Aljamiado

Aljamiado texts are manuscripts which utilize the Arabic alphabet for transcribing Romance languages such as Mozarabic or Ladino.

According to Anwar G. Chejne [Chejne, A.G. (1993): "Historia de España musulmana". Editorial Cátedra. Madrid, Spain. Published originally as: Chejne, A.G. (1974): "Muslim Spain: Its History and Culture". University of Minnesota Press. Minneapolis, USA] , "Aljamía" or "Aljamiado" is "a corruption of the Arabic word "`ajamiyah" (foreigner) [Arabic عجمية] and, generally, the Arabic expression "`ajam" and its derivative "`ajamiyah" are applicable to peoples whose ancestry is not of Arabian origin". In linguistic terms, the Aljamia is the Romance language (i.e., "foreigners' language") which was used as everyday communication vehicle while Arabic was reserved as the cultivated and religious tongue.

In later times, Moriscos were banned from using Arabic as a religious language, and wrote in Spanish on Islamic subjects. Examples are the "Coplas del alhichante Puey de Monzón" (about a hajj) or the "Poema de Yuçuf" on the Biblical Joseph.

Usage by the Moriscos during Muslim Persecution

Aljamiado played a very important role in preserving Islam and the Arabic language in the life of the Moriscos. After the fall of the last Muslim kingdom on the Iberian peninsula, the Moriscos (Andalusian Muslims in Granada and other parts of what was once Al-Andalus) were forced to convert to Christianity or leave the peninsula. They were forced to adopt Christian customs and traditions and to attend church services on Sundays. Nevertheless, some of the Moriscos kept their Islamic belief and traditions secretly through the usage of Aljamiado.

In 1567, Philip II of Spain issued a royal decree in Spain which forced Moriscos to abandon using Arabic on all occasions, formal and informal, speaking and writing. Using Arabic in any sense of the word would be regarded as a crime. They were given three years to learn the language of the Christian Spanish, after which they would have to get rid of all Arabic written material. Moriscos translated all prayers and the sayings of their prophet Mohammed into Aljamiado transcriptions of the Spanish language, while keeping all Qur'anic verses in the original Arabic. Aljamiado scrolls were circulated amongst the Moriscos. Historians came to know about Aljamiado literature only in the early nineteenth century. Some of the Aljamiado scrolls are kept in the Spanish National Library in Madrid.

Other Uses

The word "aljamiado" is sometimes used for other non-Semitic language written in Arabic letters. For example, some Serbo-Croatian, Bosnian and Albanian texts written in Arabic script during the Ottoman period have been referred to as aljamiado. However, many linguists prefer to limit the term to Romance languages.

ee also

* Mozarabic language
* Kharjas
* Xiao'erjing

References and notes