Arabic-L:LING:etymology of zalameh

[Dilworth Parkinson]

------------------------------------------------------------------------
Arabic-L: Fri 29 Mar 2013
Moderator: Dilworth Parkinson <dilworth_parkinson at byu.edu>
[To post messages to the list, send them to arabic-l at byu.edu]
[To unsubscribe, send message from same address you subscribed from to
listserv at byu.edu with first line reading:
           unsubscribe arabic-l                                      ]

-------------------------Directory------------------------------------

1) Subject:etymology of zalameh
2) Subject:etymology of zalameh
3) Subject:etymology of zalameh

-------------------------Messages-----------------------------------
1)
Date: 29 Mar 2013
From:"Fishbein, Michael" <fishbein at humnet.ucla.edu>
Subject:etymology of zalameh

The Syriac etymology is probably correct, but the root is S (emphatic) - L
- M. The ultimate source is probably the word S(emphatic)alma (long final
a, the mark of status emphaticus). Payne Smith, Syriac English Dictionary,
p. 480, gives the following definitions:

a) image, figure, form; a picture
b) an image on a coin
c) an image, idol
d) astron. Salma Rabba, Sagittarius

Brockelmann, Lexicon Syriacum, p. 630, adds:

4. neos. vultus, facies (i.e., Neosyriac countenance, face)
5. persona (?) (i.e., person)

The last meaning is very close to the meaning of Arabic zalameh.
Brockelmann gives the source for the meaning "persona" as J. S. Assemanus,
Bibliotheca orientalis (Rom. 1719 - 28), 1:80, 81.

The shift from S (emphatic) to z occurs in other Syriac words.

Interestingly, the original meaning of Arabic shakhS is "a body, or bodily,
or corporeal form… seen from afar" (Lane, s.v). The same semantic
development from image to individual apparently took place in Syriac and
Arabic.

The meaning of the Hebrew cognate S(emphatic)elem is similar to the primary
meaning of the Syriac/Aramaic, "image, form." The Arabic cognate apparently
is S(emphatic) - N - M, giving Sanam, idol.


Michael Fishbein, Lecturer in Arabic (retired)
Dept. of Near Eastern Languages & Cultures
378B Humanities Building, UCLA
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1511
tel. 310 206-2229

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
2)
Date: 29 Mar 2013
From:Michael Schub <m7schub at gmail.com>
Subject:etymology of zalameh

A.  Barthélemy, *Dictionnaire Arabe-Français*.  Paris  1936.  P.  318 (in
Fascicle 2) gives
the derivation as:  Bedouin "appearance, silouette, (shadow) of a person.
Also  /ṯalamu-/ for 'a person's shadow.  And Hebrew  /ṣelem/ for [French:
 'image; specter']"
     Maybe now you can provide me with the etymology of Qur'ān 112.2
 /ṣamad/.  Thanks,
Mike Schub

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
3)
Date: 29 Mar 2013
From:Annie Higgins <treesupreaching at gmail.com>
Subject:etymology of zalameh

Stewart,
I have wondered about it, too. It is 'zay' not 'za'-the velarized one that
you seem to connect to Syriac with a meaning similar to Arabic 'oppression.'

However, I think your observation of 'zalama' to walk makes total sense;
just as the root of 'rajul' means to walk.

My mind is at ease now. Thank you for pointing this out!

Tahani

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
End of Arabic-L: 29 Mar 2013
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://listserv.linguistlist.org/pipermail/arabic-l/attachments/20130329/acbe9f65/attachment.htm>