Arabic-L:LING:more on Boktor

[Dilworth B. Parkinson]

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Arabic-L: Fri 23 Jun 2000
Moderator: Dilworth Parkinson <dilworth_parkinson at byu.edu>
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1) Subject: Boktor
2) Subject: Looking for Boktor

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1)
Date: 23 Jun 2000
From: GSalib at aol.com
Subject: Boktor

Boqtor (Boktor) is a Coptic (Egyptian) male name from Upper Egypt.  It has a
connotation with a certain family social status (educated, respected, rich).
It is not a modern name, therefore those who are called Boqtor today were
given the name of a grand parent.  Victor could be a nickname for Boqtor.

Galila Salib

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2)
Date: 23 Jun 2000
From: Muhammad Deeb <mdeeb at gpu.srv.ualberta.ca>
Subject: Looking for Boktor


	One of the respondents to this query has suggested that the
"BuqTur" (Boktor) surname is also common outside Egypt.  This is unlikely
unless members of the family emigrated to other Arab countries.  I would
appreciate it if anyone confirms or corrects my assumption.

	Out of curiosity, I made today a random check on the name index in
al-Jabarti's *Tariikh @Ajaa'ib al-Aathaar...*:  Like Eliot's Macavity, the
BuqTurs are not there!  This would arguably mean that:

  (a) there were no BuqTurs at the time, which is doubtful,

  (b) they were not in the limelight, which is unlike
      well-heeled Copts,

  (c) they were out of Muhammad Ali's favour, which
      carries little weight with al-Jabarti.

				* * *

	The surname, as I maintained earlier, is familiar among Egyptian
Copts (*).  I still have cherished recollections, from my high school
days, of the MD Amir _Buqtur_ who was an erudite regular contributor to
the Egyptian monthly, *Al-Hilaal.* If alive, Dr. BuqTur would be a very
elderly man.  May God bless him either way.
							      M. Deeb

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(*)

  I advisedly use the epithet "Egyptian" with Copts to distinguish
  them from "Ethiopian" Copts.  There is, too, the argument
  that the term "Copts" applies to all Egyptians,
  Christians & Muslims.

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End of Arabic-L: 23 Jun 2000