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This article recounts the author's efforts with the Maknuune project—an open lexicon dedicated to documenting and preserving the rich diversity of Palestinian Arabic dialects. Through fieldwork, oral histories, and linguistic analysis, the project reveals how Palestinian dialects both reflect and resist displacement.
The Palestinian Nakba, or “catastrophe," which led to the destruction of the Palestinian society and the permanent displacement of more than 700,000 Palestinians in 1948, is an ongoing tragedy that we are witnessing daily. The relentless war, forced displacement, and systematic destruction of Palestinian communities are continuously eroding the rich demographic and linguistic tapestry within Palestine. Prior to 1948, Palestinian society was sharply stratified into urban, rural, Druze, and Bedouin communities, each maintaining its own distinct dialects and cultural practices. However, the geographical and social tapestry of Palestine has been dramatically altered by war, forced displacement, and fragmentation. The continual emergence of new communities of displaced people, accompanied with the successive waves of human loss, urban devastation, forced displacement, and protracted saga of demographic transformations influence our understanding of the linguistic landscape of Palestine.
I started the Maknuune project, the creation of a large open lexicon for the Palestinian Arabic dialect, eight years ago. My primary goal was to document the various dialects and sub-dialects of Palestine, with the intention of preserving them for future generations, and conscientiously reflecting the richness, diversity, and exquisite beauty of the Palestinian Arabic dialects.
Documenting colloquial Arabic presents a formidable challenge. One of the most significant obstacles that Arabic dialectologists and historical linguists face is the scarcity of early written texts in colloquial varieties of Arabic. This lack of documentation has significantly deepened longstanding misconceptions about the relationship between Standard and Classical Arabic and the spoken dialects. Although the scarcity of such historical records has undoubtedly complicated the task of tracing the development of the dialects, the production of works, especially dictionaries on Arabic dialects was not impossible or unattainable. There are several excellent dictionariesDictionaries for colloquial ArabicHarrell and Bergman’s (1963) A Dictionary of Moroccan Arabic, Freiha’s (1973) Non-Classical Vocables in the Spoken Arabic of Lebanon, Elihai’s (2004) The Olive Tree Dictionary of Palestinian Arabic. that have provided valuable resources for understanding these dialects. As for machine-readable dictionaries, there are some commendable contributions, most notably Lughatuna by Hossam and Mohammad Abouzahr. These dictionaries, among others, offer crucial insights into the vocabulary, structure, and etymology of various Arabic dialects.
Throughout the course of my project documenting Palestinian Arabic varieties, I took into account several key factors.
First, there are numerous refugee camps and each camp is a mosaic of communities displaced from the different regions across Palestine. Every camp accommodates a rich diversity of dialects and sub-dialects. These linguistic variations were obvious during my fieldwork and data collection.
Second, the elderly population in Palestine, whether residing in refugee camps or elsewhere across the country have, to a large extent, managed to preserve the authenticity of the key features of their native dialects. The invaluable testimonies of the Nakba survivors have extremely enriched the historical depth of the Maknuune project. These testimonies have contextualized the documented dialects before the forced displacement and the ethnic cleansing. I believe that these testimonies are not merely linguistic records, but they also serve as powerful reminders of the cultural and social upheaval that was inflicted upon us by the ongoing Nakba.
Third, the migration of Palestinians from the various refugee camps to cities, villages, and foreign countries had an impact on their regional and social identities and gave rise to new and dynamic language communities. These language speakers were already part of cosmopolitan and hybrid social settings within the camps that they used to reside in, and their subsequent displacement and relocation further deepened this state of hybridity.
Part of my work focused on the emerging dialect spoken in RamallahRamallahA city located in the Central West Bank in Palestine. that developed as a result of the convergence of people from across Palestine. The newly forming dialect(s) in Ramallah serve as a linguistic testament to the levelling and adaptation that naturally occur in urban centers experiencing rapid demographic and social change.
I was also interested in examining the dialects of the younger generations, particularly those who are not residing in Ramallah but who, through their regular interactions with the neighboring communities, experienced subtle dialectical adaptation and convergence.
Lastly, I was particularly fascinated by the smaller and more self-contained communities that have preserved their linguistic features. The Samaritan community stands out as a very intriguing and compelling example. Such communities serve as living archives of linguistic history.
As a result of my work, in late March, I was approached by Takween Publishing House to edit the Arabic translation of My Brother, My Land, a book originally written in English by Sami Hermez and Sireen Sawalha. Specifically, I was asked to revise Sireen’s narrative and adapt it to the Palestinian Arabic dialect spoken in the northern part of the West Bank, as Sireen is originally from Kufr Rai. The book is extremely rich in detail, and its story is deeply moving. It offers many crucial historical accounts alongside the heartbreaking personal testimonies of Sireen’s family members.
From a linguistic perspective, and as a researcher who is dedicated to the study and documentation of Palestinian Arabic, I see this type of work as a powerful embodiment of Palestinian cultural and linguistic heritage. I particularly enjoyed rewriting the sections that reflect Sireen’s past life with her family as Fallaheen (farmers) in Kufr Rai; I closely tracked the changes in her word choices and how her evolving lifestyle was reflected in her language. I hope to see more great works written in Palestinian Arabic, as well as other Arabic dialects, as it is crucial to preserve and celebrate these rich linguistic treasure troves. Please see a brief sample of the work.
حتى اللبنة ما كانت دايمًا موجودة عندنا لأنه ماعندناش ماعز، ولما نجيب لبنة عالبيت بتكون كثير حامضة. وقتها ماكانش عندنا ثلاجة، فكنّا نِشْخَل اللبنة ونُمْرُسْهَا وندَحبِرْها، ونجمعها في مرتبانات ونصب عليها زيت الزيتون، وهيك تضاين اللبنة سنة كاملة من غير ما تخرب، بس لما كنّا نوكل منها بأي وقت، بقت تكون حامضة، لهيك ما كنت بستطعم باللبنة ولا كنت بحبها.
Generative syntactician, lexicographer and translator.
