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Sudanese Arabic, as spoken throughout much of northern Sudan, is the result of a mixing of Egyptian Arabic and Arabic from the Arabian peninsula with local languages (El Rutana). This has resulted in a variety of Arabic that is unique to Sudan, reflecting the way in which the country has been influenced by both African and Arabian cultures. Neverthless, Sudanese Arabic is similar to standard Arabic in many respects and as with all Arabic variations, is derived from the language of the Qur'an.
Sudanese versus Egyptian Arabic
In contrast to northern Egyptian Arabic, the letter (ج) in Sudanese Arabic is pronounced similar to the English letter "j" and not like "g". Hence the Sudanese Arabic "jellabiyya" (the traditional garb worn by men in Egypt and Sudan) is used as opposed to "gellabiyya" in Egypt. The word is ultimately derived from Egyptian galba. Similarly, the common Egyptian word for camel (gamal), in Sudanese Arabic is pronounced jamal.
In addition to differences in pronunciation, Sudanese Arabic also uses different words when compared to Egyptian Arabic. For example, the word for water in Sudan is moya (or moyah), rather than mai with a silent a. In addition, Sudanese do not commonly use the words ma', meiah → meh, alma
The influence of Nubian languages
In northern and central parts of Sudan, Sudanese colloquial Arabic has been influenced by the Nubian language, which in ancient times was the dominant language in Southern Egypt and Northern Sudan. Many of the agricultural and farming terms in Sudanese Arabic were adopted from Nubian, since Arabic was a language associated with nomadism and so lacked the vocabulary for the settled agricultural lifestyle.
- Sudanese Arabic: angareb < Nobiin: àngàréé "wooden bed"
- Sudanese Arabic: kadēsa < Nobiin: kàdíís "cat". The Arabic word for cat would be qitta or 'otta in Egyptian Arabic (Egyptian Arabic for cat is also bissa from ancient Egyptian bs.t)
Regional variation
Because of the varying influence of local languages in different parts of Sudan, there is considerable regional variation in Arabic spoken throughout the country. Sudanese Arabic typically refers to Arabic spoken mostly in northern parts of Sudan. The other most commonly mentioned dialect of Arabic in Sudan is Juba Arabic, which is much more heavily influenced by other local languages, and is in effect a creole language.
Greetings in Sudanese Arabic
In northern Sudan, greetings are typically extended, and involve multiple questions about the other persons health, their family etc. When greeting someone you know, it is common to begin with the word oh, followed by the person's first name, as in Oh... Babiker....or alternatively, Oh...kef ya Babiker (see below)
Formal greetings often begin with the universal Salaam a leykum / A leykum salaam (Peace to you / and to you) exchange common to Muslims eveywhere. However, other greetings typical to Sudan include: Izzeeyak / Izzeeyik (m/f) (How are you), Inta / Inti shadiid(a)? (Are you strong / well?), the response to which is usually Al hamdu lilla (Praise be to God), assuming you are indeed feeling well, ma batal (not bad) or nos-nos (literally half-half) if feeling only ok (nos-nos being slightly worse), or perhaps "ta'ban shwayya" (a little tired) if not so well.
Other everyday greetings include kwaiyis(a) (Literally "Good"—it can be a question or an answer, kef al usra? (how is the family) or kef al awlaad? (literally how are the children, though it generally refers to both wife and children). For friends, the question kef can also be formed using the person's first name, pre-fixed by ya, for example; kef ya Yousef? (How are you Joseph?). Another standard response in addition to Al hamdu lilla is Allahi barak fique (God's blessing upon you).
Additional greetings are appropriate for particular times—either times of the day, such as Sabah el kheir / Sabah el Nur and Mesa el Kheir / Mesa el Nur (call and response for mornings and evenings respectively) or particular times of the year, such as Ramadan Kareem (A Generous Ramadan) during Ramadan, Kullu senna inta (inti) taiyib(a) (May you be well every year) at the beginning of the year, and Nye-man to a (male) friend who has got a new haircut.
Sudanese that know each other well will often use many of these greetings together, sometimes repeating themselves. It is also common to shake hands on first meeting, sometimes simultaneously slapping or tapping each other on the left shoulder before the handshake (particularly for good friends). Handshakes in Sudan can often last as long as greetings.
Assenting - saying yes
The Sudanese arabic word for yes is typically Aye, pronounced similarly to the Scots-English word meaning the say thing, though Aiwa is also sometimes used. Some people (often those from southern Sudan) will also click their tongue when assenting (sometimes more than once) to something rather than using a particular word. Clicking, depending on the tone, can also be used when expressing sympathy with some (usually minor) problem a person has.
See also
References
In English
- Andrew and Janet Persson with Ahmad Hussein, 1979, Sudanese Colloquial Arabic for beginners, Summer Institute of Lingusitics, Horsleys Green, High Wycombe, United Kingdom: This book is a good introduction to Sudanese colloquial Arabic as spoken in Khartoum. Text is in both Arabic and Latin scripts, making it accessible to those that do not read Arabic but want basic conversational skills.
- Abdel-Hadi Mohammed Omer, 1984, Arabic in the Sudanese setting: A Sociolinguistic study (Language Planning, Diglossia, Standardisation), Unpublished dissertation, Indiana University (available on Proquest).
- El Rashid Abubakr, 1970, The noun phrase in the spoken Arabic of Sudan, Unpublished dissertation, University of London, UK.
In French
- Michel Baumer, 1968, Les noms vernaculaires soudanais utiles a l'ecologiste, Unpublished dissertation, Universite de Montpelier, France.
In German
Randolph Galla, 1997, Kauderwelsch, Sudanesisch-Arabisch Wort für Wort, Reise Know How Verlag, Bielefeld, 1. Auflage, 1997, ISBN 389416302X
Online references
"Sudanese Arabic"