ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 2325 http://www.s-gabriel.org/2325 ************************************ 3 Jul 2001 From: (Josh Mittleman) Greetings from the Academy of Saint Gabriel! You asked whether and are appropriate names for an Arabic man in our period. Here is what we have found. You also asked if we could discover more details of the names cited in article [1]. Unfortunately, the author did not keep detailed notes. All the names in his articles were recorded before 1600, but he doesn't have more precise dates. We've done the best we could to trace his citations. (which we've spelled in a more precise transliteration) is apparently recorded as a given name in period [1], but it appears to have been quite rare. We found one use of the word as a byname in the 12th century [2]. It appears to mean "prances" [3], and is pronounced \BAHKH-tee-yar\. \KH\ represents the rasping sound in the Scottish word or in German . is a period byname [1], but perhaps not a good one to combine with this particular given name: We're not certain what it means, but it derives from a word that means "to snap, to rattle, to pop". In the one period instance we've found, it is used in place of a given name rather than in addition to the given name: [4]. The period in the name represents a dot under the letter; it indicates an emphatic consonant. (This is a point of Arabic pronunciation that we can't explain in this letter; if you're interested, we recommend you consult an Arabic speaker.) The byname is pronounced roughly \aht-t.eek-T.AHK-ah\, although the \k\ sound is pronounced further back in the mouth than the normal English \k\. Before certain consonants, the \l\ in shifts to match the next consonant, so is pronounced \aht\ here rather than \ahl\. Given the rarity of as a given name and the odd combination of meanings that you'd get from , we can't recommend this name as good re-creation. Your other choice is much better. is a fine given name [5]. Because it was used by one of the prominent figures in the early history of Islam, it has always been popular. The Arabic word means "friend, companion" [6]. It is used as a given name in modern Arabic, but is certainly appropriate as a byname "the friend, the companion". Before certain consonants, the \l\ sound in changes to match the following consonant; is pronounced \KHAH-leed ar-rah-FEEK\. We hope this letter has been useful. Please write us again if any part of it has been unclear or if you have other questions. I was assisted in researching and writing this letter by Sion Andreas, Da'ud ibn Auda, Talan Gwynek, Aryanhwy merch Catmael, and Julie Stampnitzky. For the Academy, Arval Benicoeur 3 Jul 2001 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - References [1] Da'ud ibn Auda, "Arabic Naming Practices and Names List," _Compleat Anachronist_ #51, "The Islamic World" (Milpitas: SCA, Inc, Autumn 1990; WWW: J. Mittleman, 1998). http://www.s-gabriel.org/names/daud/arabic-naming/ [2] , c.1186-c.1236. Research by Sion Andreas in the bibliographic database of the Library of Congress. [3] Wehr, Hans, _A Dictionary of Modern Written Arabic_, edited by J. Milton Cowan, 3rd ed. (Ithaca, NY: Spoken Language Services, Inc., 1976). It's worth noting that standard literary Arabic has not changed significantly since the writing of the Quraan. is a form of the verb "to strut, to prance". [4] , b. ca. 1262, Research by Sion Andreas in the bibliographic database of the Library of Congress. [5] Mustapha al-Muhaddith ibn al-Saqaat, "Arabic Pesonal Names from the Futuwwah", ed. Arval Benicoeur and Avelina of the Bridge (WWW: J. Mittleman, 1999). http://www.s-gabriel.org/names/mustapha/futuwwah.html [6] Wehr, s.v. rafiiq.