Everything about Egyptian Arabic totally explained
Egyptian Arabic (
Maṣrī مصري) is a
variety of the
Arabic language of the
Semitic branch of the
Afro-Asiatic language family. It originated in the
Nile Delta in Lower Egypt around the capital
Cairo. Descended from the spoken
Arabic brought to
Egypt during the AD seventh-century
Muslim conquest, its development was influenced mainly by the indigenous
Copto-
Egyptian language of
pre-Islamic Egypt, and later by other languages such as
Turkish. Egyptian Arabic is spoken by more than 76 million people in
Egypt.: the proliferation and popularity of Egyptian films and other media in the region since the early 20th century; and the great number of Egyptian teachers and professors who were instrumental in setting up the education systems of various countries in the
Arabian Peninsula and who also taught there and in other countries such as
Algeria and
Libya.
In
Yemen, for example, foreign Arabic speakers are often automatically seen as "Egyptians", and many Yemenites have adapted their everyday speech to Egyptian Arabic by borrowing Egyptian words (such as
kuwayyis 'well, good') and occasionally Egyptian morphology. Similar occurrences to varying degrees can be found in
Sudan, the
Levant (particularly
Palestine) and in
Libya. This trend may now be shifting with the recent ascendancy of
Lebanese media in the region, though many Lebanese artists choose to sing in Egyptian as well as
Lebanese.
History
The
Egyptians slowly adopted the
Arabic language following the Arab-Muslim conquest of
Egypt in the 7th century AD. Up till then, they were speaking
Egyptian in its
Coptic form. For more than three centuries, there existed a period of Coptic-Arabic bilingualism in Lower Egypt. This trend would last for many more centuries in the south. Arabic may have been already familiar to Egyptians through pre-Islamic trade with
Bedouin Arab tribes in the Sinai and the easternmost part of the
Nile Delta. Egyptian Arabic seems to have begun taking shape in
Fustat, the first Islamic capital of Egypt, and now part of modern-day
Cairo. The variety of Arabic spoken by the Muslim military troops stationed in Fustat was already different from
Classical Arabic, which in part accounts for some of the unique characteristics of the Egyptian dialect.
One of the earliest linguistic sketches of Egyptian Arabic is a 16th century document entitled
Dafʻ al-ʼiṣr ʻan kalām ʼahl Miṣr ('The Removal of the Burden from the Language of the People of Egypt') by Yūsuf al-Maġribi. It contains key information on early Egyptian Arabic and the language situation in medieval Egypt. The main purpose of the document was to show that while the Egyptians' vernacular contained many critical "errors" vis-à-vis Classical Arabic, according to Maġribi, it was also related to Arabic in other respects. With the ongoing
Islamization and
Arabization of the country, Egyptian Arabic slowly supplanted spoken
Egyptian. Local chroniclers mention the continued use of Coptic Egyptian as a spoken language until the 17th century AD by peasant women in Upper Egypt. Coptic is still the
liturgical language of the Egyptian
Coptic Church.
Official status
In the 20th century, Egyptian Arabic was regarded as the national language of
Egypt, though to date it isn't officially recognized.
Standard Arabic, a modernized form of
Classical Arabic, is the official language of Egypt (see
diglossia.) Interest in the local
vernacular began in the 19th century as the Egyptian national movement for independence was taking shape. Questions about the reform and modernization of
Arabic came to fore, and for many decades to follow they were hotly debated in Egyptian intellectual circles. Proposals ranged from developing
neologisms to replace archaic terminology in
Standard Arabic; to the simplification of syntactical and morphological rules and the introduction of
colloquialisms; to complete 'Egyptianization' (
tamṣīr) by abandoning Standard Arabic in favor of Masri or Egyptian Arabic.
Proponents of language reform in Egypt included
Qasim Amin, who also wrote the first Egyptian feminist treatise, former president of the
Egyptian University,
Ahmed Lutfi el-Sayed, and noted intellectual
Salama Moussa. They adopted a modernist,
secular approach and disagreed with the Islamic assumption that Arabic was an immutable language because of its association with the
Qur'an. For a while, Egyptian Arabic enjoyed a period of rich literary output until the movement was halted with the continuing rise of
Islamism and
Arab nationalism in Egypt and the
Middle East, particularly with
Nasser's assumption of power in 1954. The first modern Egyptian novel to be written in the vernacular was
Muhammad Husayn Haykal's
Zaynab in 1913. Other notable novelists such as
Ihsan Abdel Quddous and
Yusuf Idris, and poets such as
Salah Jaheen,
Abnudi and
Fagoumi, helped solidify vernacular literature as a distinct literary genre.
The dialect of the western desert is different from all forms of Egyptian, as linguistically it forms part of the
Maghrebi group of
dialects. The same was formerly true of the Egyptian form of
Judaeo-Arabic.
Phonology
Vowels
The Egyptian Arabic vocalic system has changed relatively little from the Classical system:
4 short vowels: /a/, /i/, /u/ and /ɑ/
6 long vowels: /aː/, /iː/, /uː/, /ɑː/;
Classical Arabic diphthongs /aj/ and /aw/ became realized as /eː/ and /oː/ respectively; for some Cairene speakers, these monophthongs are allophonically shortened in closed syllables; in addition to loanwords from Standard Arabic with diphthongs—with minimal pairs like /ʃajla/ ('carrying' f.s.) vs /ʃeːla/ ('burden') and, among educated speakers, [ˈgibnɐ] ('cheese') vs [ˈgebnɐ] ('our pocket')—there exist also exist diphthongs as a result of shortening of unstressed long vowels as in |mu+daːwal+a| →/mudawla/ ('consultation').
Where Egyptian Arabic differs considerably is in vowel reduction due to changes in syllable shape. The distinction between short and long vowels is still phonemic, but only stressed vowels can remain long. Unstressed long vowels are shortened, and stressed short vowels lengthened.
Long vowels in closed syllables are reduced to their short version:
- /ʔaːl/ "he said" + -/li/ "to me" (*/ʔaːlli/) → /ʔalli/ "he said to me"
Short vowels (especially /i/ and /u/), if unstressed in certain situations, are deleted (for example
epenthesis):
/fiː/ "in" + /kiˈtaːb/ "a book" → /fi-ktaːb/ "in a book"
Both of these tendencies can work simultaneously:
/ˈsˁɑːħib/ (friend m.) + -/a/ "fem." (*/ˈsˁɑːħiba/) → /ˈsˁɑħbɑ/ (compare with Classical Arabic /sˁɑːħiba/)
Consonants
The phonemic inventory of Egyptian Arabic differs from that of Standard Arabic in a number of ways. Classical Arabic /ɟ/ was retracted to /g/ while in Standard Arabic it became postalveolar /dʒ/ so that جَبَلٌ ('mountain') is pronounced /ˈgabal/ rather than /ˈdʒabal/ as it's in Standard Arabic. Because of loanwords from other languages, including Standard Arabic, Egyptian Arabic possesses the sound /dʒ/. There are no interdental consonants and those of Standard Arabic /θ ð ðˤ/ correspond to sibilant consonants /s z zˤ/ in Egyptian Arabic.
Other consonants are more marginal. [rˤ] appears mostly in loanwords from European languages, such as /barˤaʃutt/ ('parachutte'), and native words with guttural vowels, such as /baʔarˤi/ ('my cows'). Labial emphatics /bˤ/ and /mˤ/ also come from loanwords; minimal pairs include /bˤaːbˤa/ ('pope/pontiff/patriarch') vs /baːba/ ('Paopi'). Classical Arabic /q/ became /ʔ/ in Cairo and the eastern Delta, but /q/ is retained natively in some dialects of the western Delta outside of Alexandria, and has been reintroduced as a marginal phoneme from Standard Arabic in other dialects. /p/, /v/, and /ʒ/ also appear in loanwords, though only the latter isn't restricted to more educated speakers, /ʒakitta/ ('jacket').
Egyptian Arabic maintains in all positions the early post-Classical distinctions between short /i/ and /u/ which become /ktaːb/, dʒmaːl/, and /xtaːr/ in several other dialects.:
- /kitaːb/ ('book')
- gumaːl/, ('beautiful' pl.) versus gimaːl/ ('camels')
- /ʔixtaːr/ ('he chose')
Syntax
Negation
One characteristic of Egyptian syntax which it shares with other North African varieties as well as some Levantine dialect areas is in the two-part negative verbal circumfix /ma-...-ʃ(i)/
Past: /katab/ "he wrote" /ma-katab-ʃ(i)/ "he didn't write"
Present: /jik-tib/ "he writes" /mab-jek-tib-ʃ(i)/ "he doesn't write"
This double negation is similar to French "ne... pas."
The negative circumfix surrounds the entire verbal composite including direct and indirect object pronouns:
/ma-katab-hum-liː-ʃ/ "'he didn't write them to me"
Interrogative sentences can be formed by adding the negation clitic "meʃ(i)" before the verb:
Past: /katab/ "he wrote"; /meʃ(i)-katab/ "didn't he write?"
Present: /jik-tib/ "he writes"; /meʃ(i)-b-jek-tib/ "doesn't he write?"
Future: /jik-tib/ "he will write"; /meʃ(i)-ha-jek-tib/ "won't he write?"
Coptic substratum
Egyptian Arabic appears to have retained a significant Coptic substratum in its lexicon, phonology, and syntax. Coptic was the latest stage of the indigenous Egyptian language spoken until the mid-17th century when it was finally completely supplanted by Arabic. Some features that Egyptian Arabic shares with the original ancient Egyptian language include certain prefix and suffix verbal conjugations, certain emphatic and glottalized consonants, as well as a large number of biliteral and triliteral lexical correspondences.
Two syntactic features that are particular to Egyptian Arabic inherited from Coptic are:
postposed demonstratives "this" and "that" are placed after the noun.
» Examples: ʔir-rɑɑgil da "this man" (lit. "the man this"; in Standard Arabic haaðaa-r-rajul) and ʔil-binti di "this girl" (lit. "the girl this"; in Standard Arabic haaðihi-l-bint).
in-situ wh words (for example "who", "when", "why" remain in their "logical" positions in a sentence rather than being preposed, or moved to the front of the sentence, as in Standard Arabic and English). » Examples:
*rɑɑħ mɑṣri ʔimta ? (راح مصر إمتى؟) "When (ʔimta) did he go to Egypt/Cairo?" (lit. "He went to Egypt/Cairo when?") » *rɑɑħ mɑṣri leeh ? (راح مصر ليه؟) "Why (leeh) did he go to Egypt/Cairo? (lit. "He went to Egypt/Cairo why?")
*miin [ʔilli] rɑɑħ mɑṣr ? (مين [اللي] راح مصر؟) "Who (miin) went to Egypt/Cairo? (literally - same order)
» The same sentences in Standard Arabic (with all wh words in the beginning of the sentence) would be:
» *mata ðahaba ʔila miṣr ?
*limaaða ðahaba ʔila miṣr ? » *man ðahaba ʔila miṣr ?
Studying Egyptian Arabic
Egyptian Arabic has been a subject of study by scholars and laypersons in the past and the present for many reasons, including personal interest, egyptomania, business, news reporting, and diplomatic and political interactions. Egyptian Colloquial Arabic (ECA) is now a field of study in both graduate and undergraduate levels in many higher education institutions and universities in the world. When added to academic instruction, Arabic language schools and university programs provide Egyptian Arabic courses in a classroom fashion, while others facilitate classes for online study.
Text example
Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
Egyptian (Arabic script):
الإعلان العالمي لحقوق الإنسان، المادة الأولانية
البني أدمين كلهم مولودين حرين ومتساويين في الكرامة والحقوق. إتوهبلهم العقل والضمير، والمفروض يعاملوا بعض بروح الأخوية.
Egyptian (phonetic transcription):
ʔil-madda ʔil-ʔawwalaniyya
ʔil-baniʔadmiin kulluhum mawluudiin ħurriin wi mitsawwyiin fil-kɑrɑɑmɑ wil-ħuʔuuʔ. ʔitwahab-luhum ʔil-ʕɑʔl wiḍ-ḍɑmiir wil-mɑfruuḍ yiʕamlu bɑʕḍ bi-ruuħ ʔil-ʔuxuwiyya.
English:
Article 1
All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in the spirit of brotherhood.
Characteristic words and sentences in Egyptian Arabic
إزيك - ʔizzayyak? ("How are you [m.]")
إزيك - ʔizzayyik? ("How are you [f.]")
إزيكو - ʔizzayyuku? ("How are you [pl.]")
إيه ده - ʔeeh da? ("What's all this?", "What's the point", "What's this?" - expression of annoyance)
- Ex.: (ʔinta) bitʔulluhum ʕalayya kida leeh, ʔeeh da? "Why are you telling them such things about me, what's all this?"
خلاص - xɑlɑɑṣ: several meanings, often adverbial
- "Stop it!" Ex.: zihiʔt, xɑlɑɑṣ! "I'm annoyed, stop it!"
- "It's over!", "finally, eventually" Ex.: ʔummi kaanit ʕayyaana wi-maatit, xɑlɑɑṣ. "My mother was ill and died finally." [or"...and it's over now."]
- "Ok, then!" Ex.: "خلاص، أشوفك بكرة" "xɑlɑɑṣ, ʔaʃuufak bukrɑ" meaning "I'll see you tomorrow then"
خالص - xɑɑliṣ "at all"
- maʕandinaʃ ħaaga nakulha xɑɑliṣ "We have nothing at all to eat."
كفاية - kifaaya! ("It's enough!" or "That's enough")
يعني - yaʕni ("that's to say" or "meaning" or "y'know")
- As answer to إنت عامل إيه؟ ʔinta ʕaamil ʔeeh? ("How do you do [m.]?") (as an answer: "I am so so" or "half half" = "not perfect")
- يعني إيه؟ yaʕni ʔeeh? ("What does that mean?")
- إمتى هتخلص يعني؟** ʔimta hatxɑllɑṣ yaʕni? ("When are you finishing exactly, then?)
بقى - baʔa (particle of enforcement --> "just" in imperative clauses and "well,...then?" in questions)
- .هاته بقى haatu baʔa! "Just give it to me!"
عمل إيه بقى؟ ʕamal ʔeeh baʔa? "Well, what did he do then?"
Further Information
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