Arabic-L:LING:wallaahi

[Dilworth Parkinson]

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Arabic-L: Mon 09 Jan  2004
Moderator: Dilworth Parkinson <dilworth_parkinson at byu.edu>
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-------------------------Directory------------------------------------

1) Subject:wallaahi
2) Subject:wallaahi
3) Subject:wallaahi

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1)
Date: 09 Jan 2004
From:Waheed Samy <wasamy at umich.edu>
Subject:wallaahi

Concerning Kenneth Ayouby's question:
"Pardon my ignorance, but I am curious to know why "wa-Allah" is being
considered a particle, and not a phrase"

Wallaahi consists of "wa", and "allah".

Wa is called waaw al qasam, and has the effect of making the case of the
following noun genetive.

Wallaahi is equivalent to "by God", and it means really/honest/I swear.

Waheed

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2)
Date: 09 Jan 2004
From: June Dahy <june at hum.ku.dk>
Subject:wallaahi

Dear Kenneth

I've heard the phrase used by bi-lingual children youths of arabic  
origin in
Denmark. It's used exactly as one of its usages in arabic, that is, to
confirm the veracity of an utterance or an allegation:
'It was him I saw yesterday...wallaahi'.
'wallah, they were talking about you'

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3)
Date: 09 Jan 2004
From:Vrsan Lestaric <fursan at eunet.yu>
Subject:wallaahi

Hi Mette,
 
wallaahi is quite often used in colloquial Serbian, especially when the  
rural version is concerned. The form is almost always 'vala' (second a  
longer, strong l but not emphatic like in Arabic allaah). The  
dictionary of Serbian language edited by the Academy offers several  
more forms beside 'vala': 'valaj' (j is y), 'valan' (nazal n),  
'valah(i)', and my personal favorite 'vala bila' (i.e. wa-l-laah  
bi-l-laah; stronger version). I must admit I myself have never come  
upon any other form but 'vala'.
 
It means almost exclusively 'by god' as in: 'By god, I shall go to  
Damascus if it is the last thing I do!' but I found that it can even  
have the meaning like 'to hell' or 'goddamn (it)'.
 
Macedonian, Bosnian and Croatian (in some eastern parts) use it as well  
and in the same form.
 
Best wishes,
Vrsan Lestaric
Belgrade

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End of Arabic-L:  09 Jan  2004