DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.49271#0185
The Kababish, a Sudan Arab tribe
123
Ab (coll. pl. abahat) father.
*Yaba father, father’s brother.
Umm mother.
*Yumma mother.
All these terms are used for relatives by marriage with-
out necessarily connoting exact relationship. They are
not used as terms of direct address.
Ibn son.
fWaladi (child, contracted to wad, pl. milad) grandchild.
Bint (fem. of ibn) daughter.
Akh brother. Any man of same age as speaker or younger may be addressed as “ brother ” if he belongs
to the same khasm beyt.
Ukht (fem. of akh) sister. Similar in use to akh.
'Amm.father’s brother; also as a polite term of address to any older man of the same khasm beyt as the
speaker.
'Amma paternal aunt, paternal uncle’s wife, wife’s mother, husband’s mother.
Khat father’s brother. The pl. akhwal is used for any man of the generation of the mother if the speaker’s
mother belongs to a different khasm beyt.
Khala mother’s sister, maternal uncle’s wife.
Ibn or Wad akh brother’s son. A man might speak of any lad of his own khasm beyt as wad akhuya,
though he would address him by name.
Ibn or Wad 'amm paternal uncle’s son. Any man of the speaker’s generation and khasm beyt may be
spoken of as wad 'amm.
Ibn or Wad 'amma paternal aunt’s son, used only if exact description be necessary.
Ibn or Wad khala maternal aunt’s son, used only if exact description be necessary.
Gidd father’s father, mother’s father, father’s mother’s brother, mother’s mother’s brother, and almost
certainly father’s father’s brother, and mother’s father’s brother.
Ilabuba father’s mother, mother’s mother.
Hamm wife’s brother,
Hamma wife’s sister,
Na-sib wife’s father, husband’s father.
Nasiba wife’s mother, husband’s mother.
G6z, husband.
Gbza, wife.
'Adil wife’s sister’s husband.
* Words thus marked are in the vocative; all others are in the nominative (colloquial Arabic).
11 at the end of a word signifies “ my
The words db and umm become ydba and yumma in the vocative, and in this form
are used as terms of address. Children, brother’s and sister’s children, and grandchildren
are addressed by name. If a relationship term were used, a boy would be addressed as
waladi and a girl as bintt. Brothers and sisters address one another by name. The
words gdz and gdza are never used as terms of address; a man speaks to his wife by name
and she calls him ragili (my man), or more usually ‘ father of so-and-so ’ (naming the eldest
child). Nasib and nasiba are never employed as terms of address, and it is doubtful
whether hamm and hamma are ever so used.
Besides habuba, grandmother, which is not an Arabic word, the Kababish use the
terms hammu (brother-in-law) and hamma (sister-in-law) — making hamaya and hamatt
123
Ab (coll. pl. abahat) father.
*Yaba father, father’s brother.
Umm mother.
*Yumma mother.
All these terms are used for relatives by marriage with-
out necessarily connoting exact relationship. They are
not used as terms of direct address.
Ibn son.
fWaladi (child, contracted to wad, pl. milad) grandchild.
Bint (fem. of ibn) daughter.
Akh brother. Any man of same age as speaker or younger may be addressed as “ brother ” if he belongs
to the same khasm beyt.
Ukht (fem. of akh) sister. Similar in use to akh.
'Amm.father’s brother; also as a polite term of address to any older man of the same khasm beyt as the
speaker.
'Amma paternal aunt, paternal uncle’s wife, wife’s mother, husband’s mother.
Khat father’s brother. The pl. akhwal is used for any man of the generation of the mother if the speaker’s
mother belongs to a different khasm beyt.
Khala mother’s sister, maternal uncle’s wife.
Ibn or Wad akh brother’s son. A man might speak of any lad of his own khasm beyt as wad akhuya,
though he would address him by name.
Ibn or Wad 'amm paternal uncle’s son. Any man of the speaker’s generation and khasm beyt may be
spoken of as wad 'amm.
Ibn or Wad 'amma paternal aunt’s son, used only if exact description be necessary.
Ibn or Wad khala maternal aunt’s son, used only if exact description be necessary.
Gidd father’s father, mother’s father, father’s mother’s brother, mother’s mother’s brother, and almost
certainly father’s father’s brother, and mother’s father’s brother.
Ilabuba father’s mother, mother’s mother.
Hamm wife’s brother,
Hamma wife’s sister,
Na-sib wife’s father, husband’s father.
Nasiba wife’s mother, husband’s mother.
G6z, husband.
Gbza, wife.
'Adil wife’s sister’s husband.
* Words thus marked are in the vocative; all others are in the nominative (colloquial Arabic).
11 at the end of a word signifies “ my
The words db and umm become ydba and yumma in the vocative, and in this form
are used as terms of address. Children, brother’s and sister’s children, and grandchildren
are addressed by name. If a relationship term were used, a boy would be addressed as
waladi and a girl as bintt. Brothers and sisters address one another by name. The
words gdz and gdza are never used as terms of address; a man speaks to his wife by name
and she calls him ragili (my man), or more usually ‘ father of so-and-so ’ (naming the eldest
child). Nasib and nasiba are never employed as terms of address, and it is doubtful
whether hamm and hamma are ever so used.
Besides habuba, grandmother, which is not an Arabic word, the Kababish use the
terms hammu (brother-in-law) and hamma (sister-in-law) — making hamaya and hamatt