A Moroccan Arabic Secret Language
The X…XinCa Family
Nasser Berjaoui
Ibn Tofail University, Kénitra, Morocco
The present work studies one category (family) of the Moroccan Arabic Secret Languages of the Tafilalet (TSLs), the south-east of Morocco. In this family, which involves thirty-three varieties, a consonant of the word is substituted by the consonant of the variety. Then the new word is followed by the consonant of the TSL, the element “in”, the substituted consonant (that of the word) and the vowel “a”. For instance, the word “ktab” (a book) is encoded in one variety of the TSLs as “stabsinka” and as “wtabwinka” in another one.
The book involves eight chapters and a detailed bibliography for secret languages research. The first chapter presents major previous works on the topic, like the French Verlan, for instance. Chapter two introduces major sociolinguistic aspects of the TSLs with reference to such aspects as sex, age and locations, for example. Chapter three investigates the encoding operations of prefixless words, like nouns and adjectives. Chapter four scrutinizes the encoding of prefixed items like verbs and passive participles. Chapter five is concerned with the encoding of long, short and lengthened parts of speech. Chapter six aims at a description of the encoding of phrases, clauses and sentences. Chapter seven mirrors the uses of the TSLs in everyday encounters. Chapter eight presents a detailed account of the rules governing the varieties of the x…xinCa family of the TSLs.
ISBN 9783895868863. LINCOM Studies in Afroasiatic Linguistics 03. 130pp. 2007.
