From Siwa to Goulmima: A Date Palm Lexicon

 Some time ago, while I was working on a previous blog entry devoted to date palm tree cultivation in Goulmima (from a text in the A. Roux archives), I leafed through a number of dictionaries, looking for words relating to said tree. I found little that was specific to the date palm, compared to the doum palm (Hyphaene thebaica). Benamara’s Figuig dictionary could have offered more, but without knowing tifiyyeyt lexicon, I had no entry points. As for Amaniss’s unpublished dictionary, there is some date palm vocabulary, with some overlap with Goulmima’s, but sometimes with a different realization. I initially decided to build a spreadsheet, using the ar.wikipedia page for “نخلة التمر” as a source vocabulary list, search through Chafik, and map onto the bilingual list the vocabulary of my home region. Unfortunately, in Chafik, I found more doum than Phoenix dactylifera. The same goes for the IRCAM dictionary, as well.

 

With the recent publication of Valentina Schiattarella’s research note Il lessico della palma in siwi (berbero, Egitto) (2023), I decided to dig up my spreadsheet and use her list of Siwi date palm vocabulary as a template. This exercise might be of some use for documentation and, perhaps, comparative purposes. 

Vocabulary of the date palm : Siwa (Egypt) <> Goulmima (Morocco)

**Note: I did not include Siwi words pertaining to specific types of dates/palms, as they are impossible to crossmap, without additional information (if at all).

Siwa**	V.S. transl.	Goulmima	Eng. transl.	Notes
aǧəḅḅar pl. iǧəḅḅarən	‘termine generico per la palma’	pl. ifərxan – tafṛuxt pl. tifṛxin	‘date palm (generic)’	afrux is reserved for the male palm.
təzday	‘palmeto’	pl. igran	‘fields’	The fr. word ‘palmeraie’ is often used as well.
agəzzu	‘gruppo di palme isolate’	afəḍḍuẓ pl. ifəḍḍaẓ	‘clutch of palm trees sharing the same roots’	> tafəḍḍuzt is reserved for a young palm tree. > afəḍḍuẓ also refers to a type of couscous made with barley.
utəm pl. utman	‘palma maschio’	afrux – awtəm pl. iwtman	‘male date palm’	awtəm is the generic term for a male in any species.
teni  (var. tini)	‘dattero (generico)’	tiyni	‘generic for dates’ (uncountable)
azəggar pl. izəggarən	‘dattero (numerabile)’	tabɛušt pl. tibɛušin – tiynt pl. tiyniwin	‘a single date’
aġram pl. iġərṃam	‘seme del dattero’	iġəss pl. iġsan – annwiy pl. annwiyn	‘date pit’	Date pits are gathered and crushed, usually with a stone pestle azduz, and mixed in a slop to feed to the animals.
nan təni	‘persone che lavorano stagionalmente nei palmeti’	–	–	There is not a specific term for a “seasonal ‘palmeraie’ worker”: bu yigran, axʷmmas, afəllaḥ are all terms used to describe a person working the fields. bu tiyni would be used to say ‘one who buys/sells dates’.
nənna	‘dattero nel linguaggio infantile’	ninni	‘dates in baby talk’
agəngən	‘dattero verde (non maturo)’	abluḥ  pl. abluḥn / ibluḥn	‘green unripe date’	> Some of the villages in the region systematically pronounce:  l > n >In the text, in the Roux archives, from 1951, the informant writes : rrkm. As I wrote then: “I expected abluḥ(n), as the word for the first green fruit ; rrkm being [in my experience, and those I asked] specific to abluḥn that have fallen off the tree, and are collected to eat or feed to the animals.” The collection is a regulated activity, and can only be performed in the afternoon after the amġar n yigran (le préposé des champs) has ‘opened’ : iṛzm umġar
ərġawən	‘dattero di color giallo’	[a]nnəqqər   pl. annəqqərn	‘yellow (or red, orange depending on varietal) crunchy not yet ripe date’	nnəqqər is used as a plurale tantum
aṭṭeg	‘dattero per metà giallo e per metà arancione’	annəqqər pl. annəqqərn	–
tasutatt pl. tisutay	‘tipo di palma’	–	–	There are many types of date palm, based on the type of dates they produce: tabufəqqust, tabuzəgzawt, tabuzəggʷaġt, taṣayərt, taməjhult,...
tafṛuxt	‘giovane palma tasutatt alta meno di due metri’	tafəḍḍuzt  pl. tifəḍḍaz	‘young date palm tree’
taṭṭagt (fem. of aṭṭeg)	‘dattero maturo’	tafṛuxt pl. tifṛxin	‘mature date palm’
aġəṛḅež	‘dattero no maturo, con aspetto simile all’uva secca’	aṣ̌uṣ̌ṣ̌ pl. iṣ̌uṣ̌ṣ̌an	‘abluḥ or annəqqər that has shriveled and dried up’	Collected and used as animal feed.
amənzu	‘dattero precoce’	tamənzut pl. timenza	‘early season date’
aməġẓuẓ	‘dattero tardive’	tamaẓuẓt pl. timuẓaẓ	‘late season date’
n asirər	‘polline’	ttəkkʷar	‘spadix of a palm tree’
aziwa	‘parte che va dal tronco alla parte finale del ramo contenente il regime di datteri, ma solo se ancora parte dell’albero. Se tagliato, con il termine aziwa si intende unicamente la parte del ramo che va dal tronco al regime di datteri (escluso)’	azəwway / azawiy pl. izəwwayn / izawiyn aqənwal  pl. iqənwalən	‘skeleton of the date bunch once the dates have been removed’ ‘stalk of the date bunch’	> Once dry, azəwway can be used as a broom. > Used to make a type of children’s toy castanet clapper called:  šbaqəllu.  > Mainly used, after peeling off the orange outer layer and soaking, as armature for woven household items, such as winnowing baskets (fr. ‘van’): tiswit / pl. tiswatin
tšaṭṭət pl. tišaṭṭa	‘il grappolo’	taɛənwuḍt / taɛənwiṭṭ aɛənwu[ḍ-ṭ]/ aɛənwi[ḍ-ṭ] pl. tiɛənwa[ḍ-ṭ] iɛənwa[ḍ-ṭ]	‘date bunch’	Fr. ‘régime de dattes’ ḍ > ṭ
tčallət	‘sottili rami su cui crescono i datteri’	azrur  pl. izrurn	‘spikelet’	Fr. ‘pédicelle’
tfudaxt e takuwwaxt	‘parte tra i rami e il tronco (parte umida), seguita subito dal takuwwaxt’	aqəṛṛif / taqəṛṛift pl. iqəṛṛifn / tiqəṛṛifin – aqərnif / taqərnift pl. iqərnifn / tiqərnifin	‘petiole, (leaf) base, frond midrib’	Fr. ‘pétiole’ Once dried and appropriately sized, taqəṛṛift is used as a battledore (or ‘beetle' [‘battoir’ Fr.]) to beat heavy laundry items during washing, or to dust rugs and blankets.
agəzzəb	‘porzione che va dal tfudaxt al ramo, compreso il pezzo contenente le spine’	–	‘rachis’	> Fr. ‘rachis’
tadri pl. tədriwen	‘spina della palma’	aġtir / axtir pl. iġətran / ixətran	‘spine’	Used to prod donkeys, or as pins to stitch the opening of a bag of straw (or the like). As well as in a children’s game, with unripe dates abluḥn (see next section)
taqəṭṭušt pl. tiqəṭṭušen	‘ramo della palma’	tasəṭṭa pl. tisəṭwin – taṛəṭṭa  pl. tiṛəṭwin	‘palm frond’	tasəṭṭa / taṛəṭṭa elsewhere is used to mean ‘branch’ in general. In Goulmima, it is generally specific to the palm tree. Other tree branches are called: ašəṭṭuḥ, ašṭṭib, lɛəṛš, lfəṛɛ,...
aqəṭṭuš pl. iqəṭṭušən	‘ramo della palma staccato dalla pianta e seccato’	tasəṭṭa pl. tisəṭwin – taṛəṭṭa  pl. tiṛəṭwin	‘cut and dried palm frond’	> Amaniss gives aməqqalləw, but it is a word I do not know, nor anyone else I asked. > Dried palm fronds have many tradional uses: broom, fire, hedging: afrag, building tanwalt (outdoor or roof kitchen) or shacks in the fields taɛšušt, as roof covering layered on top of reeds before the layer of mud and soil, etc.
eǧǧrid	‘ramo usato per le recinzioni (talula) di case o giardini’	tasəṭṭa pl. tisəṭwin – taṛəṭṭa  pl. tiṛəṭwin	‘cut and dried palm frond’	See previous note.
taqəssart	‘parte che va dal tfudaxt al taqəṭṭušt a cui vengono rimosse le foglie’	–	–	> Amaniss gives igigg, but it is a word I do not know, nor anyone else I asked. > Stripped of its leaves and spines, the palm frond rachis is referred to, as far as I know, by any ‘stick’ name: taġrəšt, taməɛṛaṭṭ,...
tazuwatt pl. tizuwiten	‘foglie’	aɛzuf  pl. iɛzufn	‘leaflet (pinnae)’
tizen	‘foglie usate per la produzione di cesti e altri oggetti di uso quotidiano’	aɛzuf  pl. iɛzufn	‘leaflet (pinnae)’	Different leaflets are used to weave different household and fieldwork objects (see next section). The leaflets of the very young palm fronds, off-white and not yet green, are the most prized.
takərdiya	‘spadisce’	tabuqalt pl. tibuqalin	‘spathe’	During the pollination season, once spathes are removed from the trees, they are sometimes  used for drinking water. The scent of ttəkkʷar adds a pleasant note to the water.
uli n aǧǧəḅḅạṛ	‘parte centrale della palma’	ul n tfṛuxt ǧǧəmmaṛ	‘heart of palm located in the phyllophore of the tree’	It is made of primordial leaves and apical meristem.
axšəb	‘tronco’	aqbu pl. iqʷba	‘trunk’
afliq pl. ifəlliqən	‘tronco tagliato a metà’	–	–
ləxlayəf	‘piante nuove che crescono alla base della palma’	tayawt pl. tayawin	‘basal offshoot, sucker growing at the base of the palm tree’	Fr. ‘rejet’ Roux gives (a)skuḍ / taskuṭ ‘rejet (de palmier), petit palmier au pied d’un grand’. Couldn’t find it in any of the other dictionaries I looked at (Azdoud, Haddachi, Amaniss, Taïfi, Benamara, Yeou).
tġərsətt	‘pianta nuova che cresce alla base della palma una volta tagliate’	–	–	A new palm shoot, whether planted or not, bears the same name as any other new shoot : imġəy, timġəyt. If there is a specific name for new palm tree shoots, I haven’t found it. The word nnəqqʷəlt is used for new shoots that need to be transplanted.
taǧǧra	‘parti da potare che si sviluppano nella parte centrale del tronco, dannose per la pianta madre’	rrkəb pl. ?	‘high offshoot, sucker growing higher up the trunk of the palm tree’	Fr. ‘gourmand’
		afdam pl . ifdamn	‘leef, fibrillum’	Fr. ‘bourre’ Used to start a fire, make ropes, or rolled up into a layered ball as a filtering plug for drinking water jugs...
		taġənfift pl. tiġənfifin	‘perianth’ (attaches the date to the spikelet)	Fr. ‘cupule, périanthe’
		lqərniṭ	‘spongiform layer in the pith of the stem (trunk), below the apical meristem’	During severe droughts and threatening famine, lqərniṭ was dried and ground to make bread.
		afəqqus / aləqquz	‘clump of  mashed dates’	Once harvested, very ripe dates (not eaten immediately) are mashed together and stored in earthenware (acqquf) for winter use; or shaped into a wheel to be sold in the market.
		tafərqənnuniyt pl. tifərqənnuniyin	‘very small (dwarf) dates that are the first to ripen on the bunch’	I got this word from my father, when I was collecting this lexicon. Never heard it before.

Various uses of the date palm

In the local human ecology of the Ghris valley, where Goulmima is located, the palm tree occupies a central place. Every bit of the tree finds use in human activities. From agroforestry, where the canopy of the palm tree provides shade and a regulated microclimate for other trees and cultivated crops, to traditional building, where both fronds and trunk are used in roofing, to cooking, without forgetting, various household items, and even children’s toys and games, made from fronds leaflets and/or stalks of the date bunch. Here is a sampling, in addition to what's already mentioned in the previous table : 

• tigəǧdit (pl. tigəǧda) : crossbeam made from the trunk of the palm tree after removing the outer layer and splitting it in two or four depending on size.

• lmizab : spout style gutter made from a hollowed out piece of palm trunk.

• agərtil : a mat made of woven palm frond leaflets.

• ašwari / zzənbil : joined panniers, made of woven leaflets, used to carry stuff on a donkey or a mule. It can be made one of two ways: two round bottomed baskets joined at the top, or a single loop that needs to be twisted, moebius-like, to create its signature conical pockets.

• tašṭṭabt : broom made from short palm fronds bound together after slicing leaflets lengthwise.

• taškkʷatt : flyswatter made from a palm frond.

• tarazal : wide brimmed hat made from palm leaflets.

• tazyawt / taqqfift : woven basket made from leaflets.

• taklut : narrow mouth tubular small basket with a handle, made from palm leaflets. These baskets are made for children in preparation for the celebrations of Ɛašura. On the day, they will be filled with səksu (couscous), takurdast (a type of andouillette), taglayt / tamənnant (hard boiled egg).

• tabuxtirt : a game played by children in summer, when the date palm fruit is still unripe, using palm spines and unripe fruit (abluḥn). It goes like this : dig a hole, bury a few single abluḥn, plus a few two-abluḥn skewered on a spine (axtir), and the main piece tagəllidt (queen): four-abluḥn skewered on a spine, cover the hole with fine dirt, now sharpen your harpoon from the best spine you can find, weigh it down with a couple of unripe dates, draw lots for who goes first, second, etc., then begin throwing your harpoon at the target and pulling out your quarry, the winner is the one who gets out most of the buried loot, or gets the queen (I think?).

• Lastly, and to illustrate the extent to which the date palm inhabits the symbolic and the space of imagination : tiyni n uməẓẓuġ 'ear wax'; and so the human embodies the palm tree, with, on the back of the hand, the stylized tattoo, or henna, of a palm frond.**

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** The palm frond tattoo/henna pattern is a common design across North Africa.

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