| Title | Five Enigmatic Neo-Aramaic Lexemes and Their Possible Etymologies |
|---|---|
| Contributor | Hezy Mutzafi(author) |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.11647/obp.0464.30 |
| Landing page | https://www.openbookpublishers.com/books/10.11647/obp.0464/chapters/10.11647/obp.0464.30 |
| License | https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ |
| Copyright | Hezy Mutzafi; |
| Publisher | Open Book Publishers |
| Published on | 2025-03-07 |
| Long abstract | The article examines five enigmatic nouns from North-Eastern Neo-Aramaic and Neo-Mandaic, tracing their possible etymologies and semantic developments. These lexemes include bǝllaná ‘pocket’, derived from Akkadian abullu ‘gate’, which underwent a semantic change through the intermediary meaning of ‘aperture’. č̣ǝmmǝsta ‘louse nymph’ is linked to an innovative compound meaning ‘hair-taster’, reflecting imaginative lexical creativity. hawga ‘vapour’ originates from pre-modern Aramaic lahgā ‘vapour’, with phonological changes influenced by analogy. šandoxa ‘pestle’ or ‘grinding stone’ reflects a metaphorical calque on Akkadian kak madakki ‘tooth of the mortar’. Lastly, šǝwuyɔ ‘jackal’ evolved from a term for a planetary demon, highlighting semantic shifts driven by cultural perceptions. The study emphasises the roles of analogy, phonological change, and cultural context in shaping these lexical items. |
| Page range | pp. 895–922 |
| Print length | 28 pages |
| Language | English (Original) |
| Landing Page | Full text URL | Platform | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| https://www.openbookpublishers.com/books/10.11647/obp.0464/chapters/10.11647/obp.0464.30 | Landing page | https://books.openbookpublishers.com/10.11647/obp.0464.30.pdf | Full text URL |
Hezy Mutzafi (PhD, Tel Aviv University) is a professor of Semitic studies in the Department of Hebrew Language and Semitic Linguistics at Tel Aviv University. His research interests are Neo-Aramaic dialectology and Semitic linguistics. He has written on Neo-Aramaic, including The Jewish Neo-Aramaic of Betanure (Province of Dihok) (Harrassowitz, 2008) and Comparative Lexical Studies in Neo-Mandaic (Brill, 2014).