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<emb237Beware, has to be updated! The data below are out of date…
Fieldwork: oasis of Siwa (Egypt): 2002-2006.
– I am building a vocabulary in Jlan n Isiwan (Berber language of Siwa), with a priority for words related to biological material (botanical, zoological, human), technical field (and first linked to agriculture), geographical field and spaces. This Siwi vocabulary is in progress. It presents links between words in English and in Siwi (and in Latin for the biological material).
– It contains today nearly 700 words. I offer here only a short abstract related to the “Botanical” category and especially cultivated plants by the local agriculture. This lexicon is under development: it is given by way of illustration and is brought to be amended, corrected, etc. (thus handle this with precautions, but do not hesitate to comment).
Post-scriptum: The transition from my own system of transcription to a more shared system (of Berber language) is not fixed yet, it probably difficult to understand (also because I could not render the system completely on these web pages). Note especially that :
- the tilde over a final vowel “a” refers to a nasal “a” (or sometimes “i”),
- the sign x refers to the Arabic letter خ (often transliterated elsewhere for Arabic by “kh”),
- a macron sign over a vowel (ā, ū, ī, ē) underlines a long voyel,
- the sign š is like the « sh » in « she » in English (ش), and the sign č like in « match », ž like “dj”.
- the sign ḥ is like ح in Arabic (a strong “h”), the signs ḍ, and ṭ, and ṣ are the emphatic versions of d, and t, and s (like ض, and ط , and ص).
- [ar.] refers to the so-called Arabic variant of a local plant name (see L’agrobiodiversité du dattier (Phoenix dactylifera L.) dans l’oasis de Siwa (Égypte) : entre ce qui se dit, s’écrit et s’oublie).
| Category | English word | Siwi word
sing., plur. |
Latin name |
| Botany | alga (in springs and canals) | dālã | — |
| Botany | apple tree | tofaḥt, tufaḥ | Malus sp. (Rosaceae) |
| Botany | apricot tree | tammečmèčt | Prunus armenica (Rosaceae) |
| Botany | arugula, rocket salad | žeržir | Eruca sativa sp. (Brassicaceae) |
| Botany | banana tree | elmuz | Musa x paradisiaca (Musaceaea) |
| Botany | barley | timzen | Hordeum vulgare (Poaceae) |
| Botany | basil | eriḥān | Ocimum basilicum (Lamiaceae) |
| Botany | black mulberry | tūt azatef | Morus nigra (Moraceae) |
| Botany | black nightshade | tazrein nezida | Solanum nigrum L. (Solanaceae) |
| Botany | branch (and stalk of a compositae leaf) | elaɛod, laɛwad | — |
| Botany | branch (of tree) | elfaraɛ, lefroɛa | — |
| Botany | branch without leaf (of a tree) | nač(i)f okūra | — |
| Botany | broad bean | awaw, iwawen | Faba vulgaris var. major (Fabaceae) |
| Botany | cacti | sabbār | (Cactaceae) |
| Botany | Cairo morning glory | liblab | Ipomoea cairica (L.) Sweet (Convolvulaceae) = Convolvulus cairicus = Convolvulus tuberculatus = Ipomea palmata = Ipomea senegalensis = Ipomea tuberculata = Ipomea vesiculosa |
| Botany | camel thorn | afṣūr | Alhagi graecorum Boiss. (Fabaceae) = Alhagi mannifera (Fabaceae) [idem] = Alhagi maurorum (Fabaceae) [possible name, bur wrong for Egypt] |
| Botany | sugar cane | loqsob | Saccharum officinarum (Poaceae) |
| Botany | carob tree | taɣarubt | Ceratonia siliqua (Fabaceae) |
| Botany | carott | gazār (coll.) | Daucus carota (Apiaceae) |
| Botany | castor oil | xarwaɛ | Ricinus communis (Euphorbiaceae) |
| Botany | celery | begdūnes (coll.) | Apium graveolens (Apiaceae) |
| Botany | chard | čéberdek | Beta vulgaris (Chenopodiaceae) |
| Botany | citrus | tellemunt | Citrus sp. (Rutaceae) |
| Botany | coffee senna | alɛud n qahwa, tīsajara n qahwa | Senna occidentalis (L.) Link. (Fabaceae) = Cassia occidentalis (Fabaceae) |
| Botany | cogon grass, blady grass? | halifã | Imperata cylindrica (Poaceae) |
| Botany | coriander | qaṣbar | Coriandrum sativum (Apiaceae) |
| Botany | cotton plant | tabduxt / elqoton | Gossypium herbaceum L. (Malvaceae) |
| Botany | cucumber #2 | tifukusen | ? (Cucurbitaceae) |
| Botany | cucumber | lexiār (coll.) | Cucumis sativus (Cucurbitaceae) |
| Botany | cumin | yāmen | Cuminum cyminum (?) (Apiaceae) |
| Botany | cyperus (to be determined) | azzumã | Cyperus sp. (laevigatus?) (Cyperaceae) |
| Botany | date palm (generic) | ažubar, ižubaran | Phoenix dactylifera (Arecaceae) |
| Botany | date palm female (category) | úšik, uškan | Phoenix dactylifera (Arecaceae) |
| Botany | date palm female (named type or date from taɣzalt) | aɣzāl /ɣazālī [ar.] | Phoenix dactylifera cv. (Arecaceae) |
| Botany | date palm female (named type or date from tasutet) | ṣaɛidi /siwi [ar.] | Phoenix dactylifera cv. (Arecaceae) |
| Botany | date palm female (named type) | alkak /freḥi [ar.] | Phoenix dactylifera cv. (Arecaceae) |
| Botany | date palm female (named type) | alkak wen žemb | Phoenix dactylifera cv. (Arecaceae) |
| Botany | date palm female (named type) | amenzu / bašāyer [ar.] | Phoenix dactylifera cv. (Arecaceae) |
| Botany | date palm female (named type) | ɣrom aɣzāl | Phoenix dactylifera cv. (Arecaceae) |
| Botany | date palm female (named type) | ɣrom ṣaɛid | Phoenix dactylifera cv. (Arecaceae) |
| Botany | date palm female (named type) | ḥalu en ɣanem | Phoenix dactylifera cv. (Arecaceae) |
| Botany | date palm female (named type) | kaɛibī | Phoenix dactylifera cv. (Arecaceae) |
| Botany | date palm female (named type) | lekrawmet /karāma [ar.] | Phoenix dactylifera cv. (Arecaceae) |
| Botany | date palm female (named type) | taɣzalt | Phoenix dactylifera cv. (Arecaceae) |
| Botany | date palm female (named type) | tasutet, tisutey | Phoenix dactylifera cv. (Arecaceae) |
| Botany | date palm female (named type) | taṭṭagt /ṭagṭagṭ [ar.] | Phoenix dactylifera cv. (Arecaceae) |
| Botany | date palm female (named type) | tažubart | Phoenix dactylifera cv. (Arecaceae) |
| Botany | date palm female (named type) | úšik amaɣzuz | Phoenix dactylifera cv. (Arecaceae) |
| Botany | date palm female (named type) | úšik azzugaɣ | Phoenix dactylifera cv. (Arecaceae) |
| Botany | date palm female (named type) | úšik ezzuwaɣ / zaɣlul [ar.] | Phoenix dactylifera cv. (Arecaceae) |
| Botany | date palm female (named type) | úšik nekwayes | Phoenix dactylifera cv. (Arecaceae) |
| Botany | date palm female (named type) | úšik niqbel | Phoenix dactylifera cv. (Arecaceae) |
| Botany | date palm male | óṭem, óṭṭman | Phoenix dactylifera (Arecaceae) |
| Botany | date palm: bract of female inflorescence | aziwan, iziwazen | Phoenix dactylifera (Arecaceae) |
| Botany | date palm: bract of male inflorescence | takrirdian, tikirdawiyen | Phoenix dactylifera (Arecaceae) |
| Botany | date palm: branch of female inflorescence | arrobat, robotān | Phoenix dactylifera (Arecaceae) |
| Botany | date palm: bunch (of dates) | aziwan, iziwaen | Phoenix dactylifera (Arecaceae) |
| Botany | date palm: date quality: bad, inferior (waḥš) | azzawi / ɛolefi | Phoenix dactylifera (Arecaceae) |
| Botany | date palm: date quality: early | teni namenzu | Phoenix dactylifera (Arecaceae) |
| Botany | date palm: date quality: immature | eztiwi | Phoenix dactylifera (Arecaceae) |
| Botany | date palm: date | teni | Phoenix dactylifera (Arecaceae) |
| Botany | date palm: fibres of the female inflorescence scape | terqamt, terqām | Phoenix dactylifera (Arecaceae) |
| Botany | date palm: fibrillum | aṣan | Phoenix dactylifera (Arecaceae) |
| Botany | date palm: head of the palm tree | ūli, ulaun | Phoenix dactylifera (Arecaceae) |
| Botany | date palm: heart of palm tree | agroz, grozen | Phoenix dactylifera (Arecaceae) |
| Botany | date palm: honey made of date palm sap | leqbi asmar | Phoenix dactylifera (Arecaceae) |
| Botany | date palm: honey made of date | rōb | Phoenix dactylifera (Arecaceae) |
| Botany | date palm: male inflorescence scape: old | takirdian, tikirdawiyen | Phoenix dactylifera (Arecaceae) |
| Botany | date palm: male inflorescence scape: young | arel, irelen | Phoenix dactylifera (Arecaceae) |
| Botany | date palm: male inflorescence | aserer | Phoenix dactylifera (Arecaceae) |
| Botany | date palm: offshoot | taɣarset, tiɣarsã | Phoenix dactylifera (Arecaceae) |
| Botany | date palm: palm (young for basketwork) | tizen (coll.) | Phoenix dactylifera (Arecaceae) |
| Botany | date palm: palm leaflet | tazūwet, tizuwetin | Phoenix dactylifera (Arecaceae) |
| Botany | date palm: palm rib | ekseb, eksben | Phoenix dactylifera (Arecaceae) |
| Botany | date palm: palm | aqatuč, taqatučt | Phoenix dactylifera (Arecaceae) |
| Botany | date palm: pollen | arren | Phoenix dactylifera (Arecaceae) |
| Botany | date palm: root | leɛarāq, liɛurūq | Phoenix dactylifera (Arecaceae) |
| Botany | date palm: sap | leqbi | Phoenix dactylifera (Arecaceae) |
| Botany | date palm: spikelet (male) | čallet (coll.) | Phoenix dactylifera (Arecaceae) |
| Botany | date palm: stalk of the palm | tiqwart, tiqwaren | Phoenix dactylifera (Arecaceae) |
| Botany | date palm: stipe (trunk) | aɣčeb, iɣčiben | Phoenix dactylifera (Arecaceae) |
| Botany | date palm: thorn of the palm | taddri, teddriwen | Phoenix dactylifera (Arecaceae) |
| Botany | date palm: wood | axčeb, xčben | Phoenix dactylifera (Arecaceae) |
| Botany | dill | čabat | Anethum graveolens (Apiaceae) = Selinum anethum |
| Botany | eucalyptus | kafur | Eucalyptus sp. (Myrtaceae) |
| Botany | fennel | bagdunes | Foeniculum vulgare var. vulgare (Apiaceae) |
| Botany | fig | amūč, imučan | Ficus carica (Moraceae) |
| Botany | fig tree | tamičit, imičaten | Ficus carica (Moraceae) |
| Botany | flower | nuār (coll.) | — |
| Botany | fodder | loqtob | — |
| Botany | garlic | tečert | Allium sativum (Liliaceae) |
| Botany | giant reed, giant cane | texanemt | Arundo donax (Poaceae) |
| Botany | gourd (fruit used to swim) | tzenna, t(i)zennawen | Cucurbita sp. (Cucurbitaceae) |
| Botany | gourd, calabash | tzenna | Lagenaria siceraria (Cucurbitaceae) |
| Botany | grape / buch of grapes | as(e)kun, skunen | Vitis vinifera (Ampulidaceae) |
| Botany | grape | tazrat, tezrein | Vitis vinifera (Ampulidaceae) |
| Botany | guava | goyafa | Psidium sp. (Myrtaceae) |
| Botany | gumbo, okra | bamiã (coll.) | Abelmoschus esculentus = Hibiscus esculentus (Malvaceae) |
| Botany | henna | ḥenna | Lawsonia alba (Lythraceae) = Lawsonia inermis (Lythraceae) = Lawsonia spinosa (Lythraceae) |
| Botany | jujube tree | tennebaqt | Ziziphus sativa Gaertn. (Rhamnaceae) |
| Botany | jujube | enneba(q) | Ziziphus sativa Gaertn. (Rhamnaceae) |
| Botany | leaf | twarqat, tiwarqa(n) | — |
| Botany | lemon grass | lweza (coll.) | Cymbopogon citratus (Poaceae) |
| Botany | lemon tree (large fruits) | tellemunt čufči | Citrus limon ssp. (Rutaceae) = Citrus Limonium ssp. (Rutaceae) |
| Botany | lemon tree (small fruits) | tellemunt ḥamoṭ/ benzer | Citrus limon ssp. (Rutaceae) = Citrus Limonium ssp. (Rutaceae) |
| Botany | lemon | limun (coll.) | Citrus limon ssp. (Rutaceae) = Citrus Limonium ssp. (Rutaceae) |
| Botany | lentil (cooking) | imilalen (coll.) | Ervum lens (Fabaceae) |
| Botany | lentil | tinifeyin (coll.) | Ervum lens (Fabaceae) |
| Botany | lettuce | elxas | Lactuca sativa (Asteraceae) |
| Botany | liquorice | alɛaraqsus | Glycyrrhiza glabra (Fabaceae) |
| Botany | loofa, luffa | asān | Luffa ægyptiaca (Cucurbitaceae) |
| Botany | lucerne | loqṭob | Medicago sativa (Fabaceae) |
| Botany | mint | naɛnaɛ | Mentha sp. (Lamiaceae) |
| Botany | olive tree (named type) | boṭṭegen | Olea europea cv. (Oleaceae) |
| Botany | olive tree (named type) | čemlali | Olea europea cv. (Oleaceae) |
| Botany | olive tree (named type) | ḥamoṭ | Olea europea cv. (Oleaceae) |
| Botany | olive tree (named type) | malaqi | Olea europea cv. (Oleaceae) |
| Botany | olive tree (named type) | meluqqi | Olea europea cv. (Oleaceae) |
| Botany | olive tree | tazumurt, tizmuren | Olea europea (Oleaceae) |
| Botany | olive | azummūr (coll.) | Olea europea (Oleaceae) |
| Botany | onion | afellu, ifellan | Allium sativum (Liliaceae) |
| Botany | orange tree (I) | tellemunt busorra | Citrus sinensis ssp. (Rutaceae) = Citrus aurantium ssp. (Rutaceae) |
| Botany | orange tree (II) | tellemunt yusef efendi | Citrus sinensis ssp. (Rutaceae) = Citrus Aurantium ssp. (Rutaceae) |
| Botany | orange tree (III) | tellemunt naḥlu | Citrus sinensis ssp. (Rutaceae) = Citrus aurantium ssp. (Rutaceae) |
| Botany | orange | limun | Citrus sinensis ssp. (Rutaceae) = Citrus aurantium ssp. (Rutaceae) |
| Botany | peas, garden peas | bisīlla | Pisum sativum var. vulgare (Fabaceae) |
| Botany | peper, capsicum | afelfela | Capsicum frutescens (Solanaceae) |
| Botany | plant | alɛod, zaraɛat | — |
| Botany | ploughmans spikenard, Marsh fleabane | barnuf | Pluchea dioscoridis (Asteraceae) |
| Botany | pomegranate tree | armun, armunin | Punica granatum (Punicaceae) |
| Botany | potato | kōsa | Solanum tuberosum (Solanaceae) |
| Botany | prickly pear | amuč n čam | Opuntia ficus-indica (Cactaceae) |
| Botany | pumpkin | iqidiwã (coll.) | Cucurbita maxima (Cucurbitaceae) |
| Botany | purslane | maxmax (coll.) | Portulaca oleracea (Portulacaceae) |
| Botany | radish (blanc) | lifižil | Rapahnus sativus (Brassicaceae) |
| Botany | reed mace, bulrush | aṭumin | Typha angustata (Typhaceae) |
| Botany | rice | arroz | Oryza sp. (Poaceae) |
| Botany | rosebush (local) | elwerd | Rosa sp. (Rosaceae) |
| Botany | roselle | karkade | Hibiscus sabdariffa L. (Malvaceae) |
| Botany | safflower? | taɣarubt | Carthamus tinctorius ? |
| Botany | salt grass | takubālt | Sporobolus spicatus (Poaceae) ? |
| Botany | samphire | tagellã n ilɣumã | Sarcocornia fruticosa (Chenopodiaceae)? = Salicornia fruticosa (Chenopodiaceae) |
| Botany | seedling (olive offshoot, onion seedling…) | ečtel (coll.) | — |
| Botany | sorghum | tamezwã (coll.) | Sorghum sp. (bicolor?) (Poaceae) |
| Botany | sow thistle (maritime) | aɣaram | Sonchus maritimus (Asteraceae) |
| Botany | sow thistle | tafāf | Sonchus oleraceus (Asteraceae) |
| Botany | stone (date, olive, etc.) | aɣrom | — |
| Botany | sunflower | aber čems | Helianthus annuus (Asteraceae) |
| Botany | sweet potato | batāta | Ipomea batatas (Convolvulaceae) |
| Botany | tamarisk | tiet | Tamarix nilotica (Tamaricaceae) |
| Botany | tomato plant | tomatēm | Solanum lycopersicon (Solanaceae) = Lycopersicon esculentum (Solanaceae) |
| Botany | tossa jute | mloxiet | Corchorus olitorius (Tiliaceae) |
| Botany | tree | ažubār | — |
| Botany | trunk (of fruit trees, other than date palm) | ɛerk, ɛeruk | — |
| Botany | vegetables | lixdar | — |
| Botany | vine, grape (the fruit) | tozreyn (coll.) | Vitis vinifera (Ampulidaceae) |
| Botany | vine | tozaržun, tozaražin | Vitis vinifera (Ampulidaceae) |
| Botany | watermelon | tamuksã, timuksawien | Citrullus vulgaris (Cucurbitaceae) |
| Botany | weed for fodder (to be determined) | ɣušenet | ? (Poaceae) |
| Botany | weed to be determined (from far, looks like tamaris) | tamutrã | ? |
| Botany | wheat | yerden | Triticum sp. (Poaceae) |
| Botany | white mulberry | tūt amlal | Morus alba (Moraceae) |
| Botany | wood | aloḥ(a) | — |
Senna occidentalis
Flora de Filipinas [...] Gran edicion [...] [Atlas I].
1880-1883?, Francisco Manuel Blanco (O.S.A.)
1880-1883?, Francisco Manuel Blanco (O.S.A.)
Published on
5 April 2005
- Updated on
12 May 2018