I've no idea what the word is for "Brunch", but I woke up after midday and had some. In the company of...well, assorted relatives of each other.
Arabic family trees are extensive and complex, with distinctions we don't bother with in English. Yesterday I was asked if english has a special word for "the sister of my wife", and it took a minute to work out the answer is "no". Unless there is and I missed it. I'm not absolutely sure what a second cousin is, or how a third cousin can be removed four times.
So, I munched brunch, learning some words for what I was munching. Green olives are /zaituun/, but black ones are (I think) /atuun/. There a thick, black, sweet and syrupy dip called.../dips/ (or /dubz/, depending on who's pronouncing it). A glass container is a /kaasa/, and my /kaasa tSai/ (petite little tea glass) was replaced with a /kaasa biira/ (sensible sized beer glass). /okuul/ is "eat", /aakel/ is "food", and seemingly the generic word for footwear is, very usefully, /but/.
"Chicken" (and/or possibly) "Turkey" is /dadZaadZ/, conjouring images of a rooster in a courtroom, banging his gavel as "Da Judge".
A shirt is a /kamiiz/, which is nice and simple and Spanish corellated. Except it also works for a light pullover/sweater/jumper...but not for a fleece, of which there are at least two finely distingished varieties.
After that, I converted to Islam. And they videoed me doing it. Twice.
Which is to say, we played a game where I tried to repeat sung arabic phrases - including the oath you recite when you convert. I'm fairly sure my soul hasn't been saved from /dZahaanam/ (hell) though, on the technicality that it's hard to mean words you don't understand. Even though that's how most religious ceremonies work.
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| Luxury is having more than enough good things. Do not confuse this with having more expensive things than you'll ever use. |
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