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<div>Arabic-L: Wed 30 Jan 2002</div>
<div>Moderator: Dilworth Parkinson
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<div>1) Subject: Egyptian slurs revised</div>
<div>2) Subject: Yemeni slurs</div>
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<div>1)</div>
<div>Date: 30 Jan 2002</div>
<div>From: Humphrey Davies <hdavies@aucegypt.edu><br>
Subject: Egyptian slurs revised</div>
<div><br></div>
<div><font face="Arial" size="-1">In my last posting I wrongly stated
(following Hinds-Badawi) that the singular of<i> nawar</i> (a
gypsy group) was<i> nuuri</i>; in fact it is<i> niwari</i>, and<i>
nuuri</i> occurs only in the proverb I quoted, where that form is used
for the rhyme</font>.</div>
<div> </div>
<div><font face="Arial" size="-1">I also got the plural of<i>
minuufi</i> wrong: it should be<i> manayfa;</i> and what's more their
reputation is for faithlessness rather than stinginess; it's the
people of Damietta (<i>damayTa</i>) who are stingy.</font></div>
<div> </div>
<div><font face="Arial" size="-1">Finally an addition to the
vocabulary of ethnic disparagement used against Christians: the
term<i> arba'a riisha</i> ("four feathers," in reference to
the cross, which Copts often have tattooed on their wrists), as in<i>
da arba'a riisha</i> "he's a Christian." The use of the
numeral with -<i>a</i> and singular noun in this context is
interesting.</font></div>
<div> </div>
<div><font face="Arial" size="-1">Humphrey Davies<br>
c/o School of Humanities (223)<br>
American University in Cairo<br>
Cairo, Egypt</font></div>
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<div>2)</div>
<div>Date: 30 Jan 2002</div>
<div>From: Davidson MacLaren
<davidson_maclaren@hotmail.com></div>
<div>Subject: Yemeni slurs</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>One of the common "ethic slurs" I oft-overheard while
living in San:aa', Yemen was "khobani," that is to say
someone from Khoban, a region located in the Ibb governate, roughly
situated east of the cities of Ibb and Yarim, southwest of the city of
Rada', and north of the town Qa'taba, a former border post between
North and South Yemen. The town of Hammam Damt, famous for its
volcanic hot springs, is in Khoban. Used pejoratively, khobani
is similar in meaning to hillbilly, country-bumpkin, and, perhaps,
redneck. To the extent that I am aware, the pejorative usage is
limited to the territory that formerly comprised North Yemen.<br>
</div>
<div>Davidson MacLaren<br>
<br>
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<div>End of Arabic-L: 30 Jan 2002</div>
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