DOCUMENT RESUME

ED 372 602 FL 022 239

AUTHOR Vrabie, Emil

TITLE The first English-Aromanian (Vlach) Dictionary: Profile and Samples

PUB DATE [88]

NOTE 16p.; Uneven print quality.

PUB TYPE Reports-Descriptive (141)

EDRS PRICE MF01/PC01 Plus Postage.

DESCRIPTORS Definitions; *Dictionaries; *English; Idioms; *Lexicography; Phrase Structure;

Program descriptions; Rumanian; *Semantics; Uncommonly Taught Languages

IDENTIFIERS *Aromanian; Homographs; Synonyms

ABSTRACT

This paper describes the organization and characteristics of Tache Papahagi’s

“Dictionarul dialectului aroman, general si etimologic” (DAA), a bilingual Aromanian (Vlach)-
Romanian dictionary published in 1974. It also describes an ongoing project to produce English-
Aromanian dictionary based on the DAA, which should serve as a lexico-semantic tool for
researchers who need to approach Aromanian semasiologically. Polysemantic English words are
provided with the adequate restrictions that define or suggest the meaning of the Aromanian
equivalent. English phrasal units with their Aromanian equivalents are entered alphabetically, and
English bound expressions are included whenever suitable equivalents can be identified. Seven
pages of sample English-Aromanian entries are included. (MDM)

* Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made *

* from the original document. *

**********************************************************************************

Aromanian lexicography has improved significantly with the publication of Tache Papahagi’s
work known as the DDA. The DDA is a bilingual (Aromanian- Romanian) dictionary which also
provides the French equivalents of the entries, a feature which makes it available to the reader
unfamiliar with Romanian. A foreign-Aromanian or, at least, a Romanian-Aromanian dictionary has
not been published thus far. With the DDA at hand, the reader can find out that Arom. Zbor (
English: word )is the equivalent of Rom. Cuvant and French mot. However, if what one needs is not
the meaning of zbor, but rather the Aromanian term for “word”, the reputable DDA cannot comply.
The foreign scholar’s frustration is increased by the fact that PApahagi’s dictionary is a rather
voluminous work ( of 1,437 pages) which renders random searching an unproductive solution.

The project briefly described here has been conceived as a lexico semantic tool for
researchers who need to approach Aromanian semasiologically, i. e. from meanings to words.
Grammatical indicators will be kept to a minimum. Eg., from two lexicographical approaches,
WHOLESALER n. tuptangi, and WHOLESALER n tuptan/gi m, -geadz pl., the former is gives, because
Aromanian nouns ending in a stressed vowel, are masculine and always take the plural ending –adr, -
eadz. However, aberrant Aromanian forms will be provided. Eg., MAN n. om, pl. Camen|; TAKE vb.
Jeau, past participle luat.

English entries are followed by abbreviations indicating the part of speech to which one
word or another belongs. This is necessary mainly in those cases in which various parts of speech are
homographs ( as ROUND ).

Polysemy. Polysemantic English words are provided with adequate restrictions that define or
suggest the meaning of the Aromanian equivalent. This, AGREE is accompanied by three restrictions:
1.(of price) ad tu pazare; 2. (share common views with smb.) hiu pri una cake (cu); 3.(have an
agreement with) am zbor (cu). The adjective which Arom. Sain is provided. According to the
American Heritage Dictionary ( AHD ) ashy is a bisemantic word: 1. “Pertaining to, resembling or
covered in ashes”; and 2. “Having the color of ashes; pallid”. An equation ASHY adj. Sain alone would
be equivocal and misleading ( The restriction “color, speaking of wool” is based on a context in
which sAin appears as a modifier of lf’nA “wool”). The more numerous the meanings of a given
polysemantic English word are, the more care is needed to identify the most appropriate Aromanian
equivalents. An example of such a polysemantic word is ADOPT, with as many as seven meanings in
the AHD. The Arom. verb nhiljedzu coincides with just one of these seven meanings. The adj. SOBER
has six meanings according to the AHD but only one of them is covered by the Arom. ni-biut. On the
other hand, ni-biut has one more correspondent in English, THIRSTY, with three meanings: 1.
Desiring to drink; 2.arid; 3.craving. Only desiring to drink is an appropriate equivalent for ni-biut.

Phrasal units. English phrasal units with their Aromanian equivalents are entered
alphabetically, as if their components were a single word. However, individual components of some
phrasal units are also entered and cross-referred accordingly. Eg., BE ABOUT TO is aloso mentioned
within the entry ABOUT.

Homographs. English homographs are treated as separate words in this project, as ASH (1)
n., with the restriction (residue of combustion) cinushe f, and ASH (2) n., with the restriction (a tree)
frarsin m.

Idioms. English idioms and other bound expressions are included whenever suitable
equivalents can be identified. Eg., for WHEN HELL FREEZES OVER five equivalents have been found
thus far ( see Sample, under WHEN).
 Scope. For more than one reason, by far not all the English words recorded in regular
dictionaries have Aromanian counterparts. The same holds true for the Aromanian vocabulary,
which contains some words with no English equivalent. Words with non-existent or unknown
Aromanian equivalents are not included in the project.

Sources. By and large the main source for this project has been the DDA. Whenever an
Aromanian word is given, the reader should understand that it was taken from the DDA or checked
with it. Extensive reading of Aromanian literature and many contacts with native speakers have
shown to me, again and again, that the DDA is a true encyclopedia of the Aromanian language and
culture. However, in the writings of the Aromanian authors words or forms absent in the DDA can be
found now and then. This project has incorporated such words with appropriate indication of their
source.

Sometimes the DDA omits words or meanings recorded in previous lexicographical sources,
although they have existed for sure in Aromanian. Thus, in Dalametra’s Aromanian-Romanian
dictionary (Bucharest 1906), masina means “olive” and “mole”. The later meaning is absent in the
DDA, but some of my consultants know it. My Aromanian consultants have provided me with still
other words or meanings absent in the DDA. Eg., an elderly Aromanian-Albanian bilingual from
Tirana has recently translated for me the Alb. Sentence Ardha dal ngadale “I came by small and
small” through Vinjij pi-avash, pi-avash. An adverb pi-avash or pi-avash, pi-avash is absent in the
DDA. The DDA gives the adverb aerj and its variant jerj “yesterday”, but three of my consultants
from Albania (Korca, Pleasa and Tirana) claim that in their idiolects the right word for “yesterday” is
aseara. In the DDA aseara is recorded only as “yesterday evening”. All such cases will find their
appropriate place in this project.

Synonyms. Many entries in the DDA are given with their synonyms. Thus under abat “to turn
away” one synonym is given; under acridha “locust” – two synonyms; under acshu “able” – three;
under ajto “eagle” four, etc. However, quite often the actual number of synonyms turns out to be
larger, sometimes considerably larger, than what the DDA indicates. So, under utsid “to kill”, the
DDA signals two synonyms ( surpu and vatam ). Thus far I have identified sixteen other terms with
the same meaning in the DDA alone. They will be entered as equivalents of KILL in this project. For
the interjectional phrase GET LOST ! I have accumulated twenty equivalents; for WRETCHED – thirty;
for DEVIL – thirty four. Thus far I have identified as many as sixty-three words or phrases with the
meaning of UNINTELIGENT in various parts of the DDA (vs. Only seven provided by T. Papahagi under
glar and hut). What the user of this English-Aromanian dictionary will have to keep constantly in
mind is that while in Standard English synonyms are coexistent and structured both semantically and
stylistically, in Aromanian they are, for the most part, territorial synonyms reflecting the
fragmentariness of a loose conglomerate of local idiolects. In many cases, one of the territorial
synonyms is more widespread than the others and constitutes an actual supradialectal word (as
bana “life” vs it’s synonyms yjatsa, treaca and zuje).

The origin of the synonyms is not, and cannot be, a valid criterion when they are to be
arranged hierarchically. Out of the sixty-three synonyms for “unintelligent” mentioned above only
glad and hut are true supradialectal words. The question is how should the other sixty-one words
and phrases be presented within the entry UNINTELLIGENT in this project. Providing these two main
synonyms first and then listing the rest of them alphabetically seems an acceptable solution. Its
disadvantage is that the third or the forth most widespread words (out of the sixty-one) may fall well
behind, towards the end of the list, merely because of their initial letter. There is, however, an
advantage, of purely pragmatic nature, as well. The user will have quick control over the long list of
synonyms and thus will get fast access to the DDA. At this incipient stage of development of
Aromanian lexicology and lexicography the occasional alphabetical arrangement of synonyms seems
to be freer of risks and inconveniences than any other solution based on strictly functional criteria.
And so, the entry UNINTELLIGENT (which is a rather special case) may look as follows:

UNINTELLIGENT adj. glar; hut. Also: agudit (la cap); ahmac; anojt; aplo; arg’eandulu (di);
(Gramostea) bashing’el; buf; cap di curcubeta; cap di gaje; cap di muljeare; cap di tayare; capu mplin
di paje; crau; cshura; cu-trej-sci’ndurj; custur; cjuljea (invar.) d/abolea and t- (invar.); dat in cap; di
doaua oaua; divana; (Gramostea) dumba (invar.); fi’ra maduca; glarushcu and glarushu; hah/A (pl. –
anj); hajhuj and hajhu/m (pl. –meanj); hasca (invar.); hazo; hazuscu; hljear/A (pl. –anj); kirut; kjutuc;
l’joco; (Samarina) maglar; mbrosti/shor and –ushor; mbrostu; minte di danta’nj galbine; ncljis di
minte; netot; ni-bun; ndi’rlu and ndurlu; (Gramostea) ni-tut (la minte)l ntreshcu; ocan; Pravda al
Dumnidza’u; skizare; shabsha and shapsha (invar.); shahulcu; shamandur; shcret; sheapte-galjinj;
Shopt (pl. –eanj); shuldunu; tabolea; ta-o-to (invar.); tembla (invar.); tumsu and tumtu; turlu; uzun;
vaca; zdangan; zgurg’isit.

The English synonyms of unintelligent (dumb, simpleton, stupid, etc.) are given with just
one or two of these equivalents as in:

DUMB adj. l’loaca (Syn. At UNINTELLIGENT)

SIMPLETON n. aplo (Syn. At UNINTELLIGENT)

STUPID adj glar; hut (Syn. At UNINTELLIGENT)

Localization. Now and then the DDA provides indications of the village or region from which
one word or another was recorded. Such indications may be valuable for the user of this project as
well. Therefore, abbreviated, they will be maintained. However, too narrow spatial indicators should
be taken with a grain of salt for at least three reasons.

(1) When a term recorded in the DDA bears and indicator of the village or region where it
was heard, this is no guaranty that at that very time the word was not known
somewhere else as well.
(2) A word recorded in a single idiolect or group of idiolects a century ago may have been
either forgotten or replaced by a stronger synonym by now.
(3) A word or meaning given as characteristic just to one Aromanian idiolect fifty or one
hundred years ago may well have a larger area at this time. The only positive value of a
spatial indicator is that the given Aromanian word or meaning existed in the respective
village or region.

Ending remarks. When the manuscript of this project is ready for publication, it will be
provided with a Preface in which Aromanian will be briefly presented. The spelling system of
this dictionary and the spellings used in its sources will be indicated.
 Political comments, insinuations and polemic, of any kind, will be absent in this
work, which is meant to serve exclusively as an international research and cultural tool.

A sample of the project follows (WA- and WH- entries).

SPELLING : vowels: a, as in father; e, as in bed; i as in each; o, as in all; u, as in route; Â, as in

humdrum; î, as in Russian syn “son”. Consonants: c, as in call; when followed by e, I or j, it is
pronounced as ch in chek, chin, touch; dz (voiced affricate whose voiceless correspondent is
ts, see below); g, as in good; when followed by e, i, or j, it is pronounced as j in job or dge in
edge; g’, as in get; h, as in hot; j(glide), as y in yard or boy; after a palatal consonant (chj, gj,
kj, g’j, lj and nj), j is silent; zh, as in vision; lj as in gl in the ital. Article gli or as ll in sp. Llave
“key”; nj, as in ital. Gn or sp. N (nino “boy”); sh, as in shop; ts (affricate) as in Germ. Zeit
“time”; u (dlide), as in w in now; x, as ks.;

In the diphthongs ea and oa, e and o are glides.

The stress mark follows the stressed vowels  and î (Â’ and î’).

Examples of WA- entries:

WAD n. (for fire-arms) pacjura; pacivura [3]

WADDING n. vata; scamang’e f; bumban n

WADING n. treatisre f; tritseare f

WAG n. shicagi

WAG vb. Shuvaescu

WAGE WAR AGAINST SMB. Vb. (mi) ampulisescu (Syn. at FIGHT).

WAGGISH adj. mushmoala

WAGON n. kera

WAG ONE’S CHIN vb (mi) cabardescu

WAGE n. lufe; misto; paga; r/uga and ar-

WAGER n. (bet) jad/esh n; -ish; ets

WAGTAIL n. coada/-batura; cudu-; cutrubata; bazjamca; culususa

WAIL vb. (mi) ni/lsescu; na- (Syn. at LAMENT)

WAIST n. noglic n; mese f

WAISTBAND n. zona; zuna; dimin. Zunitsa

WAIT vb. (mi) adastu; shteptu and ash/teptu, -ceptu; agaljescu | I cannot wait any longer Nu
pot s-adastu cama multu; The Gypsy woman waited for three days or so Ashtipta rifta ca trej
dzi’le; Wait, so we can ask her Agalits shi u-ntriba’m

WAIT ON SMB, HAND AND FOOT vb, tsin pri palme

WAKE UP vb. (mi) dishteptu

WALK n. (going on foot; manner of walking) imnare f; umblet n; (for pleasure or as excersise)
prii/mnare, pri-; also g’iz/ere; -irsire; impaturare; piripat; sulatsu n, and sulatsa; tifirice f

WALK vb. Imnu; njergu; nerg (Gramost.) njeg; l pl njem, ipf. Njeam; trag cale

WALK BACK AND FORTH vb. (mi) tsas; (mi) urdin

WALKING n. (ability to walk) imnatic n; (as a process; also manner of walking) imnare f;
imnat n; imnata; njeardzire f; umblet n

WALK IN INDIAN FILE vb, ljeacu cjorlu, cjorlu

WALK ONE’S LEGS OFF vb. (do all in one’s power) mi fac pade

WALK ON TIPTOE vb. Njergu pri ungljile di cjoare

WALK OVER vb, trec

WALK ROUND SMB./SMTH. Vb, lu aduc virliga

WALL n. greb m or n; mur m or n; stimza (obs. Stizmu); tih n

WALLET n. purtufole f; priftacju n

WALLOR vb. (trash soundly) tukescu (di bateare)

WALLOW vb. (mi) and/avalescu; and-; andavlescu; cuta/valescu; cutu-; cutuv/ulescu; -lescu;
(mi) andukilescu

WALNUT TREE n. nuc m; cucoshu m

WAN adj, umbarnat

WAND n. (rod) vearga

WANDER vb. (become delirious) aljuredzu

WANDER ABOUT vb. Misur stealile; halandarescu

WANDERING adj (migrant) cu casa prin cjumag; cu casa pri cjutalju

WANT vb. Voj; past t. Vruj; past part. Vrut; 3 sg. Va. | Does he want (it) or not? Va, i nu va ?
Whether I want it or not, I will go Voj, nu voj, va mi duc; I want to catch a fish Voj tra s-
acatsu un reashte; He wanted to get married Vru si si nsoara; (love) They want each other S-
vor. (wish, search for) alag; caft| He found what he wanted Tse alaga; What do you want
from me ? Di la mine tse caftats? (be in a mood for) impers. Nji si o/rixeashte; u-; She
wanted apples Lji si urixi meare

WANT TWO PENCE IN THE SHILLING vb. 3 sg. Lji lipseashte una sci’ndura

WAR n, polim. Pl, pulemate; begin a war mut polim

WARBLING n. (of birds) tsiur n

WARD n, pindar m (Syn. at GUARDIAN)

WARE n. pra/matie f; par-

WARM adj, caldu; dimin. Caldishor; (as of a room) calduros; (North) (as of water) habin and
hamin; hljo (invar.); dimin. Hljushcu

WARMING UP n, ncal’durare f; -uare; -dzi’re

WARM SMB. ‘S JACKET vb. Tukescu (di bateare)

WARM UP vb. (mi) ncaldza’scu; (mi) ncalduredzu; (as of hands, with one’s breath) (mi)
ahulescu

WARP n. (in a loom) urdza/tura; urdzi-; ustura

WARP vb. Urdza’scu; ordu; (mi) an/avadescu; na-

WARP-BEAM n. Valvator n; barbator n (see CYLINDER)

WARPING n. (arrangement of the yarns on a loom so as to form a warp) nvulbare f; navadire

f; urdzi’re f

WARRANTY n. kifile f; kifilimei f; kifalete f

WART n. aricju m or n; barg/avitsa; bazdr-; luzna

WART-CRESS n. pandalica (syn PLANTAIN)

WART-WEED n. areu

WAS vb, past t. Fuj; ipf. Earam; iram; iream (see BE)

WASH vb. (mi) lau; pres, lau, laj, la, lam, lats, la; ipf. Lam, laj, la, lam, lats, la; past t. Laj, lashj,
la, lam, lat, lara; imper. La’-mi, la’-ti, etc; alau; (mi) as/pel; s-; (mi) shpul juescu

WASHING n. lare f; alare f

WASH OUT vb. Es or esu; past t. Ishij or inshij and ishaj or inshaj; past part. Ishit or inshit and
ishat or inshat | This (dirt) does not wash out Nu jase; Beating and shame do not wash out
Shkoplu shi arshinea nu es

WASHBOWL n. liγen n; liγene f; liene f; Ilene f

WASHING n. lare f; as/pilare f; s-; spilatura

WASTE n. pustilje f (Syn. at DESERT)

WASTE vb. (mi) ker | If you wash your donkey, you waste your soap Γumar aspelj, sapunea-ts
kerj (a proverb)

WASTE AWAY vb. (mi) alakescu; (ruin) stuhinedzu

Example of WH- entries

WHAT interog, and rel, pron, tse? Tse; (north) tsi ? tsi|He did not know what to do Nu shtea
tse s-faca; (Admiringly) What a kingly weding party ! Tse laj numta amirareasca ! What are
you commanding, my lord ? Tsi dimindedzj, doamne ? What wind blows you here ? Tse
pinaua ? (with omitted subject and verb )

WHATEVER pron, itse; itsi; itsishj; itsipasa (invar.) | Whatever your heart desires itsi va va
inima

WHATSOEVER pron, icj; hicj; can; dip | We do not want anything whatsoever Nu vrem hicj
tsiva; He is not ready to kill me for whatsoever Va s-mi keara tri tsiva icj; (at all) I am not
scared whatsoever Dip nu mi aspar

WHEEL n, ar/oata; r-; g’irg’il n; ar/ocut n; r-; furcutashu n; (Gramost.) arucoata f; mill wheel
arocut di moara

WHEN adv, ci’ndu; itse; itsi; itsishj; stica; tse; carj; nda; anda | on the day (when) he was
born dzuua tse s-afla; (as) when fear began to seize us carj vinje frica din a lo; when hunger
constrained him carj ly strimse foamea; When you come, let me know A’nda sγinj, si-nj daj
habare

WHEN HELL FREEZES OVER cind va ang’jeadza mortul; ci’ndu va s-tsi scoata limba perj;
(ci’ndu) va s-creasca meare n plukj; pi coada di cripitor

WHERE adv. (direction) ca/ta ju; cf-; ju; juo; tse | Where did he go ? Cata ju duse ? He went
to the mountains where there were few houses S-duse tu munte, tsi era psi’ne casj

WHEREVER adv, judo; jukishdo; jutsi; jutsido; ju-tsi s-hiba

WHETHER cj, furcj-ca; fureshj ca; aj ca fure... aj ca (fure)

WHETSTONE n, truho

WHEY n. shar n
WHICH pron, tse; care; carj; gen/dat a curor; (North) caj; caje | Not a single day passed on
which they did not intrude into his vineyard Nu tritsea dzuua tse s-nu-lj si-arunca tu-aγinje;
Which shepherds did you meet on your way ? Carj picurarj astaleashj n cale?

WHIFF n. (puff) suflare f

WHIFF SMOKE vb, afum (See BELCH OUT SMOKE)

WHILE n, oara f; after a while dupa oara; a little while niheama; niheamata; niheamaza; after
a little while dupa niheamaza

WHILE cj, cum | while they were at play cum si-agjuca; WHILE SOME... SOME OTHERS.. altu..
altu

WHILE AWAY vb. (mi) shintescu

WHIM n. kefe f; kejfa; farfuda; camomate (f pl.) | They made all her whims Tute kihjle lji li
fatsea

WHIMPER n. ngrinjire f; skimurare f

WHIMPER vb. Ncinj/edzu; ncjun-; skimur; shkljimu/r; -redzu; shkljmuredzu

WHIMPERING adj, ngrinjatcu; shkljimurat

WHIMSICAL adj, cu orjle (Syn. at CAPRICIOUS)

WHINE n. ancanire f (Syn. at GROAN)

WHINE vb. Cjunedzu; (mi) ngrinjescu; skimur

WHINING n. ngri’nje f

WHINNY n. aruzhire f

WHIP n. camcike f; carbatsa; garbace f; garbacju n; vurdhal n; z/vicju n; s-; (in children’s
games) tombu n; tombul n

WHIP vb. (hit with or as with a whip) ardu vi’ra; zhirtuescu; palescu; zapa/lescu; zipi-;
zipitescu | Get lots before they whip you Fudzj ca va-ts arda una ! Whip him once ! Zhirtuja-l
una !

WHIR(R) n. vazura f (Syn. at RUMBLE)

WHIRL n. viltoare f

WHIRL ALONG vb. Mi u angan (Syn. at BOLT)

WHIRLPOOL n. viltoare f; zurγjo

WHIRLWIND n. (evil genius of the wind) vimturitsa

 WHISPER n. cjucjurare f; pishpurame f; pushpur/are f; -ire; shu/shurare f; shur-; shuputire f;
shupt/irare f; -urare; shurshur n

WHIT n. not a whit tri Γitrie; cit γitrushca (See AT ALL)

WHITE adj, albu; (white sheep with black head or legs) oacarnu; ocren

WHITE FROST n, bruma

WHITE-LEGGED adj, (of sheep and goats) pudhrushcu

WHITE-REDDISH adj, (of an animal’s hair or wool) g’esucan/at; -ut

WHISTLE OFF vb. (take oneself off) li aspel

WHO interog. And rel. Pron. Care; cari; carj; tse; tsi (North) caj, caje; an anemic variant is
tsine | Who knows how circumstances brought her here Cari-shte cum u-aduse oara; I, who
have killed the dragon ? mine, tse vatamaj lamnjea ?

NOTES

*The most important works on Aromanian and the Aromanians published in English are:

-J.B. Wace and M. S. Thomson. The nomade of the Balkans. An Account of Life and Costums among
the Vlachs of Northren Pindus. London: Methuen and co./New York: Biblo and Tannen. First
published in 1914 (with maps, illustrations and Aromanian texts);

-T. Winnfruth. The Vlachs. The History of a Balkan People. London: Duckworth, 1987 (with many
maps);

-Zb. Golab. The Aromanian Dialect of Krushevo (R. S. Macedonia). Skopje: Goce Delcev, 1984

[2]Tache Papahagi (b. 1892 in Avdhela, Greece; d. 1977 in Bucharest, Romania). Dictionarul
dialectului aroman, general si etimologic. 2nd ed., Bucharest: Ed. Academiei, 1974, 1427 p. (DDA).

[3]- Â nouns are feminine; they do not need the abbreviation f in this dictionary.