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Aljamiado (Spanish: [alxaˈmjaðo]; Portuguese: [alʒɐmiˈaðu]; Arabic: عَجَمِيَة trans. ʿajamiyah [ʕaʒaˈmij.ja]) or Aljamía texts are manuscripts that use the Arabic script for transcribing European languages, especially Romance languages such as Medieval Spanish, Mozarabic and others from the Peninsular Romance Continuum.
According to Anwar G. Chejne, Aljamiado or Aljamía is "a corruption of the Arabic word ʿajamiyah (in this case it means foreign language) and, generally, the Arabic expression ʿajam and its derivative ʿajamiyah are applicable to peoples whose ancestry is not of Arabian origin". [3] During the Arab conquest of Persia, the term became a pejorative. [4]
The systematic writing of Romance-language texts in Arabic scripts appears to have begun in the fifteenth century, and the overwhelming majority of such texts that can be dated belong to the sixteenth century. [5] A key aljamiado text is the compilation Suma de los principales mandamientos y devediamentos de nuestra santa ley y sunna by the mufti of Segovia, of 1462. [6]
In later times, Moriscos were banned from using Arabic as a religious language, and wrote in Spanish on Islamic subjects. Examples are the Coplas del alhichante de Puey Monzón, narrating a Hajj, [7] or the Poema de Yuçuf on the Biblical Joseph (written in Aragonese). [8]
Aljamiado played a very important role [9] in preserving Islam and the Arabic language in the life of the Moriscos of Castile and Aragon; Valencian and Granadan Moriscos spoke and wrote in Andalusi Arabic. After the fall of the last Muslim kingdom on the Iberian peninsula, the Moriscos (Muslims in parts of what was once Al-Andalus) were forced to convert to Christianity or leave the peninsula. They were forced to adopt Christian customs and traditions and to attend church services on Sundays. Nevertheless, some of the Moriscos kept their Islamic belief and traditions secretly, and this included the usage of Aljamiado.
In 1567, Philip II of Spain issued a royal decree in Spain, which forced Moriscos to abandon using Arabic on all occasions, formal and informal, speaking and writing. Using Arabic in any sense of the word would be regarded as a crime. They were given three years to learn the language of the Christian Spanish, after which they would have to get rid of all Arabic written material. Moriscos of Castile and Aragon translated all prayers and the Hadith (sayings of Muhammad) into Aljamiado transcriptions of the Spanish language, while keeping all Qur'anic verses in the original Arabic. Aljamiado scrolls were circulated amongst the Moriscos. Historians came to know about Aljamiado literature only in the early nineteenth century. Some of the Aljamiado scrolls are kept in the Spanish National Library in Madrid.
Aljamiado | Latin Equivalent | Ladino Equivalent | IPA |
---|---|---|---|
ا | A a Á á |
א | [a] |
ب | B b V v |
ב בﬞ (ב׳) |
[b]~[β] |
ڤ | P p | פ פ |
[p] |
ت | T t | ט | [t] |
ث 2 | T t | תﬞ (ת׳) | [θ] |
ج | J j Ge ge 4 Gi gi |
גﬞ (ג׳) זﬞ (ז׳) |
[d͡ʒ]~[ʒ]5 |
چ | Ch ch | גﬞ (ג׳) |
[t͡ʃ] |
ح 2 | H h | ח | [h]~[ħ] |
خ 2 | J j | חﬞ (ח׳) | [x] |
د 5 | D d | ד | [d] |
ذ 5 | D d | דﬞ (ד׳) | [ð] |
ر | R r | ר | [ɾ] |
رّ 1 | Rr rr | ר | [r] |
ز | Z z X x |
ז | [z] |
س | Ç ç 3 Ce ce Ci ci S s Ss ss X x Z z |
ס | [s] |
ش | X x | ס (ש) זג (סק) |
[ʃ] |
كس | X x | כס כס |
[ks] |
ݢز | X x | גּז גּז |
[gz] |
ص 2 | S s | צ ץ | [s] |
ض 2 | D d | צﬞ ץﬞ (צ׳ ץ׳) |
[d] |
ط 2 | T t | ט | [t] |
ظ 2 | D d | טﬞ (ט׳) | [ð] |
ع 2 | ' | ע | [ʕ] |
ݢ | G g 4 Gu gu (except Ge ge Gi gi) |
ג | [g] |
ڢ (ف) |
F f | פﬞ ף (פ׳) | [f]~[ɸ] |
ڧ 2 (ق) |
Qu qu | ק | [q]~[k] |
ك | Qu qu C c (except Ç ç Ce ce Ci ci) |
ק | [k] |
ل | L l | ל | [l] |
لّ 1 | Ll ll | ליי | [ʎ] |
ن | N n | נ ן | [n] |
ڽ | Ñ ñ | ניי | [ɲ] |
م | M m | מ ם | [m] |
و 6 | Gua gua Güe güe Guo guo Gu gu Hu hu Qua qua Que que Quo quo |
-ו | [w] |
ۏ | V v | ו | [v] |
ــُـ | U u Ú ú |
בֻ | [u] |
ۆ | O o Ó ó |
חֳ | [o] |
هـ ه | H h | א / ה | [-] |
ي 7 | Y y | י / יי / -י | [j] |
ـِـي | I i Í í Y y |
בִ | [i] |
ى | E e É é |
חֱ | [e] |
Notes:
Aljamiado | Latin Equivalent |
---|---|
يا | ia |
يى | ie |
يه | io |
وا | ua |
وو | uo |
ىو | eo |
ىا | ea |
ىي | ei |
وى | oe |
اى | ae |
وى | ue |
اي | ai |
ىى | ee |
وي | oi |
ىو | eu |
The practice of Jews writing Romance languages such as Spanish, Aragonese or Catalan in the Hebrew script is also referred to as aljamiado. [11]
The word aljamiado is sometimes used for other non-Semitic language written in Arabic letters:
Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: [13]
English Translation | 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 a spirit of brotherhood. |
---|---|
Spanish (Latin) | Todos los seres humanos nacen libres e iguales en dignidad y derechos y, dotados como están de razón y conciencia, deben comportarse fraternalmente los unos con los otros. |
Aljamiado | تُذُشْ لُشْ شَارَاشْ هُمَنُشْ نَسَانْ لِبرَاشْ ءَا اِغُوَلَاشْ ءَان دِغْنِتَذْ اِ دَارَاجُّشْ، اِ دُتَذُشْ كُمُ ءَاشْتَنْ دَا رَزُنْ اِ كُنْسِيَانسِيَ، دَابَانْ كُمْبُّرتَرْشَا ڢْرَتَارْنَلْمَانْتَا لُشْ اُنُشْ كُنْ لُشْ اُتْرُشْ. |
Ladino | טודﬞוס לוס סיריס אומאנוס נאסין ליבﬞריס אי איגואליס אין דיגנידﬞאדﬞ איי דיריגﬞוס איי, דוטאדﬞוס קומו איסטאן ראזון איי קונסיינסיה, דיבﬞין קומפורטארסי פﬞראטירנאלמינטי לוס אונוסקון לוס אוטרוס. |
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