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Art. XVI.—Dyebayli Vocabulary, from an unpublished MS. A.D. 1831

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 March 2011

Th. G. de Guiraudon
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Extract

about the middle of the year 1887, having bought from Dr. R. N. Oust a lot of books and papers relating to the African languages, I found amongst them a Gebilee and Bornoo manuscript Vocabulary, very carefully written on three double sheets of rough paper: on examining it, the Gebilee proved at once to be a Berber dialect, spoken in the mountainous region lying about 50 miles S. of Tripoli, and extending 150 miles in a direction from W.SW. to E.NE. However, inasmuch as I was then engaged in another part of Africa, I had not at first attached much importance to this document; but, later on, having sent it for inspection to Prof. René Basset, of Algiers, this eminent scholar urged on me the necessity of publishing my manuscript, the peculiar dialect to which it refers having not yet been illustrated; at the same time, he sent me some valuable Notes, which have greatly helped me to extricate myself amongst many inaccuracies.

Type
Original Communications
Information
Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society , Volume 25 , Issue 4 , October 1893 , pp. 669 - 698
Copyright
Copyright © The Royal Asiatic Society 1893

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References

1 For the formation of the feminine and of the plural generally, I must refer the reader to the Kabayl Grammars (Hanoteau, Kené Basset).

2 These are obviously irregular plurals.

3 This and the following isolate possessive pronouns are formed with the demonstrative pronoun win (this), the preposition n (of), and one of the affixpronouns -u (me), -ik (thee, m.), -em (thee, f.), -is (him, her), -agh (us), -wan (you, m.), -want (you, f.), -sin (them).

4 The affix-pronouns of the verbs are: -1 (me), -k (thee), -t (him, her), -agh (us), -wen (you), -ten (them), fem. tent; as a rule they are placed after the verb.

5 But, when the verb is conjugated with some particle meaning the present or the future tense, as -es in these two instances, the pronoun is affixed to this particle, instead of being affixed to the verb itself.

6 This and the following possessive affix-pronouns are formed with the preposition -in (of), and one of the affix-pronouns already quoted in Note 3.

7 However, the preposition is sometimes dropped, as in these instances.

8 wa-yet (this-unlike).

9 Here, the proper preposition should be y; but, before a word beginning with an i-sound, it changes into n; if kas must be read if k-as (give-it).

10 To be read agh-as (take-it).

11 To be read kheyr (better, ar.) in-is (of-him); kheyr in-sin (better of-them).

12 For hand-of-me (?).

13 From the instances given below, it appears that, in this peculiar dialect, the negative form of the verb is obtained by prefixing w-, once wul-, and affixing -sh (cf. ma—sh in vulgar Arabic of Algeria): when the verb begins with a radical consonant, a vowel is inserted between the prefix and this consonant; but, if the verbal form begins with a desinential consonant, the prefix w- takes the place of this consonant. Ex. : itaghidigh (I am afraid), w-itaghidigh-sh (I am not afraid); yitaghid (he is afraid), witaghid-sh (he is not afraid). When two verbs follow each other, w- is put before the first one, and -sh after the second one.

14 It is better to read bda, from Arabic (jamais), than ibda, from Arabic (il a commencé).

15 There is but one tense in the indicative mood, viz. the aorist: the present and future tenses are indicated by means of various prefixed particles, as it will be seen in the following instances; in the course of this process, there are contractions and assimilations, which will be seen.

16 I suggest that this is the negative form of the aorist of the verb tas id (return), the personal desinence being inserted between the verb and the particle.

17 In this and the following sentences, the suffix -yi is formed with y (to) and i (me); d is the “particule de retour.”

18 This would mean: for of-me I-am-hungry, and for of-me I-am-thirsty: it should be better, perhaps, to read: liheis inu loz (for of-me hunger), or: Kheis lozogh (for I-am-hungry), and so on. The word liheis is quite unknown.