Darija lesson 86: Ibn Khaldun's sentence

1

Twenty-four words

The first family: pieces for building nested sentences. The rest: Ibn Khaldun's vocabulary of hope, cohesion, civilisation and decline.

Nesting pieces

دَاكْشِّي اللِّي dakshi lli what (= that which)
هَادْشِّي اللِّي hadshi lli this is what
عْلَى حْقَّاشْ 3la 7qash because; since
بِمَا أَنّْ bima anna given that
Formal.
سْوَاءْ… وْلَّا… swa'… wlla… whether… or…

Ibn Khaldun's concepts

الْكْسَلْ l-ksel laziness; listlessness
الْأَمَلْ l-amal hope
الْعَصَبِيَّة l-3asabiyya ʿasabiyya; group cohesion
Ibn Khaldun's key concept.
الْعُمْرَانْ l-3umran civilisation; settled life
Another of his terms.
الْغَلَبَة l-ghalaba domination
الْفَنَاءْ l-fana' extinction

What happens to a people

تّْغْلَبْ ttghleb to be defeated
ضْعَافْ d3af to grow weak
تْنَاقْصْ tnaqes to dwindle
دَافْعْ عْلَى dafe3 3la to defend
عْجَزْ 3jez to be unable

Human nature

الْإِنْسَانْ l-insan human being
بْطَبْعُو b teb3u by nature
الرّْيَاسَة r-riyasa leadership
الْعِزّْ l-3izz glory; pride

Discussing a theory

النَّظَرِيَّة n-nadariyya theory
السَّبَبْ s-sabab cause
النَّتِيجَة n-natija result
فَسَّرْ fesser to explain

2

One sentence, many layers

Four sentences from the Darija paraphrase. Find each main verb and count the layers under it.

ابْنْ خَلْدُونْ كَيْقُولْ بْلِّي الْأُمَّة اللِّي تّْغْلْبَاتْ كَتْمُوتْ دْغْيَاIbn Khaldun kayqul blli l-umma lli ttghelbat katmut degya
إِلَا ضَاعْ الْأَمَلْ، وْ ضْعَافْ الْعَصَبِيَّة، النَّاسْ كَيْعْجْزُو يْدَافْعُو عْلَى رَاسْهُمْila da3 l-amal, u d3af l-3asabiyya, n-nas kay3jzu ydaf3u 3la rashum
دَاكْشِّي عْلَى حْقَّاشْ الْإِنْسَانْ رَئِيسْ بْطَبْعُوdakshi 3la 7qash l-insan ra'is b teb3u
مَا كَنْعْرْفْشْ وَاشْ هَادْ النَّظَرِيَّة بَاقْيَة صَالْحَة الْيُومْma-kan3refsh wash had n-nadariyya baqya sal7a l-yum

In line 1, whose verb is kayqul and whose is ttghelbat? In line 2, where does the result start?

The rule

Multiple conditions: ila X, u Y, u Z, then the result with no connector: ila da3 l-amal, u d3af l-3asabiyya, l-3umran kaytnaqes.

Relative inside a that-clause: kayqul blli [n-nas lli ttghelbu] kayekslu.

“What” (that which): dakshi lli, hadshi lli: dakshi lli kayqul s7i7.

Indirect question: wash, 3lash, kifash + normal clause, no question intonation: ma-3reftsh 3lash d-duwal katti7.

Tip: Fusha holds the conclusion for five lines. In Darija, say who does what early, and hang the rest behind.

Layers

Form	Say it	Means
إِلَا تّْغْلْبُو، وْ ضَاعْ الْأَمَلْ، الْعُمْرَانْ كَيْتْنَاقْصْ	ila ttghelbu, u da3 l-amal, l-3umran kaytnaqes	if they're defeated and hope is lost, the population dwindles
كَيْقُولْ بْلِّي النَّاسْ اللِّي تّْغْلْبُو كَيْكْسْلُو	kayqul blli n-nas lli ttghelbu kayekslu	he says people who've been defeated grow lazy
دَاكْشِّي اللِّي كَيْقُولْ ابْنْ خَلْدُونْ صْحِيحْ	dakshi lli kayqul Ibn Khaldun s7i7	what Ibn Khaldun says is true
مَا عْرْفْتْشْ وَاشْ عَنْدُو الْحَقّْ	ma-3reftsh wash 3ndu l-7eqq	I don't know whether he's right
بْغِيتْ نْفْهَمْ عْلَاشْ الدّْوَلْ كَتْطِيحْ	bghit nfhem 3lash d-duwal katti7	I want to understand why states fall
عْلَى حْقَّاشْ الْإِنْسَانْ رَئِيسْ بْطَبْعُو	3la 7qash l-insan ra'is b teb3u	because man is a leader by nature
سْوَاءْ رْبْحُو وْلَّا خْسْرُو، النَّتِيجَة هِيَ هِيَ	swa' rbe7u wlla khesru, n-natija hiya hiya	whether they win or lose, the result's the same
هَادْشِّي اللِّي بْغِيتْ نْقُولْ	hadshi lli bghit nqul	that's what I wanted to say

Row 2: two conjugated verbs, one per layer: ttghelbu inside, kayekslu outside.

What English gives you, and what it costs

Free: “what he says is true”, “I don't know whether…”, “he says that people who…”: same pieces.

Free: no inversion in indirect questions: “I don't know why states fall” = ma-3reftsh 3lash d-duwal katti7.

Costly: “that” is optional in English; blli is usually there in Darija.

Your mistake, not someone else's

When embedding a question, you keep the pause and rising tone of a direct question. The indirect one runs straight on.

×مَا عْرْفْتْشْ عْلَاشْ؟ الدّْوَلْ كَتْطِيحْIndirect question with direct-question pause and tone.

✓مَا عْرْفْتْشْ عْلَاشْ الدّْوَلْ كَتْطِيحْ“I don't know why states fall”.

In writing: no question mark at the end.

3

Why the vanquished nation dies out

Two real passages from the Muqaddima, with Ibn Khaldun's nested syntax. The end of the chapter is left out because it contains racist judgements of his time. Below, the same idea in Darija, written for this lesson.

وَالسَّبَبُ فِي ذٰلِكَ، وَاللهُ أَعْلَمُ، مَا يَحْصُلُ فِي النُّفُوسِ مِنَ التَّكَاسُلِ إِذَا مُلِكَ أَمْرُهَا عَلَيْهَا، وَصَارَتْ بِالِاسْتِعْبَادِ آلَةً لِسِوَاهَا وَعَالَةً عَلَيْهِمْ، فَيَقْصُرُ الْأَمَلُ وَيَضْعُفُ التَّنَاسُلُ.

[…] فَإِذَا ذَهَبَ الْأَمَلُ بِالتَّكَاسُلِ، وَذَهَبَ مَا يَدْعُو إِلَيْهِ مِنَ الْأَحْوَالِ، وَكَانَتِ الْعَصَبِيَّةُ ذَاهِبَةً بِالْغَلَبِ الْحَاصِلِ عَلَيْهِمْ، تَنَاقَصَ عُمْرَانُهُمْ، وَتَلَاشَتْ مَكَاسِبُهُمْ وَمَسَاعِيهِمْ، وَعَجَزُوا عَنِ الْمُدَافَعَةِ عَنْ أَنْفُسِهِمْ.

وَفِيهِ، وَاللهُ أَعْلَمُ، سِرٌّ آخَرُ، وَهُوَ أَنَّ الْإِنْسَانَ رَئِيسٌ بِطَبْعِهِ […]، وَالرَّئِيسُ إِذَا غُلِبَ عَلَى رِئَاسَتِهِ وَكُبِحَ عَنْ غَايَةِ عِزِّهِ، تَكَاسَلَ حَتَّى عَنْ شِبَعِ بَطْنِهِ وَرِيِّ كَبِدِهِ.

Muqaddima, ch. XXIV (extracts)

ابْنْ خَلْدُونْ كَيْقُولْ بْلِّي الْأُمَّة اللِّي تّْغْلْبَاتْ، وْ وْلَّاتْ خْدَّامَة عَنْدْ الْآخُرِينْ، كَيْدْخُلْهَا الْكْسَلْ.

إِلَا ضَاعْ الْأَمَلْ، وْ ضْعَافْ الْعَصَبِيَّة، الْعُمْرَانْ كَيْتْنَاقْصْ، وْ النَّاسْ كَيْعْجْزُو يْدَافْعُو عْلَى رَاسْهُمْ.

وْ دَاكْشِّي، حَسَبْ ابْنْ خَلْدُونْ، عْلَى حْقَّاشْ الْإِنْسَانْ رَئِيسْ بْطَبْعُو: إِلَا حْيّْدُو لِيهْ الرّْيَاسَة، كَيْكْسَلْ حْتَّى عْلَى الْمَاكْلَة.

The same idea, in Darija

Ibn Jaldún, al-Muqaddima (1377), cap. XXIV del libro II, «La nación vencida se extingue antes». Texto de ar.wikisource.org con cortes marcados […]; se omite el final del capítulo. Vocalización y paráfrasis en darija de Learning Darija · dominio público

Did you follow?

What happens to a subjugated people, according to Ibn Khaldun?
Show answers
They grow listless, hope shrinks and the birth rate falls.
What if ʿasabiyya is lost too?
Show answers
The population dwindles and they can't defend themselves.
What “other secret” does he give?
Show answers
Man is a leader by nature.
What happens to a leader stripped of command?
Show answers
He neglects even eating and drinking.

4

Check

Two here, three more in the C1 book.

Exercises 1 and 2 are here, with answers. Exercises 3 to 5 are in the C1 book, the PDF this site lives on: you can see the first item of each below.

1Put in order

Three layered sentences.

كيكسلوبليتغلبوكيقولالليالناس
الدولما عرفتشكتطيحعلاش
نقولهادشيبغيتاللي

2Nest it

Join the two parts with the piece in brackets.

عْلَاشْ كَتْطِيحْ الدّْوَلْ؟ (مَا عْرْفْتْشْ)
وَاشْ عَنْدُو الْحَقّْ؟ (بْغِيتْ نْعْرَفْ)
قَالْ شِي حَاجَة. صْحِيحَة. (دَاكْشِّي اللِّي)
النَّاسْ تّْغْلْبُو. كَيْكْسْلُو. (اللِّي)

3True or false?

According to both texts.

Hope shrinks in a subjugated people.

The rest is in the C1 book

3 more items, with the answers.

The C1 book

4Fill the gap

With the nesting piece.

داكشي الليعلى حقاشواشسواء

___ قريت البارح بقا لي فراسي

The rest is in the C1 book

3 more items, with the answers.

The C1 book

5Does it still hold?

In eight sentences, say whether Ibn Khaldun's idea holds today. Put at least three layers in one sentence.

دَاكْشِّي اللِّيإِلَا… وْ…بْلِّيعْلَى حْقَّاشْمَا عْرْفْتْشْ وَاشْ

The rest is in the C1 book

The C1 book

Show answers

1. Put in order	كيقول بلي الناس اللي تغلبو كيكسلو · ما عرفتش علاش الدول كتطيح · هادشي اللي بغيت نقول
2. Nest it	مَا عْرْفْتْشْ عْلَاشْ الدّْوَلْ كَتْطِيحْ · بْغِيتْ نْعْرَفْ وَاشْ عَنْدُو الْحَقّْ · دَاكْشِّي اللِّي قَالْ صْحِيحْ · النَّاسْ اللِّي تّْغْلْبُو كَيْكْسْلُو

The C1 book: In preparation

Write and I will tell you the day it is out. One email, no list.

Tell me when it is out

I can now

Chain conditions with ila… u… u….
Put a relative inside a that-clause.
Use dakshi lli and indirect questions.
Paraphrase a classical text in Darija.