’explorateur Hielfritz, Sana'a comptait 48 mosquées et 39
synagogues. La présence d'une colonie juive au Yémen est attestée
dès le IIe siècle de l'ère chretienne. Le judaïsme parvint à son
apogée entre le IVe et le VIe siècle, avec la conversion du roi
Hymiarite en 360, et ce jusqu'à Abu Nuwas en 518. Sous la domination
musulmane, les juifs jouirent parfois au Yémen d'une grande liberté
et prospérèrent même. L'un d'eux, Shalom Hacohen, devint même
ministre.
Dans les années 20, une première vague d'émigration vit près de
6000 juifs quitter le Yémen pour s'installer dans la région de Jaffa
comme ouvriers agricoles. Mais en 1949, après que l'Imam a donné son
accord au nouvel état israëlien, les juifs yéménites gagnèrent
leur Terre Promise. Par l'opération "Tapis Volant", 41140 yéménites
s'installèrent en Israêl.
Les juifs se situaient surtout au nord du pays, sur l'axe Sana'a -
Saada. En 1992, il ne restait qu'environ 400 juifs vivant encore au
Yémen, à Saada et dans la région de Rayda , mais quittant
progressivement le pays pour Israël ou les Etats-Unis.
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2)
Date: 06 Apr 2007
From:"IBCBOOKS.COM" <ibc at ibcbooks.com>
Subject:Yemeni Jewish dialect response
For your information .... International Book Centre has a book to learn
Yemeni Arabic: "Yemeni Arabic" by Hamdi Qafisheh. description -
Teaches the spoken Dialogue of Yemen.
The Dialogue covers a wide variety of subjects of interest, such as
greeting, getting acquainted, telephone conversations, holidays
festivals
and more. The book contains a vocabulary of over 1,400 items.
Hardcover 481
pages Price $29.95. This book can be ordered on our website at:
www.ibcbooks.com
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3)
Date: 06 Apr 2007
From:Sana N Hilmi <shilmi at gmu.edu>
Subject:Yemeni Jewish dialect response
Dear Dr. Dauod,
I took some students for study abroad course at the Yemen College for
Middle Eastern Studies, and they are very helpful. I would recommend
that you contact them.
Their web site is,
http://www.ylcint.com/
please feel free to contact me if you need any info, or if you like
to get another contact info for them.
Miss Sana Hilmi, M.A.
Arabic Professor and Coordinator
Modern and Classical Languages
George Mason University
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4)
Date: 06 Apr 2007
From: "Andrew Freeman" <andyf at u.washington.edu>
Subject:Yemeni Jewish dialect response
Dear Kareema Dauod
I think the first place to start would be to contact Janet Watson
who is probably the most well-informed Anglophone when it comes to
linguistic knowledge about Yemen.
I do not know how current these links are.
j.c.e.watson at durham.ac.uk
http://www.languages.salford.ac.uk/staff/watson.php
School of Languages
University of Salford
Salford
Greater Manchester M5 4WT
United Kingdom
You also might want to check out
A Dictionary of "Post Classical Yemeni Arabic" by Moshe Piamenta
(http://www.amazon.com/Dictionary-Post-Classical-Yemeni-Arabic/dp/
9004092617
/ref=sr_1_4/002-1579897-8489609?
ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1175841459&sr=1-4). A
lot the sources that he cites are for Judeo-Arabic usage in Yemen.
As an
aside, both Yemen & Morocco which had large Judeo-Arab populations
pre-1948
use the word Hanuut to mean small store-stall in the old madina.
The best of luck,
Andy
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End of Arabic-L: 06 Apr 2007
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