‘New York Times’ uncorks laughable Israeli propaganda

Primarily, however, the influence of Arabic on Hebrew exists not in semantic transfers, but in loan words, loan-translations, and morphological patterns. Loans are the most obvious, such as the word adīv (‘polite’), which comes from the Arabic adīb (‘cultured’); morphological patterns can be found in such constructs as the Hebrew greeting boqer ṭōv (‘good morning) and its refrain boqer ōr (‘morning of light’)—modelled after the Arabic ṣabāḥ al-khayr (‘good morning’) and ṣabāḥ an-nūr (‘morning of light’).28 As Blanc noted, Arabic’s influence on Hebrew has taken place largely on a ‘non-official’ plane.29 This is particularly evident when examining a number of loan words that have entered MH through Arabic. These words fall into the following categories: words describing (a) manners of life and milieu, (b) food, (c) children’s games, (d) expressive descriptions and onomatopœtics, (e) greetings, and (f) interjections and curses. Clearly, some of these groupings are specialised and the import of Arabic loan words may have resulted from a need for new words that was greater than the ‘official’ ability to supply them.

For example, the climate of Israel features the hot, south-western wind—the ḥamsīn—a word borrowed from Egyptian Arabic. Other words adopted from (or through) Arabic include finjān (‘coffee pot’), chīzbāṭ (‘tall tale’), dūgrī (‘straight-forward speech’), grūsh (‘a penny’), basṭāh (‘market stall’), and mukhtār (‘village chieftain’). Many Hebrew words for Oriental foods betray an Arabic origin: fālāfel, ṭeḥīnāh, ḥūmmūs, and ʿaraq, as well as ribbāh (‘jam’), sūmsūm (‘sesame’), and mūz (‘banana’). Even the term for the cactus fruit whose name is synonymous with native Israeli culture—the ṣabbār—comes from Arabic. Children’s games also kept similar names; children play bandūrāh (a marble game) with jūlōt/jūlīm or blōrōt (‘marbles’). Another popular toy is a ṭayyārāh (‘a kite or small plane’).

Shehadeh has observed that most of the Arabic words in slang dictionaries are adjectives.30 This demonstrates how Arabic has provided Hebrew speakers with a colourful and innovative method of expression. Such words include: sabābāh (‘terrific’), aḥlāh (‘excellent’), aslī (‘genuine’), mabsūṭ (‘happy’), kéyf (‘fun’), ḥaflāh (‘party’), stalbeṭ (‘relaxation’), baʿsāh (or baʾsāh, ‘bummer’), fādīḥāh (‘faux pas’), fashlāh (‘screw-up’), maʿafan (‘lame’), nāḥs (‘lousy’), zīft (‘crap’), jānānāh (‘craziness’), ḥafīf (‘carelessly’), fisfūs (‘loss’), masṭūl (‘wasted, high’), zimzūm (‘hum, buzz’), nādīr (‘rare’), rasmī (‘official’), and reṣīnī (‘serious’). Other terms describe personalities, stereotypes, and emotional connexions: ṭembel (‘fool’), ahbal (‘idiot’), ʿars (‘pimp, conniving macho’), saḥbāq (‘chum’), ḥamūlāh (‘clan or extended family’), tafrān (‘pauper’), ḥabūb (‘buddy’), ʿayyūnī (‘darling’), fréḥāh (‘bimbo’), salāmtō or salāmtak (‘good guy’),

Arabic has also influenced IH greetings and interjections. Israelis greet each other with ahlān (‘hi’), call each other ḥabībī (‘my friend, dude’), urge each other on with yaʾllāh (‘come on’), and question each other with waʾllāh (‘really?’). Other common phrases include saḥtéyn (‘well done!’), be-ḥayyāt (‘for heavens sake’), ashkārāh (‘for real, truly’), maʿaléysh (‘no matter’), daḥīlaq (‘please, for goodness sake’), yaʿnī (‘that is’), ʿālek (‘yeah, right’, with sarcasm), dīr bālaq (‘watch out!’), barūd (‘heads up!’, when using explosives), and wardāh (‘ahoy!’). Some idioms, as well, mirror or even copy directly Arabic ones. As noted above, the ‘good morning’ exchange represents a Hebrew adaption of the Arabic model; in the case of the saying, yōm ʿasal, yōm baṣal (‘a honey day, an onion day’—i.e., ‘some days are good, others bad’), the Arabic phrase is imported word-for-word, no doubt owing to the phonetic similarity to Hebrew cognates. Almog has noted that thirty per cent of the Arabic words adopted into IH slang were curse words.31 Most are quite vulgar—but because they are not technically Hebrew words, speakers use them with less inhibition than if they were part of the ‘official’ lexis. A few of these swear words and insults include: īnʿal rabbāk/dīnāk/abbūk (‘curse your Lord/religion/father’), sharmūṭāh (‘slut, whore’), and a reference to the recipient’s mother, sometimes bastardised into the nonsensical kūsʾemet. link to dglnotes.com

Source Article from http://mondoweiss.net/2015/11/laughable-israeli-propaganda

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