Hi Abdullatif,
Thanks for your remark.
You are right for the translation of HALF by NSFR in classic Arabic (called so in the Maghreb). Same for the word SWORD that is SAدF SIF in classic arab.
But as you know, the Moroccan Arab (called Darija) is the spoken language by the Moroccans including the Berber populations. It belongs to the group of the dialects from the Maghreb, with the Algerians and the Tunisians.
Inspired widely by classic Arabic, the Moroccan Arab is the dialect from the Maghreb most strongly influenced by the Berber language. It was also influenced by French and Spanish and to a lesser extent by the languages of Black Africa, Portuguese, Italian and English.
There are real differences of vocabulary and grammar between Maghrebin and Classic Arab. That is why in schools and especially universities of the Maghreb, the courses of classic or literary Arabic are driven by Syrian or Egyptian professors. It is pure Arabic.
NIMCHA is the national sabre of Moroccan. It has not an european origin. We were a lot to think that this word was doubtless a Moroccan local word with maybe a Berber origin ( tamazight ).
It is not and i just received an answer from Faysal (International Forum:
http://help.berberber.com).
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------I find that on this website:
القاموس الإسلامى - عربى إنجليزى [الأرشيف] - الصفحة 3 - منتديات بوابة العرب
النِّيمَجَاه
كَلِمَةٌ فَارِسِيَّةٌ مُرَكَّبَةٌ مِن " نِيم " بِمَعنَى : نِصفٍ و " جَه " وَهِيَ عَلَامَةُ تَصغِيرٍ فَمَعنَاهَا الحَرفِيُّ: " النُّصَيفُ " وَهِيَ فِي
اَلفَارِسِيَّةِ اِسمٌ لِنَوعٍ مِن اَلسُّيُوفِ وَلِبُندُقِيَّةٍ قَصِيرَةٍ وَاستَعمَلَهَا اَلعَرَبُ بِمَعنَى اَلسَّيفِ فَقَط وَقَد وَرَدَت بِدُونِ يَاءٍ وَكَذَا قُلِبَت اَلجِيمُ
شِينًا فَأَصبَحَت : " النِّمشَاه
Al-Nimjah, Also Al-Nimshah : A short saber
Translation:
النِّيمَجَاه Al-Nimjah is a persian word composed of "نيم", meaning
HALF and "Jah" " چه" a diminutive. The word "nimjah" "نيمچاه " means litteraly "Little Half" ! The word in persian means little saber or little gun, but the arabians used it only to mean a saber et they deleted ي of نيم and replaced the چ of چه by ش : the word became : Al-Nimshah النِّمشَاه .
In the near and middle Arabic world, it's called SAدF, term of the Semitic languages (Aramaic) common to Arabic (indicating a curved blade) and in the Hebrew (indicating a straight blade).
With my best regards.
Louis-Pierre