Day: February 19, 2024

SICILIAN ARABIC , a vanished language still reverberating today

In medieval Sicily, a specific variant of Arabic emerged after the Aghlabid and Fatimid dynasties. This language, now extinct, left a living legacy.

The emergence of Sicilian Arabic is a direct consequence of the Islamic conquest of Sicily. This period began in 827 AD, initiated by Euphemius, a Byzantine naval commander in Sicily, who sought aid from Muslim forces to regain his command after being deposed in a rebellion. This appeal set the stage for a protracted conflict, ultimately leading to the complete domination of Sicily by Muslim forces by 902 AD. Notably, the resistance persisted in some Byzantine strongholds, with Rometta succumbing as late as 965 AD.

A new era

Under the new Muslim governance, Sicily underwent a profound transformation. This era facilitated the intermingling of Islamic Arab and Berber settlers with the island’s Latin-Romance, Greek-Byzantine, and Jewish populations. Palermo, in particular, flourished as a significant cultural and political nexus within the Islamic world. The establishment of the Emirate of Sicily during this epoch (831 to 1091 AD) marked a significant phase in the island’s history, enduring until the Norman conquest in the late 11th century.

The emergence of Sicilian Arabic to the island was a byproduct of these migrations and conquests, rooted in the Maghrebi Arabic variant brought by Arab troops and settlers from Tunisia. From this dialect, the Siculo-Arabic language emerged. But this linguistic evolution extended beyond Sicily, influencing the language and cultural landscape of nearby Malta , where Sicilian Arabic eventually gave rise to the Maltese language. The Maltese language, with its deep connections to the Maghrebi Arabic variant spoken in Sicily during the Norman period, is a unique blend, integrating elements of Sicilian Romance and Arabic into a distinct parler. This linguistic transformation was later also significantly influenced by the conquests of Roger II and subsequent shifts towards a more European societal structure in both Sicily and Malta from 1091 to 1127, accentuating the Latin element of the Maltese language.

Between East and West

Maltese, today, is officially classified within the South Arabic branch of the Central Semitic languages, traces its lineage through Sicilian Arabic back to Tunisian Arabic, part of the broader Maghrebi Arabic family. Despite its Semitic roots, a substantial portion of the Maltese vocabulary is derived from Romance languages, predominantly due to the influence of Sicilian Latin and Tuscan. But the language, today, is a surviving descendant of the now-extinct Arabic of Sicily. Moreover, a study entitled “Mutual intelligibility of spoken Maltese, Libyan Arabic, and Tunisian Arabic functionally tested” by Čéplö et al. examines the proximity of Maltese to East Maghrebi Arabic and found an noteworthy degree of intelligibility between Maltese and Tunisian and Libyan Arabic dialects today.

source/content: kawa-news.com (headline edited)

_________

Roger Receiving The Keys Of Palermo

______________________

ARABIC LANGUAGE

SOMALIA: Mohamed Ibrahim Warsame, one of Somalia’s greatest Poets

Mohamed Ibrahim Warsame, one of Somalia’s greatest poets, dies aged 79.

Somali social media has been flooded with tributes to the man better known as ‘Hadraawi’.

Messages of condolences continue to pour in from around the world following the death of Mohamed Ibrahim Warsame, regarded as one of Somalia’s greatest poets.

Warsame, known as “Hadraawi”, died in Hargeisa, in Somaliland, on Thursday at the age of 79.

Social media has been flooded with tributes and praise for his contribution to Somali language and culture.

“I’m heartbroken to inform you our giant Mohamed Ibrahim Warsame Hadraawi has passed away. Might Allah bless him and grant him Jannah,” Ayan Mahamoud, founder of Kayd Somali Arts and Culture , said on Twitter.

“We will treasure his legacy and the rich scholarly work he left behind,” added Said Salah Ahmed, a poet and playwright who teaches the Somali language at the University of Minnesota in the US.

Hadraawi, which means the “master, or father, of speech”, was regarded as a pillar of modern Somali literature and a strong advocate of peace and democracy.

In 1973, he was imprisoned for five years by the president, Siad Barre, who ruled Somalia until 1991, for speaking against the revolution. His work was banned but he continued to compose poetry upon his release, which were was passed on through word of mouth.

The songs and verses he wrote are full of imagery and metaphor, open to interpretation, which made it hard for the military regime to control. A verse from his poem The Killing of the She-Camel resulted in his imprisonment without trial.

The snake sneaks in the castle:

although it’s carpeted with thorns

still the coward casts off his curses

so the courageous must stretch out his neck;

the cob stallion sells his values

in order to cut a fine figure.

When such cockiness struts forth

and even laughter becomes a crime

our country has unfinished business.

In the early 1990s he called for an end to the civil war, which caused thousands of people to flee Somalia. In 2004, he travelled throughout the country on a “peace march” urging warring parties to stop the violence. His message of reconciliation resonated with Somalis at home and abroad.

He retired a few years ago.

“Poet Mohamed Ibrahim Warsame (Hadraawi) was a symbol of unity and peace,” said the Somali president, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, in a statement. “He was one of key pillars of Somalia’s art and literature who took a leading role in preserving the Somali culture and promoting the Somali language. His death is felt in every Somali household.”

The EU, Norway, the UK and other friends of Somalia sent condolences and tributes.

“Sending my heartfelt condolences to the people of Somaliland and to all Somalis for the loss of Mohamed Ibrahim Warsame “Hadraawi”, an iconic poet and one of the most eminent and beloved Somali poets of all time,” tweeted Lizzie Walker, head of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office in Hargeisa.

Hadraawi had been called the “Somali Shakespeare”, but Somali singer and songwriter Aar Maanta said: “Hadraawi wasn’t the ‘Somali Shakespeare’ he was the Somali Hadraawi. He was more than a poet; he was a philosopher and a freedom fighter who spent many years in jail for his stance against injustice and dictatorship.

“He wrote some of the most beautiful love songs and poems that Somalis in the Horn of Africa and beyond use as a benchmark.”

Ahmed, who knew Hadraawi since late 1960s, added: “Hadraawi was one of the kindest people I have ever met. His poetry speaks for the voiceless and calls out oppression against the people …. he will be missed so dearly but we will treasure his legacy and the rich scholarly work he left behind.”

Known as a “nation of poets”, poetry is woven into the fabric of Somali society with centuries of oral history, as the Somali language was only written in 1972.

Contemporary Somali poetry, including the works of Hadraawi, has been preserved in books and translated into English.

source/content: theguardian.com (headline edited)

_____________

___________

SOMALIA