Containing the Emperor's name and
titles, as Soliman ben Muhamed
ben Abdallah, &c, &c.
"Our servant, Alkaid Abdelmelk ben Behie Mulud, God assist, and
peace be with thee, and the mercy and grace of God be upon thee!"
"We command thee forthwith to procure and send to our exalted
presence every Englishman that has been wrecked on the coast of
Wedinoon, and to forward them hither without delay, and diligently
365 to succour and attend to them, and may the eye of God be upon
thee!" [207]
[Footnote 207: When they write to any other but Muhamedans,
they never salute them with the words, "Peace be with thee,"
but substitute--"Peace be to those who follow the path of the
true God," _Salem ala min itaba el Uda_.]
"26th of the (lunar), month Saffer, year of the Hejra 1221. (May,
1806.)"
The accuracy of punctuation in the Arabic language is a matter that
ought to be strictly attended to.
The foregoing observations will serve to prove the insufficiency of
a knowledge of this language, as professed or studied in Great
Britain when unaccompanied with a practical knowledge. These
observations may apply equally to the Persian language.[208]
[Footnote 208: "One of the objects I had in view in coming to
Europe, was to instruct young Englishmen in the Persian
language. I however met with so little encouragement from
persons in authority, that I entirely relinquished the plan. I
instructed, however, (as I could not refuse the recommendations
that were brought to me,) an amiable young man, Mr. S------n,
and thanks be to God, my efforts were crowned with success! and
that he, having escaped the instructions of _self-taught_
masters, has acquired such a knowledge of the principles of
that language, and so correct an idea of its idiom and
pronunciation, that I have no doubt, after a few years'
residence in India, he will attain to such a degree of
excellence, as has not yet been acquired by any other
Englishman." Vide Travels of Mirza Abu Taleb Khan, vol. i. p.
200.]
If the present ardour for discovery in Africa be persevered in, the
learned world may expect, in the course of a few years, to receive
366 histories and other works of Greek and Roman authors, which were
translated into the Arabic language, when Arabian literature was in
its zenith, and have ever since been confined to some private
libraries in the cities of the interior of Africa, and in Arabia.
Having said thus much with regard to the Arabic of the western
Arabs, which, with little variation, is spoken throughout all the
finest districts of North Africa, I shall proceed to say a few
words respecting the other languages spoken north of Sahara: these
are the Berebber and its dialects, viz. the Zayan and Girwan, and
Ait Amor; the Shelluh of Suse and South Atlas, all which, though
latterly supposed by some learned men to be the same, differ in
many respects; any one possessing a knowledge of the Berebber
language might, with little difficulty, make himself understood by
the Zayan of Atlas, the Girwan, or the Ait Amor; but the Shelluh is
a different language, and each so different from the Arabic, that
there is not the smallest resemblance, as the following specimen
will demonstrate:
BEREBBER. SHELLUH. ARABIC. ENGLISH.
Tumtoot Tayelt Ishira A girl
Ajurode Ayel Ishire A boy
Askan Tarousa Hajar A thing
Aram Algrom Jimmel Camel
Tamtute Tamraut Murrah A woman
Ishiar Issemg'h L'Abd A slave
Aouli Izimer Kibsh A sheep
Taddert Tikimie Dar House
367 Ikshuden Asroen Lawad Wood
Eekeel Akfai Hellib Milk
Tifihie Uksume El Ham Meat
Buelkiel Amuran Helloof A hog
Abreede Agares Trek A road
Bishee Fikihie Ara Give me
Adude Asht Agi Come
Alkam Aftooh Cire Go
Kaym Gäuze Jils Sit down
Imile Imeek Serire Little
_Specimen of the Difference between the Arabic and Shelluh
Languages._
SHELLUH. ARABIC. ENGLISH.
Is sin Tamazirkt Wash katarf Do you understand
Shelluh Shelluh?
Uree sin Man arf huh I do not understand it.
Matshrult Kif enta How are you?
Is tekeete Wash gite min Are you come from
Marokshe Marockshe Marocco?
Egan ras Miliah Good
Maigan Ala'sh Wherefore?
Misimmink As'mek What is your name?
Mensh kat dirk Shall andik How much have you got?
Tasardunt Borella A mule
Romi Romi An European
Takannarit Nasarani A Christian
368 Romi Kaffer An infidel
Misem Bebans Ashkune mula Who is the owner?
Is'tkit Tegriwelt Washjite min Are you come from
Tegriwelt Cape Ossem?
Auweete Imkelli Jib Liftor Bring the dinner
Efoulkie Meziana Handsome
Ayeese El aoud A horse
Tikelline El Baid Eggs
Amuran Helloof Hog
Tayuh Tatta Camelion
Tasamumiat Adda Green lizard
Tenawine Sfune Ships.
Marmol says, the Shelluhs and Berebbers write and speak one
language, called Killem Abimalick[209]; but the foregoing specimen,
the accuracy of which may be depended on, clearly proves this
assertion to be erroneous, as well as that of many moderns who have
formed their opinion, in all probability, on the above authority.
Now, although the Shelluh and Berebber languages are so totally
dissimilar, that there is not one word in the foregoing vocabulary
which resembles its corresponding word in the other language, yet,
369 from the prejudice which Marmol's authority has established, it
will still be difficult, perhaps, to persuade the learned that such
an author could be mistaken on such a subject. My account therefore
must remain for a future age to determine upon, when the languages
of Africa shall be better known than they are at present; for it is
not a few travellers occasionally sent out on a limited plan, that
can ascertain facts, the attainment of which requires a long
residence, and familiar intercourse with the natives. Marmol had
also misled the world, in saying that they write a different
language; the fact is, that when they write any thing of
consequence, it is in the Arabic; but any trifling subject is
written in the Berebber words, though in the Arabic character. If
they had any peculiar character in the time of Marmol, they have
none now; for I have conversed with hundreds of them, as well as
with the Shelluhs, and have had them staying at my house for a
considerable time together, but never could learn from any, that a
character different from the Arabic had ever been in use among
them.
[Footnote 209: Killem Abimalick signifies the Language of
Abimalick; this is evidently an error of Marmol, the Shelluh
language is denominated _Amazirk_; the Berebber Language is
denominated _Killem Brebber_.]
In addition to these languages, there is another spoken at the
Oasis of Ammon, or Siwah, called in Arabic [Arabic:] El Wah El
Grarbie, which appears to be a mixture of Berebber and Shelluh, as
will appear from the list of Siwahan words given by Mr.
370 Horneman[210], in his Journal, page 19, part of which I have here
transcribed, to show the similitude between those two languages,
whereby it will appear that the language of Siwah and that of the
Shelluhs of South Atlas, are one and the same language.
ENGLISH. SIWAHAN. SHELLUH.
Sun Itfuckt Atfuct.
Head Achfé Akfie
Camel Lgum Arume
Sheep Jelibb Jelibb
Cow Tfunest Tafunest
Mountain Iddrarn Iddra[211]
Have you a horse? Goreck Ackmar Is derk Achmar?[212]
Milk Achi Akfie
Bread Tagor Tagora[213]
Dates Tena Tenia (sing.)Tena (plural.)
South of the Desert we find other languages spoken by the blacks;
and are told by Arabs, who have frequently performed the journey
from Jinnie to Cairo, and the Red Sea, that thirty-three different
371 Negro languages are met with in the course of that route, but that
the Arabic is spoken by the intelligent part of the people, and the
Muhamedan religion is known and followed by many; their writings
are uniformly in Arabic.
[Footnote 210: In reading Mr. William Marsden's observations on
the language of Siwah, at the end of Horneman's Journal, in
page 190, I perceive that the short vocabulary inserted
corresponds with a vocabulary of the Shelluh language, which I
presented to that gentleman some years past.] [Footnote 211:
Plural Iddrarn.]
[Footnote 212: Or, Is derk ayeese?]
[Footnote 213: This is applied to bread when baked in a pan, or
over the embers of charcoal, or other fire; but when baked in
an oven it is called Agarom (g guttural.)]
It may not be improper in this place, seeing the many errors and
mutilated translations which appear from time to time, of Arabic,
Turkish and Persian papers, to give a list of the Muhamedan moons
or lunar months, used by all those nations, which begin with the
first appearance of the new moon, that is, the day following, or
sometimes two days after the change, and continue till they see the
next new moon; these have been mutilated to such a degree in all
our English translations, that I shall give them, in the original
Arabic character, and as they ought to be spelt and pronounced in
the English character, as a clue whereby to calculate the
correspondence between our year and theirs. They divide the year
into 12 months, which contain 29 or 30 days, according as they see
the new moon; the first day of the month Muharam is termed [arabic]
Ras Elame, i.e. the beginning of the year.
As we are more used to the Asiatic mode of punctuation, that will
be observed in these words.
Muharam [Arabic]
Asaffer [Arabic]
372 Arabia Elule [Arabic]
Arabea Atthenie [Arabic]
Jumad Elule [Arabic]
Jumad Athenie [Arabic]
Rajeb [Arabic]
Shaban [Arabic]
Ramadan [Arabic]
Shual [Arabic]
Du'elkada [Arabic]
Du Elhajah [Arabic]
The first of Muharram, year of the Hejra 1221, answers to the 19th
March of the Christian æra, 1806.
Among the various languages spoken south of the Sahara, we have
already observed that there are thirty-three different ones between
the Western Ocean and the Red Sea, following the shores of the Nile
El Abeed, or Niger: among all these nations and empires, a man
practically acquainted with the Arabic, may always make himself
understood, and indeed, it is the language most requisite to be
known for every traveller in these extensive regions.
The Mandinga is spoken from the banks of the Senegal, where that
river takes a northerly course from the Jibel Kuthera to the
373 kingdom of Bambarra; the Wangareen tongue is a different one; and
the Housonians speak a language differing again from that.
_Specimen of the difference between the Arabic and Mandinga
language; the words of the latter extracted from the vocabularies
of Seedi Muhamed ben Amer Sudani._