Sudanese Arabic Documentary Transcripts with English Notes

Hajja Medina (4/6)

In the fourth excerpt, Hajja Medina takes a minibus to Faisal district of Cairo, home to a substantial Sudanese community and the many Sudanese shops where Hajja Medina trades her goods.

In the first scene, Hajja Medina negotiates the fare to Faisal with the Egyptian minibus driver, and gives us a good example of Egyptian negotiating etiquette. The text is straightforward linguistically but cultural difference may make some of the expressions unexpected. Almost immediately, Hajja Medina shifts seamlessly into Egyptian dialect. Can you identify some of the changes she makes to her pronunciation as she chats with the driver? She is concerned about her luggage. Can you predict what she might say to the driver and his assistant?

On the way, she muses on how all the traveling she does has shaped her life and in the tender interaction with the Sudanese family and friends who host her stay, we learn how she feels about the Sudanese community there. She also mentions some traditional Sudanese dishes, such as kisrah, pictured below, still being cooked among the community there.

Can you guess what expression she uses for someone who kicks up a fuss? And the verb form connected with the noun, ‘ushrah, friendship, that we saw in the first excerpt?

Screenshots from this excerpt from the Aljazeera documentary Coming and Going

You can view the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYUe6VC28Go&feature=share

See previous episodes in Hajja Medina’s Story – Coming and Going (1), Hajja Madina 2 The Shrine at Hamed Al-Nil and Sudanese Coffee Rituals, Hajja Medina Travels to Aswan: Coming and Going (3)

From Sudanese Kitchen blog – http://www.sudanesekitchen.com

Transcript and Notes from minute 25.30 – 35.00

All transcripts in this blog are copyright Muna Zaki and I am indebted to her for her work.

1 at your service, literally “order/ command me”, from amara, to order
2 the formulaic response to this; only God has the authority to give orders
3 another formulaic response
4 as in 2
5 you tell me what’s good for you (re-price) so we don’t have a difference of opinion along the way. Note Egyptian “ish” negative suffix.
6 literally; at your orders
7 God willing, I won’t leave you short – to reassure driver. Expression used to emphasis that someone has done everything they can for someone.
8 really expensive (note Egyptian pronunciation and use of ‘awli.
9 don’t tie it lightly
10 literally; so that the wind doesn’t take them
11 I became addicted to travel (see next line for addict, mudminah)

12 a pleasure / enjoyable.
13 you meet them and become friends as if you had known them for ages. (remember ‘ushrah, friendship, from episode 1)
14 you chat together and tell stories
15 I’ve kept you waiting (literally; arrived late)
16 we’ve been waiting for you
17 say hello to your (maternal) aunt
18 he made a right fuss (jowTAh – hubbub, fuss)
19 kicked up a fuss
20 (same root as above) a troublemaker

21 Grandma, you have made us go hungry
22 from the root jaw` – hunger
23 atmosphere
24 al-kisrah -Sudanese dish, see above.
25 al-‘asiidah – Sudanese dish made of a porridge of sorghum or millet flour, sough dough and water
26 al-khuDrah al-mafruukah – a green leaf stew
27 al-baamiah al-mafruukah (okra stew)
28 mulaaH al-lubaa – black-eyed bean stew

See a mufraakah, other cooking utensils and the remarkable photography of Frédérique Cifuentes in https://wordpress.com/block-editor/post/womensliteracysudan.blog/8959

The photos above are copyright Frédérique Cifuentes

The Sweet Taste of Sudanese Mawlid Celebrations

Above, mawlid stalls in Omdurman, 2019. Pinks and greens glow through the twilight gloom as Sudanese buy sweets, toys and other festive treats.

Learn more about the worship and celebrations surrounding the birth of the Prophet in Sudan in https://womensliteracysudan.blog/2019/12/12/mawlid-an-nabi-omdurman/

Above, Sudanese mawlid sweets. Photograph – Khartoum Star. Read more about Mawlid sweets and the Omdurman sweet factories in 500 Words Al-Mawlid

Background to the 5-Minute Video Reports (Intermediate Level)

The first report explains how the varieties of Mawlid sweets sold in Sudan have evolved over recent years, explores the economic impact of the confectionary industry, interviews customers and highlights potential health risks. Why not speculate on what the report might say on the themes above? How accurate were your predictions?

We don’t provide a transcript to the second report as it comes with standard Arabic subtitles but you might be interested to note the lexical differences between the subtitles and the spoken Sudanese commentary. The report provides background to the popularity of mawlid sweets and their cost. If you don’t know much about these sweets yet, watch the second clip first. You will hear several examples of useful comparative constructions.

Above, screenshots from the video clips. How much could you understand of the three male speakers’ commentary from video clip 1 before checking the transcript? Try paraphrasing their views in your own words.

Video Report 1 – Sky News Arabic

Transcript and Notes

1 ritual
2 activity (literally: movement) never stops (literally: calms down)
3 and for what’s approaching a hundred years now, the majority of producers ….
4 local raw materials (sesame, peanuts, humus)
5 and 6 (over time and using foreign expertise, new varieties have been developed) such as mulaban ( a Turkish delight-type sweet, made of starch, sugar, orange blossom water, pistachio, etc), rumiyyah – to be updated 6) nougat and watermelon
7 coconut
8 ingredients
9 mixed fruit (to be updated)
10 enjoys (literally; widespread acceptance) is popular. Note in same line – faDlaan ‘an; moreover
11 heritage
12 food standards (literally; specifications body)
13 quality
14 those types permitted (literally; nutritionally) in food products
15 warn
16 to keep away from (VIIIth form)
17 proven to cause
18 cancer
19 avoid using (artificial coloring) and the packaging of sweets
20 putting in boxes
21 to protect from damage.

Video Clip 2 – BBC News Arabic

Grandma’s Baskets Making a Comeback?

“In the guffa (pl gufaaf; basket, such as the one pictured above), the housewife would carry meat, vegetables, sugar, salt, and spices, all encased in paper, and on top of this she would put her purchase of bread. She would carry the guffa in her hand and when it is heavy, she would put it on her head.”

Above, “mulaaH ahmar” or red stew, one of many variations on the theme of “mulah”, or stew. A staple in Sudanese cuisine, mulaH is usually made from a base of lamb, onions, cardamon, peppercorns and salt and often eaten with wafer-thin, pancake bread, pictured above, known as kisra. (source – Sudanese Kitchen website).

A tabagah – traditional food tray cover with Darfuri design

“Guffa al mulaaH” in conversational Sudanese refers to the shopping basket of staple everyday ingredients. The term “guffa al-mulaah”(mulaaH; stew) is also used informally to refer to the retail price index and the cost of living in general.

A Little Background to the Listening Texts

In early January, 2018, Khartoum State banned the use of single use, lightweight plastic bags. Plastic bags routinely clog up water ditches, litter roads, cover trees and bushes and endanger livestock which ingest them. Many see the ban as an opportunity for what is overwhelmingly a women’s industry and a chance to experiment with new, lighter and more adaptable designs for consumers used to the convenience of plastic.

Top left, a mandola, next to a masha’ayb, used to keep perishable foods safe from insects and rodents, and top right a bukhSah, used for churning butter. These items are mentioned in the first video report.

See https://womensliteracysudan.blog/2019/09/01/weaving-better-futures/ and https://wordpress.com/posts/my/womensliteracysudan.blog for more on traditional Sudanese handicrafts.

Today’s blogpost provides the transcript of two short reports (5 minutes each) on traditional Sudanese baskets. The first news report sets the scene for the second in which customers in a supermarket give their views on the ban on plastic bags and the return of the guffa. How many of the speakers welcome the move and how does the only male interviewee feel?

It is strong lower intermediate-intermediate in terms of complexity but you may not know some of the Sudanese terms for their unique handicrafts.

Above, screenshots from Sudanese TV Youtube reports reviving interest in baskets and other natural woven articles.

Video Extract 1

Transcrition and Notes.

1 palm fibre (unit sa’fa)
2 are becoming extinct / dying out
3 a claim/ allegation
4 defender
5 recipients
6 plural of sibah; basket (FusHa)
7 See photo below, (mandawlaat)
8 cylindrical in shape
9 with a lid of colored palm fibre
10 See photo above (masha’ayb)
11 (raabuubah)plural; rawaakiib) sun shelter
12 See photo above (bukhSah)
13 gourd
14 curdled milk curds/buttermilk
15 guffa el-mulaaH, as explained above.

16 pl of ‘iris; wedding
17 breaking the fast in Ramadan
18 people giving engagement gifts (shaylah) such as kindling woods
19 aromatic woods – see https://wordpress.com/post/womensliteracysudan.blog/6864
20 sizes
21 (a measure) from ruba’ – quarter
22 till
23 a glance at …..
24 custom/ tradition
25 other small crafts (mihaniyyah; craftsmanship)

Some of the handicrafts for income generation made by participants of women’s literacy circles in Khartoum. See more in https://wordpress.com/posts/my/womensliteracysudan.blog

Extract 2 – Supermarket Interviews

Transcription Extract 2

26 (for emphasis) in truth/ really / in all honesty
27 chilled goods
28 and goods that can go off/ be spoiled.
29 to be banned
30 the speaker is explaining that someone can place goods which haven’t been weighed in their baskets.
31 the cashier will complain at you
32 is it the quantity I’ve weighed out (correctly) or has some been added to it?
33 (the campaign to ban plastic bags use) isn’t good/ in our interest
34 if only (fa-yaarayt) large stores had been exempt from..
35 it makes the streets dirty / litters up the streets.

36 I’m a supporter of …..(in previous line, opposer – mu’atariDah – referring to the use of plastic bags)
37 for emphasis – glory be to God
38 by chance
39 I was very happy (farhaanah – happy)
40 I (really) insist that …..
41 the thing is we can be proud …..
42 nicer than bags
43 soft
44 sort them out, item by item
45 feel honored / take pride in
46 these days we have a problem (alternative to muskilah)
47 to go backwards ….
48 without mentioning any names (eg the supermarket)
49 we abolished / banned
50 come out with the idea …
51 a reconsideration of
52 isn’t civilized
53 collect
54 pick up the greens one by one
55 water cress/ rocket leaves

Coming Up Late July /Early August

Coming Up in the Next Two Weeks

A 5-minute news report on mawlid sweets. Lower-intermediate -intermediate level.

Two short 5-minute reports (including interviews with shoppers) on traditional Sudanese baskets making a come-back in the fight against plastic pollution. Intermediate level.

The next stage in Hajja Medina’s trip to Cairo. Hajja Medina visits close friends, negotiates and chats with taxi drivers and explains her philosophy of life before setting out on her long journey home.

Excerpts from Aljazeera documentary on The History of the Sudanese Press. Upper-Intermediate to Pre-Advanced.

Get a taste of the documentary below:

Hajja Medina Travels to Aswan: Coming and Going (3/6)

In this excerpt, Hajja Medina talks about the reactions she has sometimes received when traveling with traditional Sudanese goods and explains the type of things her friends and neighbors tend to order from Egypt. As she is buying her coach ticket to Cairo, she strikes up a conversation with a young fellow traveler. She explains too why she feels at home in Aswan.

Above, Sudanese foods and spices in Khartoum.

See more Khartoum scenes in https://wordpress.com/post/womensliteracysudan.blog/5441

This excerpt is slightly more difficult than previous ones in terms of lexis and in addition to numerous formulaic greetings and responses you might find useful if you want to sound truly Sudanese, you will hear some interesting colloquial refrains. Hajja Medina mentions a water wheel. Can you guess why?

You can view the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYUe6VC28Go&feature=share

Screenshots from the Aljazeera documentary for this week’s excerpt.

Hajja Medina mentions several Sudanese foods, often used in herbal medicine. In case you are not familiar with them, we picture them below. She also mentions some Sudanese utensils, such as the mufraaka, shown below too.

Top left, boabab fruit (gongolees), top right, tamarind ( ‘aradeeb), Bottom right, fruit of the desert date tree (laaloob), bottom left, fruit of jujube tree (nabag). Photos, Wiki commons and Imogen Thurbon

Transcript and Notes (from minute 16.36 to minute 26)

1 desert date tree fruit
2 baobab fruit
3 jujube tree fruit
4 tamarind
5 pearl millet
6 I’m the only one who was bringing them in. Also, 6) plural of banbar, low stool.
7 plural of mufraakah (see below)
8 broad-based pan (see Coming and Going 1)
9 clay incense burners
10 laugh at / make fun of someone
11 in Sudanese Arabic, gaaylah means think /imagine
12 literally junk.
13 literally everything that flies or crawls – everyone, all creation
14 literally scoop it up. What Hajja Medina is saying is that from initially being mocked for these things, now people seek out these things.
15 plural of shibshib; sandals or slippers
16 expression used to apologize – literally, without blame or reproach. (Note to be updated)
17 (these are examples of) what the neighborhood, (Hila) (18) orders.

Used by women to make Sudanese mulah, a stew of meat, okra, or mulukhiyah leaves (Jew’s mallow), the mufraaka (stirring stick) is twirled rapidly between the palms to blend ingredients using the spatula base. It is exhausting work.

See http://womensliteracysudan.blog/2020/06/04/intimate-geometry-3 for more traditional Sudanese cooking utensils

19 literally; may God gives you good health. An expression of gratitude, kindness etc. perhaps we would say “bless you!”
20 (in the reservations office) she gets to know …
21 What’s the matter? What’s up?
22 polite response to news of illness, literally, may God write (ordain) her health.
23 polite way to request someone’s name.
24 literally Hajja Medina, you have honored us (as he shakes her hand). Polite greeting to welcome a visitor. See below for the formulaic response to this.

25 formulaic response to 24, literally may God increase the honor of your position / status in society.
26 a nice way to invite someone to a tea/coffee
27 become worn out/ exhausted (fatraan; exhausted)
28 Hajja Medina explains that she is tired out from traveling, and we feel she’s slightly disillusioned as she quotes the Sudanese proverb, literally “the water wheel takes from the river and pours back into the river”, used for activities that bring no benefit.
29 strivers (from same root jahuud – efforts)
30 see off/ bid farewell (wadda’)

Who perseveres in his journey will arrive

See more proverbs researched by expert in Sudanese proverbs Muna Zaki in https://wordpress.com/post/womensliteracysudan.blog/1151

31 formulaic expression to welcome someone back after a journey / wish someone a safe journey.
32 the cafe owner explains he was brought up in Sudan (tarbiiyah) and later settled (mustagir)in Aswan.
33 complimentary expressions to respond positively to comment.
34 and the cafe owner responds in kind, closing the exchange, by saying and may God ease your way for you.
35 as before, may God increase the honor of your position.

36 Sudan is just a stop on the way
37 as they say, ……………… (note to be updated)

Who lives in storms is unperturbed by breeze. Seen in Khartoum dust storm, 2018.

Khumrah – Traditional Sudanese Perfume

The transcription today is the complete text of a Youtube Sudanese TV excerpt (five minutes) showing how to make the traditional blended Sudanese perfume known as khumrah.

You can learn more about Sudanese aromatics in http://womensliteracysudan.blog/2020/03/27/the-cloves-fragrance, where you can find a detailed, step by step summary of the video text in English at the end of the blogpost.

Above, top left, frankincense and perfume – infused wood used for incense, (bakhur), top right, brand image of the famous Bint Sudan and below, the video’s presenter holding up a bottle of khumrah.

I am indebted to Muna Zaki for the transcription and notes in Arabic on key expressions. The title photo shows a stall holder at Burri Flower Festival, Khartoum, with her Sudanese perfumes and aromatics. The two glass perfume bottles in the foreground contain khumrah.

You can watch the 5-minute video extract here: Humra al Mahleb,

Above, a screenshot from Humra al Mahleb. The traditional Sudanese blended perfume is often made by families, friends and neighbors in communal gatherings, using recipes handed down through the generations. The making of khumrah is one of many perfume preparation rituals, “dag al-rihah, associated with marriage celebrations, together with karkar, al-zeit, dilka and dukhan. See http://womensliteracysudan.blog/2020/03/27/the-cloves-fragrance for more.

Above, Thoraya Ahmed el-Khalifa holding up the mature khumrah she has made, with its base of smoke-infused fragrant paste. There are many types of khumrah. Thoraya is making mahlab khumrah.

The word “khumra” may come from the same Arabic root as “ikhtamara”, “ khammara”; to ferment.

The text is lower intermediate in terms of syntax and complexity but you may not be familiar with the perfume terminology.

The Ingredients used in this clip

Top left, mahlab cherry kernels (mahlab). Sudan is believed to be unique in using mahlab for perfumes. Top right, cloves (grunfil) and sticks of sandalwood (sandal), left, mastic gum (masik), pounded to release its scent. Right, a selection of branded perfumes popular in Sudan and the Middle East, and bottom sandalia – sandalwood oil.

Photos: screenshots from Humra al Mahleb

The Transcript and Notes

Sudanese Perfumes with Thoraya Ahmed El-Khalifa

1 really old/ mature /vintage/ deep-rooted in other contexts
2 mahlab cherry kernels, used to make perfume and dilka (perfumed paste)
3 ingredients
4 grind
5 grind to fine powder ( as you grind wheat into flour)
6 clove – whole clove
7 Thoraya explains that you should pound (bifaDDil),or (yiddag) rather than grind the mastic as grinding it causes its perfume to be lost ( to go away)
8 Thoraya explains she will offer a step by step (khaTwah khaTwah)) guide so one can calmly…..
9 and 10 literally thoroughly cooked (also mutawiyyah and maTbukhah, 10)

11 we pour in the ground mahlab
12 turned upside down (explained in next line)
13 incense ( in this case perfumed wood) shaaf is one example of the perfumed woods used
14 knead (as you do with dough)
15 we turn it upside down / (invert it over the lit incense burner.)
16 until / so that
17 reddish / turning red
18 literally cook (see 10, above)
19 the color deepens / darkens

20 shake so the ingredients are well blended
21 (after leaving it a few days) it matures – similar to itkhamarat in next line (highlighted),, meaning ferments
22 done perfectly / to a high standard
23 to do something perfectly
24 (even as the perfume is used up) the paste (at the bottom) can last a year. As you use it, you can top it up ( with some of the branded perfumes she mentions …….

Hajja Madina (2/6) The Shrine at Hamed Al-Nil and Sudanese Coffee Rituals

In this extract, Hajja Medina tells us how difficult life has become for women traders. She seeks spiritual comfort at the shrine at Sheikh Hamed El Nil, in Omdurman as she always does before she embarks on a journey, and explains why this is so important to her.

See https://wordpress.com/post/womensliteracysudan.blog/1392 to learn more about Hamed EL-Nil and the Sufi ritual of dhikr Hajja Medina refers to.

Title photo and above copyright Imogen Thurbon

And, as always too, before traveling, Hajja Medina organizes a coffee party for her friends and neighbors. A ritual to bless her travels, it also allows her to take orders and collect payment from her neighbors and customers.

The extract today includes many useful formulaic greeting and polite response expressions used in everyday interaction in Sudan. They are religiously-based and English translations can strip them of their full courtesy and elaborateness.

Below, transcript and brief explanatory notes on the dialogue from minute 7.00-15.00 of te Aljazeera documentary “Sudan, Coming and Going” (You can view the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYUe6VC28Go&feature=share).

Transcript and Notes

1 pressures (sing: DaghiT)
2 customs (duties) and agriculture
3 literally “ really, these women are suffering a bitter suffering.” Next line, hawjah; need/ necessity
4 (ever more difficult to) earn a crust; literally, morsel
5 shrine
6 I visit and attend the drumming (see photo above) and dhikr (see link above)
7 and there’s a moment of purity as everything that you have brought there weighing on your chest is released.
8 renew your spiritual life
9 invoke our Lord so that he will give success to …..

10 when I’m intending to travel
11 I make coffee (the traditional way)
12 spend an enjoyable time together, getting away from everyday worries and boredom.
13 child (Sudanese dialect, pl shuffa’), what a sweetie (literally our honey)
14 a word with many meanings, here; anyway/ anyhow.
15 May our Lord give you good health
16 It’s the same everywhere.
17 literally: the world is all in ruins / a mess
18 as 15, a formulaic expression used in greetings, to express thanks etc
19 asked after you
20 polite formulaic response to 19: May God bring them all the best
21 polite formulaic expression: may God give you wellbeing.

Dishes of boiled seeds or grains, often adzuki beans, known as baliilah, are offered to guests. This is often done as part of a blessing ritual (karaama) for new ventures, to give thanks, or to break fast.

22 May our Lord give her success
23 pull/ move the table a little …
24 Sudanese rituals
25 with incense, small china coffee cups and coffee pots (see previous blogpost)
26 as if you hadn’t honored him with hospitality
27 seal

To learn more about Sudanese tea and coffee and the poetry associated with it, see https://wordpress.com/post/womensliteracysudan.blog/1832

In the next episode, Hajja Medina talks about the traditional Sudanese foods, often used in herbal medicine, she needs to find and the things her neighbors ask her to buy. She begins her journey to Aswan, chats to restauranteurs in Aswan, catches up with friends and travels on to Cairo.

Hajja Medina’s Story – Coming and Going (1/6)

Always on the move, Hajja Medina’s travels have given her, she tells us, an education and understanding of real life as valuable as any university could offer.

Sudan – Coming and Going

Hajja Medina tells us about her family and the daily challenges she faces. She visits Omdurman Market to buy Sudanese goods to sell in Egypt, chats and bargains with traders there and explains her philosophy on working well with others.

You can view the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYUe6VC28Go&feature=share

Below screenshots from the documentary, transcript of the first seven minutes of dialogue and translation of some of the expressions used, together with brief explanatory notes. Hajja Medina speaks clearly and relatively slowly and repeats key expressions and verbs you will hear again and again in Sudanese Arabic.

Overall the range of vocabulary and structures used in this excerpt are useful for those seeking to consolidate their intermediate+ listening skills and for strong lower-intermediate learners to extend their skills. When she is bargaining with her fellow traders, you may need to listen twice to catch some of the details. Remember you can slow down playback speed by going into youtube settings.

ALWAYS TRY LISTENING SEVERAL TIMES BEFORE YOU TURN TO THE TRANSCRIPT!

If anyone would like further explanation on any aspects of the text below, please feel free to get in touch.

This blog will explore texts of different genres and a variety of levels from pre-intermediate to advanced. We have chosen what we hope is an enjoyable, visually stunning and accessible text to start off!

My thanks to Muna Zaki, a wonderful teacher and generous transcriber of these texts.

Muna Zaki Sudanese Proverbs

Transcript and Notes

1 I fell out with their father…..
2 separated
3 I made my own way
4 I exerted all my efforts so that I could educate them ….- she is determined her son should finish university.
5 contribution to a credit union – Sudanese women pay in sums every month and money is then distributed to members in turn so they can make large purchases. She explains that she received the first pay-out (Sarafah) and bought goods to trade with.
6 rewarding
7 successful
8 if I don’t have ANY money. (preceded by if I’m short of money)
9 a strong sense of trust develops among us
10 welcome
11 broad-based pan used for roasting coffee beans, for example. See below
12 dozen

Above, left, a wigaayah – a beaded coffee pot rest / base. Top right a gallayyah, (see 11 above) bottom right a metal Sudanese coffee pot or jebanah with finjaan (fanaajiin, pl) coffee cups.

13 by the Lord of the Ka’bah – to add emphasis to her words
14 dent – Hajja Medina is complaining that the trader had put the coffee pots her daughter collected in a sack and that’s how they got dented. He replies that her daughter had told him to do so.
15 got dented and are of no use
16 save time

17 have you put these on my account/ accounted for these
18 I’m off / going
19 plural of tabagah, food covering pictured below
20 coffee pot holder, pictured above
21 trust and friendship and love/ affection between us
22 it’s become more about appreciating / understanding everyone’s circumstances than buying and selling
23 you are honest/straight, trustworthy with the person you’re dealing with so he will trust you.

In the next excerpt coming out on Friday, Hajja Medina visits the Sufi shrine at Hamed al-Nil and organizes a coffee party for her friends and neighbors before she starts on her long journey to Aswan.

Below scenes from Hamed al-Nil

If you are interested in this Sudanese Sufi ritual, you might enjoy https://womensliteracysudan.blog/2018/09/01/sufism-in-sudan/

Hamed EL-Nil. Copyright Imogen Thurbon

A Taste of Our Work

Below, the way we work.

Above, Khartoum scenes. Copyright Imogen Thurbon

This blog is a resource for anyone wishing to improve their Sudanese Arabic and who has an intermediate+ level of Arabic. It may be of help to those working in Sudan in the fields of development or diplomacy as well as those wishing to visit this wonderful country and appreciate its culture.

Arabic is a diglossic language which presents special challenges to the learner and all too often, Arabic studies are based on analysis of classical written texts with little reference to the authentic listening and colloquial conversational skills which form the basis of real life communication.

Every couple of weeks we put a link to a video freely available on Youtube which features Sudanese Arabic commentary and culture. We provide an Arabic transcript of part or all of the text, together with explanatory notes in English on key expressions.

We do this as a free, open educational resource, hoping to further intercultural understanding. We see this blog primarily as a self-study aid. Therefore the posts do not provide formal lesson plans. Remember that the transcripts can be used in many other ways to aid learning, not just to confirm aural comprehension and expand your vocabulary. By reading the transcripts aloud, acting out the dialogue before listening, you can improve you reading skills and pronunciation as you compare your voweling accuracy in Arabic against the aural text. You can use the aural text as a dictation, trying to write down everything you hear and then check against the transcript. Some of the words selected for explanatory notes are simple but may be easily misheard or missed completely.

Next week, we look at the first five minutes of a beautiful Aljazeera documentary on the daily life of a Sudanese trader, Hajja Medina, who supports her family by buying and selling goods between Egypt and Sudan. You see her journey to Egypt, her conversations with friends and fellow traders and emblematic Sufi celebrations in Omdurman. You get a tantalizing glimpse of her life, her joys and sorrows.

You can view the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYUe6VC28Go&feature=share

Muna Zaki Sudanese Proverbs

Next week Muna Zaki, translator and Sudanese Arabic tutor, provides the transcription to the first few minutes of the documentary, and I, her indebted student, will provide a literal English translation and explanation of key expressions. We assume the learner has a roughly intermediate+ level of Sudanese colloquial Arabic. A detailed English translation is available on request.

Enjoy!