# Egyptian Self-Taught

​MARLBOROUGH'S SELF-TAUGHT SERIES.
Egyptian Self-Taught (ARABIC).
CONTAINING Alphabet and Pronunciation— Vocabularies—Elementary Grammar—Idiomatic Phrases & Conversations —Travel Talk— Money, Weights and Measures.
BY
CAPTAIN C. A. THIMM.
Fourth Edition, Revised and Enlarged by
MAJOR R. A. MARRIOTT, D.S.O.
London: E. MARLBOROUGH & CO., 51, Old Bailey, E.C 1914.
[ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.]
NOTE TO THIRD EDITION.
It has been the fashion since the occupation of Egypt to speak slightingly of the colloquial form of Arabic in use there.
This is partly because, as is the case in every country, the commoner forms of speech seem uncouth and unclassical to students who have learnt their Arabic either in universities, from munshis in India, or from Syrians (who are frequently in Egypt the professed instructors).
The basis of the common speech is, however, classical, though not directly recognisable as such. The fact that some of the words have not been encountered in the comparatively scanty literature of the Arabs, nor in the Koran, does not preclude them from being Arabic, though the forms of speech may not rank higher than such English forms as shan't, ain't, and I've.
Take, for instance, the word so often heard—ballāsh, gratis (used often where "gratis" is scarcely the translation). This is the Egyptian form of bila shey, without anything; and mush (not) is ma shey, like the ne and pas in French, though the proper negative is mā, lā, or leyss.
The Egyptian language has also the characteristic of using many words in their diminutive form. Thus mā, water, becomes moyyah; saghīr, small, saghayyar, hence also the form shuwāayyah which again is scarcely recognisable in the expression bi shweysh meaning slowly. Further, letters are sometimes transposed : zōg, a pair, becomes gōz; yil'an' becomes yin'al, the most common expletive in use, in the form yin'al abūk! "May your father be cursed"!
Some scholars are of opinion that the Egyptian Arabic, showing kinship with the Aramaic, is entitled to as high a place in the pedigree of the language as is the language of the Koran.
Everyone of standing or education in Egypt speaks with a superstructure of good Arabic, so that a student of the language may rest assured that as he advances in knowledge of the expressions and words used amongst the educated natives he in learning Arabic which will stand him in good stead elsewhere.
R. A. MARRIOTT.
Chelmsford, 1907.
PREFACE.
THIS little manual is intended as a practical handbook of colloquial Arabic, as spoken in Egypt, for the Army and Navy, Travellers, Missionaries and Traders, in the Nile Valley and Delta, or in the Sudan.
By the use of this book, students, tourists and others will find they are quite competent to make themselves understood by all classes of Arabs met with in Egypt, the Sudan, and a considerable part of North Africa.
Full Vocabularies of words in common, every-day use are supplied, including a particularly comprehensive list of Military terms and a useful section of Conversational Phrases and Sentences of a practical character. In addition an outline of the Grammar of Arabic is given, and students of the Language will find this of great assistance in mastering the construction of sentences.
In the Vocabularies the plural has in most cases been added to the nouns, as well as the imperative of the verbs, which also occasionally presents difficulties. The system of transliteration adopted is of a simple and phonetic character, and is clearly laid down at the commencement of the book, where the forms of the Arabic characters are given, together with a full explanation of the peculiarities of pronunciation, the Egyptian rendering of the Arabic alphabet, and the equivalent sound of each letter in English—thus supplying the key to the second column throughout.
Thanks are due to Professor Flinders Petrie for revising the proofs, and to Sir Alfred Milner, K.G.B., Dr. Andrew Watson, Captain H. C. Prichard, Mr. D. A. Cameron and others for useful suggestions made.
CONTENTS.
| | PAGE |
| The Alphabet | 5 |
| The Forms of the Letters | 6 |
| Remarks on the Pronunciation of Arabic | 8 |
| Vocabularies.—Pages 12 to 60. |
| Animals, Birds and Fishes | 14 |
| Colours | 34 |
| Commercial and Trading Terms | 59 |
| Countries and Nations | 31 |
| Eating and Cooking Utensils | 21 |
| Fruits, Trees, Flowers, Herbs and Vegetables | 16 |
| Government Ministries and Administrations | 45 |
| House and Furniture | 22 |
| Mankind: Relations | 18 |
| Dress | 19 |
| Food and Drink | 20 |
| Human Body, The | 16 |
| Military Titles | 46 |
| Naval and Military Terms | 47 |
| Numbers: Cardinal, Collective | 32 |
| Parts of Speech: Adjectives, Adverbs, etc., Conjunctions, Interrogatives, Prepositions, Pronouns, Verbs | 34 to 45 |
| Professions and Trades | 24 |
| Religious Words for Missionary Workers | 60 |
| Reptiles and Insects | 15 |
| Ships and Shipping | 25 |
| Shooting Implements and Fishing Tackle | 28 |
| Time and Seasons | 29 |
| Town and Country | 23 |
| Travelling | 26 |
| World and its Elements, The | 12 |
| Land and Water ; Minerals and Metals | 13 |
| Writing | 27 |
| The Grammar of Arabic-Pages 61 to 66. |
| Remarks—The Verb: Auxiliary Verbs; General Formation of Tenses—Pronoun—Formation of Plurals—Definite Article—Negative—Adjective—Polite Diction. |
| Conversations.—Pages 67 to 79. |
| Directions to Workmen | 72 |
| Travel Talk : Arrival | 73 |
| An Excursion | 76 |
| On the Nile | 77 |
| The Railway | 74 |
| Simple and Practical Phrases | 68 |
| Useful and Necessary Expressions | 67 |
| Weights and Measures | 79 |
| Egyptian Money | 80 |