Table Of ContentAn-Najah National University
Faculty of Graduate Studies
Translation of Neologisms of the Two Palestinian Intifadas
the First (1987-1993) and the Second (2000-2005)
By
Tareq Mahmoud Yasin Alawneh
Supervisor
Dr. Odeh Odeh
Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements of the Degree of
Master of Arts in Applied Linguistics and Translation, at An-Najah
National University, Nablus, Palestine.
2007
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Dedication
To the souls of all Palestinian shuhadaa` who
sacrificed themselves for the noble cause of Palestine.
To the soul of my father who taught me how to be
a human being.
To my mother, brothers and sisters, for their
encouragement and support.
To my wife for support beyond words and to my
three daughters: Ruwa`, Jana and Dania.
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Acknowledgements
I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Dr. Odeh Odeh, the
supervisor of this thesis, for his guidance, valuable advice, insightful
suggestions, patience and kindness during the course of this study.
I would like to thank Dr. Lutfi Abulhaija for his constructive comments,
never-failing assistance and for his participation as an external examiner.
I would also like to extend my thanks to Dr. Sameer Isa for his support and
for his participation as an internal examiner.
A note of gratitude is also extended to Dr. Ahmed Hamed at An-Najah
National University for his assistance.
Finally, my sincere gratitude is due to my wife and my loving children
for their understanding and volition to share, understand and endure all the
experience of the discomfort which we lived together throughout the study.
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Table of Contents
Contents Page No.
Dedication iii
Acknowledgements iv
Table of Contents v
Abstract vi
Preface 1
Chapter One 3
1.1. Introduction 3
1.2. Limitations of the Study 9
1.3. Statement of the Problem 10
1.4. Significance of the Study 10
1.5. Methodology 12
Chapter Two: Review of Related Literature 14
2.1. The Study of Neologisms 14
2.2. On the Translation of Neologisms 30
Chapter Three: Analysis of the Translation of
Intifada Neologisms 39
1. Semantic Neologisms 41
1.1. Semantic Narrowing 41
1. 2. Semantic Broadening 64
2. Neologisms in Form: Derivations 83
3. Borrowings 110
4. Figurative Use 122
4.1. Analogy 122
4.2. Idiomatic Terms 136
5. Phonological Neologisms 144
Chapter Four 147
4.1. Conclusions 147
4.2. Recommendations 157
Bibliography 160
Appendices 180
Abstract in Arabic (ﺺﺨﻠﻤﻟا) ب
vi
Translation of Neologisms of the Two Palestinian Intifadas
the First (1987-1993) and the Second (2000-2005)
By
Tareq Mahmoud Yasin Alawneh
Supervisor
Dr. Odeh Odeh
Abstract
The study examines the translation of neologisms in the two Palestinian
Intifadas to see how translators deal with them. It highlights the
mistranslations and the translation problems caused by cultural, political
and linguistic differences. It categorizes these neologisms according to the
standpoint of their formation and the criteria of use and of translational
occurrences in English and other sources, especially Hebrew. By evaluating
the correctness and the effectiveness of the neological translations, it
attempts to provide some appropriate renditions for some neologisms.
Furthermore, the study refers to the strategies used by translators in dealing
with these culture-bound neologisms.
The findings of the analysis of neologisms in translation point to the
importance for translators to have the background information about the
subject matter of Intifada neologisms to help them understand the concepts
embodied therein, and so render the messages properly. The findings, also,
show the following:
1. Achieving a translational equivalent of an Intifada neologism
without considering its contextual use is not an easy task.
2. Translators often fail to convey all the nuances and the subtleties of
Intifada neologisms being unaware of the cultural implications and
differences between Palestinian Arabic and English.
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3. Culture can not be excluded in translation because language is part of
culture.
4. The dictionary is not the only source to resort to in dealing with the
meanings of such neological expressions.
5. Some additions are needed to compensate the missing information in
the translations so that the original meaning can be retained.
The study consists of four chapters. Chapter One introduces the topic
and the importance of culture in translation, the purpose, significance,
limitations and methodology of the study, and statement of the problem.
Chapter Two provides definitions of the concept of neologisms and reviews
some related literature on the subject. Chapter Three presents an analysis of
the translational occurrences of these neologisms as they appear in English
sources. It also touches upon their referential and contextual meanings with
focus on their instable semantic features. Finally, Chapter Four provides
conclusions and recommendations for further research.
1
Preface
Palestinian history is loaded with significant events, in that it does not
take long before Palestinians find themselves moving from a battle to
another. Actually, one should not wonder about this instable state of affairs
since they live on a land with a privileged location and a religious
significance for the three main religions. This uniqueness has made
Palestine a dream of the greedy and the unjust all through its history.
Despite the efforts to demolish and conceal its cultural and historical
reality, we, Palestinians, continue to exist and face the Israeli military
occupation. But, have we been successful in conveying our word and our
case to the world?
This has been the significant starting point of my study. As a translation
student, I have decided to study the translation of the linguistic neologisms
which have emerged during the last two Palestinian Intifadas, taking into
account that language is an integral part of culture which reflects people's
prospects and sorrows. I have compiled a number of such neologisms from
English sources in an attempt to highlight their inappropriate renditions and
to enrich the readership with a better and undistorted understanding of the
Palestinian linguistic additions to Arabic. In addition, the study has even
been made more significant in light of the fact that it has attempted to
archive information about the ongoing events in Palestine, in relation to
people's need to coin and invent new words as a weapon of resisting those
forces which have been trying to annihilate the identity of the Palestinians
and cancel their own right in their land. The study has added new linguistic
terms of Palestinian Arabic which have become increasingly difficult to
keep track of in such a turbulent situation in occupied Palestine. After all,
the purpose of the study is to acquaint the readers with a reliable and a
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concise reference to the linguistic neologisms which are often circulated by
Palestinians in their daily life.
Through all stages of the study, I have faced numerous difficulties. The
scarcity of related literature and dealing with an up-to-date Palestinian
Arabic which does not abide by specific linguistic rules and structures have
been the most serious difficulties and obstacles I ran into. On my long and
thorny way of doing this research, I have tried my best to be objective and
to come closer to the desired truth about the translation of such neologisms.
I only hope that my sincere apologies can be regarded for any
unintended errors, shortages and omissions. Nevertheless, I believe that this
study will help other readers gain an objective knowledge of Palestine in
navigating through this linguistic neological legacy of the Palestinian
cause, and motivate other researchers in linguistics and translation to study
other dimensions of this study.
3
Chapter One
1.1. Introduction
Following the events of the two Palestinian Intifadas, the first (1987-
1993) and the second (2000-present), a number of Intifada neologisms have
been generated and existing words have taken on new different meanings
which are not listed in dictionaries. These neologisms have reflected the
change in the Palestinian society as a result of the breakout of the two
Intifadas. In fact, Palestinian Arabic has moved from a state of
consumption i.e., borrowing, to a state of terminology production. It has
not become fully dependent on the terms of the Israeli military occupation
authority. On the contrary, it has produced various new terms in different
aspects: political, economic, military, social, etc. Examples of these are
introduced and discussed in the study with an aim of revealing their
translational accuracy as they appear in English sources.
Palestinian Arabic has become replete with such neological expressions
in order to refer to, and accommodate, all the newly needed incidents,
concepts, ideas, thoughts, etc. They have taken new implications and
connotations which could not have been known to all people, including
translators. These neologisms have shaped concepts and views about
Palestinian culture and conveyed the crux of the Palestinian tragedy. They
are commonly used by Palestinians and can appear in different forms of
media, prints, internet and the like.
Being so deeply rooted in this Palestinian cultural context, the
neologisms of the two Intifadas pose actual problems to translators. And
then, the more culture-specific the neological expression is, the more
