Arebica
Arebica (pronounced [arebit͡sa], عَرَبٖىڄا) is a Bosniak variant of the Perso-Arabic script used to write the Bosnian language (بۉسانسقٖى يەزٖىق).[1] It was used mainly between the 15th and 19th centuries and is frequently categorized as part of Aljamiado literature. Before World War I there were unsuccessful efforts by Bosnian Muslims to adopt Arebica as the third official alphabet for Bosnian alongside Latin and Cyrillic.
Arebica | |
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Type | Alphabet, based upon the Perso-Arabic script
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Languages | Bosnian (Serbo-Croatian) |
Time period | 15th–20th century |
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Western South Slavic
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Eastern South Slavic
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Transitional dialects
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Alphabets
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Apart from literature, Arebica was used in religious schools and administration, though in much less use than other scripts.
Origin
Arebica was based on the Perso-Arabic script of the Ottoman Empire, with added letters for /t͡s/, /ʎ/ and /ɲ/, which are not found in Arabic, Persian or Turkish. Full letters were eventually introduced for all vowels (as with Kurdish Arabic script), making Arebica a true alphabet, unlike its Perso-Arabic base.
The final version of Arebica was devised by Mehmed Džemaludin Čaušević at the end of the 19th century. His version is called Matufovica, Matufovača or Mektebica.
Contemporary use
The first literary work to be published in Arebica for 64 years (since 1941) was a comic book "Hadži Šefko i hadži Mefko" in 2005 (authors Amir Al-Zubi and Meliha Čičak-Al-Zubi). The authors made slight modifications to Arebica.
The first book in Arebica with an ISBN was "Epohe fonetske misli kod Arapa i arebica" ("The Age of Phonetic Thought of Arabs and Arebica")[2] in April 2013 in Belgrade by Aldin Mustafić, MSc.
This book represents the completion of the standardization of Mehmed Džemaludin Čaušević's version, and is also a textbook for higher education.
Alphabet
The final version of Arebica alphabet was devised at the end of the 19th century by Mehmed Džemaludin Čaušević.
Latin | Cyrillic | Arebica | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Contextual forms | Isolated | ||||
Final | Medial | Initial | |||
A a | А а | ـآ | آ | ||
B b | Б б | ـب | ـبـ | بـ | ب |
C c | Ц ц | ـڄ | ـڄـ | ڄـ | ڄ |
Č č | Ч ч | ـچ | ـچـ | چـ | چ |
Ć ć | Ћ ћ | ||||
D d | Д д | ـد | د | ||
Dž dž | Џ џ | ـج | ـجـ | جـ | ج [c] |
Đ đ | Ђ ђ | ||||
E e | Е е | ـە | ە | ||
F f | Ф ф | ـف | ـفـ | فـ | ف |
G g | Г г | ـغ | ـغـ | غـ | غ |
H h | Х х | ـح | ـحـ | حـ | ح |
I i | И и | ـاٖى ـٖى |
ـاٖىـ ـٖىـ |
اٖىـ | اٖى [a] |
J j | Ј ј | ـي | ـيـ | يـ | ي |
K k | К к | ـق | ـقـ | قـ | ق |
L l | Л л | ـل | ـلـ | لـ | ل |
Lj lj | Љ љ | ـڵ | ـڵـ | ڵـ | ڵ |
M m | М м | ـم | ـمـ | مـ | م |
N n | Н н | ـن | ـنـ | نـ | ن |
Nj nj | Њ њ | ـںٛ | ـٮٛـ | ٮٛـ | ںٛ [b] |
O o | О о | ـۉ | ۉ | ||
P p | П п | ـپ | ـپـ | پـ | پ |
R r | Р р | ـر | ر | ||
S s | С с | ـس | ـسـ | سـ | س |
Š š | Ш ш | ـش | ـشـ | شـ | ش |
T t | Т т | ـت | ـتـ | تـ | ت |
U u | У у | ـۆ | ۆ | ||
V v | В в | ـو | و | ||
Z z | З з | ـز | ز | ||
Ž ž | Ж ж | ـژ | ژ |
Notes
Ligatures
Like the standard Arabic alphabet, when ا connects to either ل or ڵ a special ligature is used instead.
Latin | Cyrillic | Arebica | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Contextual forms | Isolated | ||||
Final | Medial | Initial | |||
la | ла | ـلا | لا | ||
lja | ља | ـڵا | ڵا |
Text examples
Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 1
Bosnian (Arebica): | سوا ڵۆدسقا بٖىڃا راݗايۆ سە سلۉبۉدنا وٖ يەدناقا ۆ دۉستۉيانستوۆ وٖ پراوىما. ۉنا سۆ ۉبدارەنا رازۆمۉم وٖ سوۀشڃۆ وٖ ترەبا دا يەدنۉ پرەما درۆغۉمە پۉستۆپايۆ ۆ دۆحۆ براتستوا. |
Bosnian (Latinica): | Sva ljudska bića rađaju se slobodna i jednaka u dostojanstvu i pravima. Ona su obdarena razumom i sviješću i treba da jedno prema drugome postupaju u duhu bratstva. |
English: | All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood. |
Tehran
Bosnian (Arebica): | تَهْرَان يە غلاونٖى وٖ نايوەڃٖى غراد إِيرَانا، سەدٖىشتە تَهْرَانسقە پۉقرايٖىنە وٖ يەدان ۉد نايوەڃٖىح غرادۉوا سوۀتا. |
Bosnian (Latinica): | Teheran je glavni i najveći grad Irana, sjedište Teheranske pokrajine i jedan od najvećih gradova svijeta. |
English: | Tehran is the capital and largest city of Iran, capital of Tehran Province and one of the largest cities in the world. |
See also
- Aljamiado
- Sevdah
- Belarusian Arabic alphabet, another script used by Slavic-speaking Muslims
- Chirvat-türkisi
- Gaj's Latin alphabet
- Muhamed Hevaji Uskufi Bosnevi
- Category:Arabic alphabets
External links
References
- Hindi (2005). Keith Brown (ed.). Encyclopedia of Language and Linguistics (2 ed.). Elsevier. ISBN 0-08-044299-4.
- Foreword to "The Age of Phonetic Thought of Arabs and Arebica" by Aldin Mustafić
- Enciklopedija leksikografskog zavoda, entry: Arabica. Jugoslavenski leksikografski zavod, Zagreb, 1966