I think transliteration is just plain hard. That’s why there are about 7 English spellings to some Arabic words! There is a standardized transliteration system, but it doesn’t help pronunciation any–it’s just for taking dictation on a keyboard. Certain punctuation marks stand for letters/sounds that we don’t have in English.

I suppose we’re hijacking this thread and my husband needs the computer!

Itha turideen an tetakelameen mae akthur bi e-mail, anwaani dbhallman@nctc.com

The Masloui dialect is one that is used in Northern Iraq, in Mousil in particular. Mousil was built (I believe) just a stone’s throw (so to speak) from the old city of Ninevah. As in the same Ninevah that Jonah went to preach to, and the same Ninevah that was the capital of the Assyrian Empire. Both my parents were born in Mousil and all my ancestors as far as anyone can remember are from there. This is the dialect with which my family spoke Arabic with at home so that is what I grew up speaking.

Iqhitki bil Masseeh,
Luma
P.S. I am bad at transliteration. I can’t figure out which letters to use for the guttural sounds.

Ayna Maftoha (”her eye is enlarged). This is how I know it in my Masloui dialect (Nenavian dialect).

El Ayn (”the eye”). Again this is how we spoke at home with our Masloui dialect.

This is how I know the Lord’s Prayer in Arabic. My father would write it out for me like this and I would memorize. Because I had him there to test me and to hear it correctly, I was able to hear where the accent was on each word, etc.

Now I only know how to speak. I forgot how to read and write Arabic when I came to America.

Well done on “Shukran Jazilan.”

May all our hearts be like an African taxi - always room for more!

In Arabic there is a phrase that is translated as “her eye is open (or enlarged)” or “his eye is open/enlarged” or “the eye is open/enlarged.” It basically means that the person is open handed, very generous, giving, not stingy, does not hold to things tightly, is satisfied themselves and therefore they give freely without stinginess or holding back. As I have been pondering the meaning of hospitality these past couple of weeks, I have been thinking a lot about this phrase that I grew up hearing my parents use.

In the Psalms there is a warning to watch what you take or eat from a man who is offering food with his eye on you because he is a miser. Jesus warned people not to have a covetous or greedy eye. In Arabic, there’s another phrase that is translated roughly “from the eye” or “the eye” and it is used with regard to people who say one thing but their eye is wicked, greedy, covetous. I may be wrong but I do believe that Jesus may have used the wording of “evil eye.”

All this to say that if we want to live biblically, we have to be big-hearted, big-eyed, open handed, hospitable people. And we have to do it all to the glory of God.