Egyptian Arabic dictionary
- Thread starter makala
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Hi Makala. We had some "dictionary talk" in this thread (see Post #11, #12).
The biggest problem of a colloquial dictionary is that it becomes outdated all too soon, as colloquial languages are seldom written down, and are thus subject to changes more readily than written languages. I open up a Cantonese dictionary published 50 years ago and, voila, there're tons of expressions that I don't know!
As a result, when it comes to the colloquial language, a dictionary while useful can often lead one astray (I speak from my own experience
). So, what to do? I think one of the best ways is visit this forum and bombard the Egyptians here with one's endless questions!
The biggest problem of a colloquial dictionary is that it becomes outdated all too soon, as colloquial languages are seldom written down, and are thus subject to changes more readily than written languages. I open up a Cantonese dictionary published 50 years ago and, voila, there're tons of expressions that I don't know!
As a result, when it comes to the colloquial language, a dictionary while useful can often lead one astray (I speak from my own experience
). So, what to do? I think one of the best ways is visit this forum and bombard the Egyptians here with one's endless questions!As a result, when it comes to the colloquial language, a dictionary while useful can often lead one astray (I speak from my own experience
I wouldn't knock dictionaries. For example, while idiomatic expressions change very quickly, a dictionary is still useful, especially if you want to know how to say things like "I want to go and visit my friend who lives in X" which is something I imagine hasn't changed all that much. You can't assume things like that are identical to Fus7a and the dictionary comes in handy.
I'm sure you find your Egyptian Arabic dictionary indispensable, however you're right: colloquialisms, as in expressions, sayings, slang, etc. will change rather rapidly. Fortunately we have the Internet, and the forum, as well as the country in which we can choose to live.
If you didn't have any sort of dictionary however, it would be very difficult to pick up a language. Even if you sound silly and out-dated at first, that's better than not being able to express yourself I think.The Badawi/Hinds Egyptian Arabic dictionary is an amazing piece of work.
If you only buy one book for learning Egyptian Arabic it should be this one.
It is available from the publishers directly.
Very seldom is a word out of date, if you use it to translate from Arabic to English you will never go wrong.
Brilliant book - a must buy for learners of EA.
If you only buy one book for learning Egyptian Arabic it should be this one.
It is available from the publishers directly.
Very seldom is a word out of date, if you use it to translate from Arabic to English you will never go wrong.
Brilliant book - a must buy for learners of EA.
Are you referring to "A Pocket Dictionary of the Spoken Arabic of Cairo" by Virginia Stevens and Maurice Salib? This was first published in 1986 (If memory serves) and published again in 2004 as a revised edition. I am not aware of a 2007 publishing of this book. At any rate, this is not nearly as extensive as the Badawi-Hinds dictionary, but it is still good and reasonably priced.
I agree, the book is worth its weight in gold.
I also agree that rarely is there an out of date word or error, but there are still a few. This thread I started years ago about a definition found in the Badawi-Hinds is an example.
I've tried searching in google and through the forums here, and I can't really find an English-EA companion volume for the Badawi/Hinds Egyptian Arabic dictionary. I have "A Pocket Dictionary of the Spoken Arabic of Cairo", which is only a few thousand words, and I frequently can't find words I need. I also have Spiro's Enlgish-EA dictionary, but I'm unsure in how accurate it is, since it was written in around 1905. Can anyone suggest a better alternative to the two books I currently have?
Thanks
Thanks
Hi Pavel88 and welcome to the forum.
As you have figured out, and as I can confirm, the Badawi/Hinds dictionary (which is EA to English) is not available in an English to EA edition.
Unfortunately, I don't believe there is a comprehensive English to EA dictionary.
What I do in this situation is look through an English to MSA dictionary to find a word and then look up the MSA word I found there in the Badawi Hinds to see if it occurs in EA. Often this works, but of course it may not work in all cases as the EA equivalent to an MSA word may be different.
Other than that, the only suggestion I have is to ask here on the forum. This may be better than looking in dictionaries anyway, as they (dictionaries) can be prone to errors, or don't always show how a word is actually used in real context.
And yes, Spiro's dictionary is outdated and not recommended. But since you have it, you could always see what word Spiro lists and then see if it is listed in the Badawi/Hinds.
Sorry I could not be of more help.
As you have figured out, and as I can confirm, the Badawi/Hinds dictionary (which is EA to English) is not available in an English to EA edition.
Unfortunately, I don't believe there is a comprehensive English to EA dictionary.
What I do in this situation is look through an English to MSA dictionary to find a word and then look up the MSA word I found there in the Badawi Hinds to see if it occurs in EA. Often this works, but of course it may not work in all cases as the EA equivalent to an MSA word may be different.
Other than that, the only suggestion I have is to ask here on the forum. This may be better than looking in dictionaries anyway, as they (dictionaries) can be prone to errors, or don't always show how a word is actually used in real context.
And yes, Spiro's dictionary is outdated and not recommended. But since you have it, you could always see what word Spiro lists and then see if it is listed in the Badawi/Hinds.
Sorry I could not be of more help.
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Thanks, Josh! Yea the Badawi/Hinds dictionary is very useful, but it would be nice to have something other than a small phrasebook, or a century old dictionary to find the EA equivalent of a more complex English word, or recent colloquialism I'm just kind of surprised that no one has made a comprehensive dictionary of English-EA No offense to MSA, because I love studying it too, but I would think that EA is more useful for speaking to actual people, and understanding songs on the radio, etc.
I'm just kind of surprised that no one has made a comprehensive dictionary of English-EA No offense to MSA, because I love studying it too, but I would think that EA is more useful for speaking to actual people, and understanding songs on the radio, etc.
Hello All,
My post here is coming 12 years too late, so I don't know if it will help, but the Badawi/Hinds dictionary can be downloaded as a searchable PDF file (I just did it) and can then be used for English to EA as well.
My post here is coming 12 years too late, so I don't know if it will help, but the Badawi/Hinds dictionary can be downloaded as a searchable PDF file (I just did it) and can then be used for English to EA as well.