ON DIALECTAL ROOTS IN JUDEO-ARABIC TEXTS FROM CONSTANTINE (EAST ALGERIA)

The language of the Constantinian sharh (Judeo-Arabic translation) of the Bible is characterized by conservative and archaic trends. Thus penetration of colloquial features into its linguistic fabric is of special interest. This paper analyzes a variety of vernacular roots that found their way into the Constantinian sharh of various biblical books, as well as into translations of post-biblical texts and original texts written in the Judeo-Arabic dialect of Constantine. The discussion encompasses two types of dialectal roots. Three secondary roots: root lss, root sgm, and root tkl, and four roots formed through metathesis: root h'd, root snt, root wgb, and root n'l. These roots are examined from several perspectives, including their formation, their distribution in the Constantinian Judeo-Arabic corpus of texts, and their comparison to other Maghrebian dialects.