@quietstuff.bsky.social
Pinned
semitic linguistics bonanza
root of "name" in arabic; god of the hebrew bible and all that; daughter 🦇; roman jewish guy that proposed a bunch of nations descended from 35 down; farming thing with a bajillion names. baydar, ʔand...
crosshare.org
i made a crossword this year 🫡 i don't think it's solvable but it should be fun
Reposted
Here's a better example of what my texts look like, in all their sloppiness. ☀️
Hashes (#) separate texts.
I put latitude and longitude because this location was obscure, without standardized spelling.
Hashes (#) separate texts.
I put latitude and longitude because this location was obscure, without standardized spelling.
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HYR6 Kreeb Village [done]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IaW65QZhLaY
Full title: منطقة كريب التابعة لإمارة الفجيرة ..
Interviewee:سعيد سالم سعيد اليماحي
Kreeb appears to be very close to Al Mihtaraqah, from his description.
Origin: 25.542223844487474, 56.13032749854566
Total length: 3:17
[0:00 to 0:27]
سلام عليكم رحمة الله وبركاته
salām ʕalaykum raḥmat allāh w-barakāto.
معكم سعيد سالم سعيد اليماحي
maʕkum sɨʕīd* sālɨm sɨʕīd yamāḥī.
موجود في منطقة كريب
mawǧūd fi manṭagat i-krīb.
تابعة لإمارة الفجيرة
tābiʕa le-ʔimārat i-fǧēra. [0:07]
وسميت الكريب بذاك التسمية لأن هاي مزارع أصلا
sʉmmiyat(?) kɨrīb b-ḏāk t-tasmiyae liʔinna hāy il-mazāriʕ ʔaṣlā(n),
أصل المزارع كريب، هاي المزرعة هي في المنطقة هذي
ʔaṣɨl il-mazāriʕ kirīb, hāy il-mazraʕat(?) hī fi m-manṭaga(?) hāḏī,
وتسمّى على أساس إنّ ال --- حابوط، موجود حابوط كريب
w-tusammā ʕala ʔasās ʔinna, il- --- ḥābūṭ, mawǧūd ḥābūt kɨrīb
يتولف فيه ماي من العين
yitiwaellaef(?) fīhi māy min il-ʕēn,
عين الرئيسية لي --- في كريب.
ʕēn ar-raʔīsīye li --- f-kɨrīb.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:p3asx4sbpsic6k7h2s3vcncl/bafkreid5mcbq52zpoab6qba6d6fuyk7a4fk42wqz2mykjfsty6p7ig2wmi@jpeg)
February 17, 2026 at 7:37 AM
Here's a better example of what my texts look like, in all their sloppiness. ☀️
Hashes (#) separate texts.
I put latitude and longitude because this location was obscure, without standardized spelling.
Hashes (#) separate texts.
I put latitude and longitude because this location was obscure, without standardized spelling.
"in the room":
bel-ʔūḍa
fīha lal-ʔūḍa
"as for" (literally like "in relation to"):
ben-nesbe la
*fīha lan-nesbe la
bel-ʔūḍa
fīha lal-ʔūḍa
"as for" (literally like "in relation to"):
ben-nesbe la
*fīha lan-nesbe la
February 16, 2026 at 2:37 PM
"in the room":
bel-ʔūḍa
fīha lal-ʔūḍa
"as for" (literally like "in relation to"):
ben-nesbe la
*fīha lan-nesbe la
bel-ʔūḍa
fīha lal-ʔūḍa
"as for" (literally like "in relation to"):
ben-nesbe la
*fīha lan-nesbe la
do not like how the fact that i say "thee, uhh..." (for "the, uhh...") suggests i know i'm about to say uhh at least half a word before i say it
February 12, 2026 at 1:09 AM
do not like how the fact that i say "thee, uhh..." (for "the, uhh...") suggests i know i'm about to say uhh at least half a word before i say it
i had the idea on the left forever ago and today is the first time ive realized that i can literally just search for the proposed *تسنكف
and WHAT DO YOU KNOW it literally exists
and WHAT DO YOU KNOW it literally exists
![screenshot of twitter results for the search 'tsengof':
tweet 1 (7/4/14):
@[redacted] Oh yeah? oh yeah? well so are you! #tsengof
tweet 2 (5/29/11):
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! tsengof marwi tsengof laken :P nchalla nerja3 as7ab :')](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:5gvygd24ilrqmbgsii2zzp3v/bafkreiayjkwa3t75f3ncv27q3xd2rb572sariequ6ap45bgczauq2lljpa@jpeg)
February 11, 2026 at 9:34 PM
i had the idea on the left forever ago and today is the first time ive realized that i can literally just search for the proposed *تسنكف
and WHAT DO YOU KNOW it literally exists
and WHAT DO YOU KNOW it literally exists
dude. dude wake up. they trained the next chatgpt release on you and now your writing style is all over the internet and everyone is picking apart every aspect of your voice and grammar and conventions they hate you SO BAD
February 10, 2026 at 5:14 PM
dude. dude wake up. they trained the next chatgpt release on you and now your writing style is all over the internet and everyone is picking apart every aspect of your voice and grammar and conventions they hate you SO BAD
Reposted
Today I learned from a Kansan that there are many locations on the Oregon Trail and offshoots where you can still see the wagon ruts formed by thousands of wagons heading west across the aptly named Great Plains.
www.nps.gov/thingstodo/v...
www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/follo...
www.nps.gov/thingstodo/v...
www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/follo...
February 10, 2026 at 6:03 AM
Today I learned from a Kansan that there are many locations on the Oregon Trail and offshoots where you can still see the wagon ruts formed by thousands of wagons heading west across the aptly named Great Plains.
www.nps.gov/thingstodo/v...
www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/follo...
www.nps.gov/thingstodo/v...
www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/follo...
also, in a 1974 collection of older papers, why would the oldest one (1946) have to have been reproduced photographically & what about the rest? did printing technology change after 1946 (do i have to read about the history of the catholic press in beirut to know?) or is the implication rather that/
February 10, 2026 at 12:56 AM
also, in a 1974 collection of older papers, why would the oldest one (1946) have to have been reproduced photographically & what about the rest? did printing technology change after 1946 (do i have to read about the history of the catholic press in beirut to know?) or is the implication rather that/
("post a banger, not in english") this one is possibly misattributed in the title youtu.be/_-F3Q37nmrE
February 9, 2026 at 8:28 PM
("post a banger, not in english") this one is possibly misattributed in the title youtu.be/_-F3Q37nmrE
if a properly typeset work from before the digital era mixes up easy-to-confuse symbols like ʾ and ʿ, would that be more likely to be on the author or the typesetter? or is there no way to say?
February 9, 2026 at 5:08 PM
if a properly typeset work from before the digital era mixes up easy-to-confuse symbols like ʾ and ʿ, would that be more likely to be on the author or the typesetter? or is there no way to say?
spiritual analogue of "needs washed" from my family
kīf baddo ʔelak xeleʔ […]?
how are you going to muster up the will to […]?
ma ʕam ʔelo xeleʔ yfatteħ ʕyūno
he can't muster up the will to open his eyes
ma ʕam fiyye fatteħ ʕyūne
i can't open my eyes
all of these have a 'missing' ykūn "to be"
kīf baddo ʔelak xeleʔ […]?
how are you going to muster up the will to […]?
ma ʕam ʔelo xeleʔ yfatteħ ʕyūno
he can't muster up the will to open his eyes
ma ʕam fiyye fatteħ ʕyūne
i can't open my eyes
all of these have a 'missing' ykūn "to be"
February 8, 2026 at 9:29 AM
spiritual analogue of "needs washed" from my family
kīf baddo ʔelak xeleʔ […]?
how are you going to muster up the will to […]?
ma ʕam ʔelo xeleʔ yfatteħ ʕyūno
he can't muster up the will to open his eyes
ma ʕam fiyye fatteħ ʕyūne
i can't open my eyes
all of these have a 'missing' ykūn "to be"
kīf baddo ʔelak xeleʔ […]?
how are you going to muster up the will to […]?
ma ʕam ʔelo xeleʔ yfatteħ ʕyūno
he can't muster up the will to open his eyes
ma ʕam fiyye fatteħ ʕyūne
i can't open my eyes
all of these have a 'missing' ykūn "to be"
my stomach just spent five hours trying to murder me we will return with a related arabic fact when i feel up to it
February 7, 2026 at 9:09 AM
my stomach just spent five hours trying to murder me we will return with a related arabic fact when i feel up to it
Reposted
Just saw on the other platform that Jonas Sibony has published his online dictionary of the Arabic Varieties of the Jews of Morocco
www.jonas-sibony.com/djm/
www.jonas-sibony.com/djm/
Dictionnaire Judéo Marocain – Parlers arabes des Juifs du Maroc
www.jonas-sibony.com
February 7, 2026 at 8:19 AM
Just saw on the other platform that Jonas Sibony has published his online dictionary of the Arabic Varieties of the Jews of Morocco
www.jonas-sibony.com/djm/
www.jonas-sibony.com/djm/
IF it's of use to anyone the only two fonts that i think exist (please lmk if i'm wrong!!) that are expressly designed to handle everything and the kitchen sink w/r/t diacritics are gentium and brill
former looks a bit less elegant to me but is free in both senses, latter only for nonconmercial use
former looks a bit less elegant to me but is free in both senses, latter only for nonconmercial use
![screenshot of webpage:
Gentium—a complete Greek font with Latin and Cyrillic, too
”Gentium” is a Latin word meaning belonging to the nations. The Gentium typeface family was created to enable the diverse ethnic groups—nations—around the world who use the Latin, Cyrillic, or Greek scripts to produce readable, high-quality publications. [this part is highlighted by me] It supports almost the complete range of Unicode characters for these scripts, including a comprehensive range of diacritics and a large set of symbols useful for linguistics and literacy work. [end highlight]](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:5gvygd24ilrqmbgsii2zzp3v/bafkreidj3udovzxnceg5u223osahzob7c3gypshiqcgv635aacbsdesc5m@jpeg)
![screenshot of webpage where i've highlighted the sentence "Technically, the Brill fonts have to be able to legibly display any combination of the supported characters that might be encountered in text,":
‘A custom typeface enables a publisher to take control of typography in a way that isn't possible with off-the-shelf fonts. One of the principal benefits is the harmonisation of text across multiple languages, books and series, contributing to a recognisable ‘Brill’ look and feel. In a typeface for such a wide range of languages, not only modern but also historical, the basic characteristics of the design need to accommodate ‘worst case’ characters, even if these might be very rare in publications. Thus, the mostly vertical contrast axis and expansion stroke model of the Brill types were chosen because they favour the mirrored letters of the International Phonetic Association alphabet. There is an inherent stability in this style that makes it more easily adaptable to a wide variety of shapes than, for instance, a renaissance style type with an oblique axis and broad-nib modelling.
[begin highlight] Technically, the Brill fonts have to be able to legibly display any combination of the supported characters that might be encountered in text, [end highlight] including sequences of combining diacritic marks above and below letters, and to be able to do so in typographically sophisticated ways involving smallcaps etc. The OpenType Layout programming in the fonts includes smart contextual rules affecting the shape, spacing and mark positioning of characters. The idea is that users will be able to throw pretty much any text at these fonts and get back a legible and](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:5gvygd24ilrqmbgsii2zzp3v/bafkreiawxz7vjwg7ghfjn57orvqjil7qp7rzgwvyzjlojh7lk2zaxnmdtq@jpeg)
February 6, 2026 at 3:41 PM
IF it's of use to anyone the only two fonts that i think exist (please lmk if i'm wrong!!) that are expressly designed to handle everything and the kitchen sink w/r/t diacritics are gentium and brill
former looks a bit less elegant to me but is free in both senses, latter only for nonconmercial use
former looks a bit less elegant to me but is free in both senses, latter only for nonconmercial use
fun syntax thing: there's an arabic saying (no) (and no) used in at least lebanon
"to each their own" (kinda): ʕālam b zōʔ w ʕālam ʕlayha bzōʔ
which has an imperative in a relative clause that i can't render in english: ****"[there are] people with taste and people who spit.IMP on them" 🤨
"to each their own" (kinda): ʕālam b zōʔ w ʕālam ʕlayha bzōʔ
which has an imperative in a relative clause that i can't render in english: ****"[there are] people with taste and people who spit.IMP on them" 🤨
February 6, 2026 at 5:49 AM
fun syntax thing: there's an arabic saying (no) (and no) used in at least lebanon
"to each their own" (kinda): ʕālam b zōʔ w ʕālam ʕlayha bzōʔ
which has an imperative in a relative clause that i can't render in english: ****"[there are] people with taste and people who spit.IMP on them" 🤨
"to each their own" (kinda): ʕālam b zōʔ w ʕālam ʕlayha bzōʔ
which has an imperative in a relative clause that i can't render in english: ****"[there are] people with taste and people who spit.IMP on them" 🤨
Reposted
Another instance of expletive infixation where the first foot straddles two words: “Thàt’s ĕ-f*-nóugh!”
February 6, 2026 at 4:34 AM
Another instance of expletive infixation where the first foot straddles two words: “Thàt’s ĕ-f*-nóugh!”
Reposted
Saloua Raouda Choucair, Lebanese (1916-2017), Poem, 1966-68, wood, 67 x 64 x 8 cm, private collection
February 4, 2026 at 2:52 PM
Saloua Raouda Choucair, Lebanese (1916-2017), Poem, 1966-68, wood, 67 x 64 x 8 cm, private collection
speaking of which i'm confused about said akl's accent
the times i've heard him speak (when not in fus7a off the cuff) i've heard absolutely nothing regional-sounding, and accordingly i had no idea he was from zahle bc you'd expect to hear some of the final diphthongization fleisch heard in the 30s
the times i've heard him speak (when not in fus7a off the cuff) i've heard absolutely nothing regional-sounding, and accordingly i had no idea he was from zahle bc you'd expect to hear some of the final diphthongization fleisch heard in the 30s
![screenshot of discord messages all by one person (me):
[youtube embed with a thumbnail of said akl on the channel العربية al arabiya] what the fuck
straight fus7a the entire time
ok here's one https://youtu.be/Ff8SHj3d0ME
[youtube embed: AL Jadeed / مايسترو مع نيشان - حلقة سعيد عقل] i don't hear anything weird ngl, he's saying 2allu not qallu or 2allaw or qallaw
oh he says ysüru at 9:10 though, cool
(random timestamp) 29:40, "2inni..." not 2innay
hrmph](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:5gvygd24ilrqmbgsii2zzp3v/bafkreibtw74kq6pfaqe35obd275huxtxe62qbwezzwttxixm3bz4wrn5re@jpeg)
February 4, 2026 at 10:12 PM
speaking of which i'm confused about said akl's accent
the times i've heard him speak (when not in fus7a off the cuff) i've heard absolutely nothing regional-sounding, and accordingly i had no idea he was from zahle bc you'd expect to hear some of the final diphthongization fleisch heard in the 30s
the times i've heard him speak (when not in fus7a off the cuff) i've heard absolutely nothing regional-sounding, and accordingly i had no idea he was from zahle bc you'd expect to hear some of the final diphthongization fleisch heard in the 30s
there's something fishy about CaCa verbs in the levant
February 4, 2026 at 10:52 AM
there's something fishy about CaCa verbs in the levant
?! 13 is ungrammatical for me, i can only make it mean 'who did ali see him for?'
15 is sorta bad for me too compared to mīn šēf ʕali
(12 is technically ok but prob out of scope)
i dont think enough (or any?) lebanese people follow me for me to be like "is this grammatical for you guys?" but. huh
15 is sorta bad for me too compared to mīn šēf ʕali
(12 is technically ok but prob out of scope)
i dont think enough (or any?) lebanese people follow me for me to be like "is this grammatical for you guys?" but. huh
January 29, 2026 at 9:05 AM
?! 13 is ungrammatical for me, i can only make it mean 'who did ali see him for?'
15 is sorta bad for me too compared to mīn šēf ʕali
(12 is technically ok but prob out of scope)
i dont think enough (or any?) lebanese people follow me for me to be like "is this grammatical for you guys?" but. huh
15 is sorta bad for me too compared to mīn šēf ʕali
(12 is technically ok but prob out of scope)
i dont think enough (or any?) lebanese people follow me for me to be like "is this grammatical for you guys?" but. huh
Reposted
"Ground squirrel" is a crazily pan-African (or at least Sahelo-Sudanic̱) root, from South Sudan to Mali:
- Mabaan: kúurʌ̂n
- Masalit: kûre
- Hausa: kùrējē
- Tamasheq: ăkolăn
- Bambara: nkɛ̀lɛn
Must reflect some interesting history of borrowings across family lines, but don't ask me how...
- Mabaan: kúurʌ̂n
- Masalit: kûre
- Hausa: kùrējē
- Tamasheq: ăkolăn
- Bambara: nkɛ̀lɛn
Must reflect some interesting history of borrowings across family lines, but don't ask me how...
January 29, 2026 at 8:21 AM
"Ground squirrel" is a crazily pan-African (or at least Sahelo-Sudanic̱) root, from South Sudan to Mali:
- Mabaan: kúurʌ̂n
- Masalit: kûre
- Hausa: kùrējē
- Tamasheq: ăkolăn
- Bambara: nkɛ̀lɛn
Must reflect some interesting history of borrowings across family lines, but don't ask me how...
- Mabaan: kúurʌ̂n
- Masalit: kûre
- Hausa: kùrējē
- Tamasheq: ăkolăn
- Bambara: nkɛ̀lɛn
Must reflect some interesting history of borrowings across family lines, but don't ask me how...
my family's dialect:
nežes f. nežise (expected *nežse), pl nežisīn (expected *nežsīn)
also:
žukatta 'jacket', žukatite 'my jacket' (< *žukattite)
mxadde 'pillow', mxaditak~mxaddtak 'your pillow' (< *mxadditak)
binažiso 'they make (sth) nežes"
biʕažizo~biʕažžzo 'they beat (s.o.) into submission"
nežes f. nežise (expected *nežse), pl nežisīn (expected *nežsīn)
also:
žukatta 'jacket', žukatite 'my jacket' (< *žukattite)
mxadde 'pillow', mxaditak~mxaddtak 'your pillow' (< *mxadditak)
binažiso 'they make (sth) nežes"
biʕažizo~biʕažžzo 'they beat (s.o.) into submission"
Egyptian Arabic proverb of the day:
"Idle hands are ritually impure."
~ Idle hands are the devil's plaything.
الايد البطلانة نجسة
el-ʾīd el-baṭlāna nigsa
"Idle hands are ritually impure."
~ Idle hands are the devil's plaything.
الايد البطلانة نجسة
el-ʾīd el-baṭlāna nigsa
January 23, 2026 at 3:27 AM
my family's dialect:
nežes f. nežise (expected *nežse), pl nežisīn (expected *nežsīn)
also:
žukatta 'jacket', žukatite 'my jacket' (< *žukattite)
mxadde 'pillow', mxaditak~mxaddtak 'your pillow' (< *mxadditak)
binažiso 'they make (sth) nežes"
biʕažizo~biʕažžzo 'they beat (s.o.) into submission"
nežes f. nežise (expected *nežse), pl nežisīn (expected *nežsīn)
also:
žukatta 'jacket', žukatite 'my jacket' (< *žukattite)
mxadde 'pillow', mxaditak~mxaddtak 'your pillow' (< *mxadditak)
binažiso 'they make (sth) nežes"
biʕažizo~biʕažžzo 'they beat (s.o.) into submission"
i don't get the explanation >:( shouldn't running out of breath do the exact opposite of making you fail to elide that -á + how would that make the tone change
January 21, 2026 at 5:21 AM
i don't get the explanation >:( shouldn't running out of breath do the exact opposite of making you fail to elide that -á + how would that make the tone change
gad saad's jewish beiruti dialect has some interesting features with respect to lebanese arabic on the whole:
1. no imala to ē, his highest alif is p much ǣ
2. 1sg a-, like baʔellak 'i tell you' (not bʔellak)
3. distinction between -e (ـة) and -i (ـي)
1. no imala to ē, his highest alif is p much ǣ
2. 1sg a-, like baʔellak 'i tell you' (not bʔellak)
3. distinction between -e (ـة) and -i (ـي)
My Chat on "Box of Islam" with Hamed Abdel-Samad (THE SAAD TRUTH_709)
YouTube video by Gad Saad
www.youtube.com
January 20, 2026 at 4:22 AM
gad saad's jewish beiruti dialect has some interesting features with respect to lebanese arabic on the whole:
1. no imala to ē, his highest alif is p much ǣ
2. 1sg a-, like baʔellak 'i tell you' (not bʔellak)
3. distinction between -e (ـة) and -i (ـي)
1. no imala to ē, his highest alif is p much ǣ
2. 1sg a-, like baʔellak 'i tell you' (not bʔellak)
3. distinction between -e (ـة) and -i (ـي)
in five hundred years "may the fourth be with you" evolves into "mforthbye"
January 19, 2026 at 4:23 AM
in five hundred years "may the fourth be with you" evolves into "mforthbye"
insanely large vernacular arabic bibliography turned up for me on google www.zotero.org/groups/21657...
Zotero | Your personal research assistant
www.zotero.org
January 18, 2026 at 4:13 AM
insanely large vernacular arabic bibliography turned up for me on google www.zotero.org/groups/21657...