# Lebanese: Body Parts



## tabyyy

Mar7aba 

Thanks to the list of resources on this forum, I was able to find several Lebanese terms for different body parts. However, I still don't know some terms and I hoping someone could help me out.

Here is a list of term I've compiled:
_Lip
Forehead
Cheek
Eyelash
Eyebrow
Ear lobe _(I read that in EA the term is "7alama elwedn" - would the Lebanese equivalent be "7alama ed-danye"?)
_Chin
Neck
Shoulder
Elbow
Stomach
Nail_
_Knee_

I have more, but I feel that my list is rather long >< I apologize for that!

Shukran ktiir

(I wasn't sure if I should open a thread for each term, since there are so many, so I grouped them into one "body parts" thread. I hope that's alright.)


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## be.010

Hala!
I think they are almost the same ones used in Syrian with some "Lebanese accent" applied on them, here is what I believe they are, hoping someone will confirm/correct:


tabyyy said:


> _Lip shiffi/shafaayif_
> _Forehead jbiin_
> _Cheek khad / khduud (pl.)_
> _Eyelash __r_ə_m(_ə)_sh / rmuush (pl.)_
> _Eyebrow 7aajeb / 7awaajeb (pl.)_
> _Ear lobe Probably it is "sha7mi(t) el daan"_
> _Chin __da2(_ə)_n (the schwa isn't pronounced when a short vowel is added at the end of the word, as in da2nu)_
> _Neck ra2bi_
> _Shoulder_ _kət(ə)f _
> _Elbow kuu3 (?)_
> _Stomach_ _mə3di_
> _Nail_ _Dəf(ə)r_
> _Knee rəkbi_


Best regards


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## yasmeena

Be. 

Some 'application of the accent '  :



be.010 said:


> _Lip shiffe/shafeeyif_
> _Forehead jbiin_
> _Cheek khad / khduud (pl.)_
> _Eyelash __r_ə_m(_ə)_sh / rmuush (pl.)_
> _Eyebrow 7aajeb / 7weejib (pl.)_
> _Ear lobe Probably it is "sha7mi(t) el daan" (I have no idea)_
> _Chin __da2(_ə)_n (the schwa isn't pronounced when a short vowel is added at the end of the word, as in da2nu)_
> _Neck ra2be_
> _Shoulder_ _kət(ə)f _
> _Elbow kuu3 (?)_
> _Stomach_ _mə3de_
> _Nail_ _Dəf(ə)r / dafiir (pl)_
> _Knee rəkbe_


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## tabyyy

Alf shukran! You guys are great


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## WadiH

I think you got _shiffe _wrong.  The stress is on the first syllable.


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## clevermizo

Wadi Hanifa said:


> I think you got _shiffe _wrong.  The stress is on the first syllable.



The red font is to change the vowel - not mark the stress I think. Etymological word final -i ـي in Lebanese pronunciation typically is reduced to -e in speech, and promoted to -i in "stylized" speech such as singing.

Some other pronunciation changes I would add and Yasmeena can correct me, is that the Damascene [ə] is promoted to _ or  in different phonetic environments. I would write [k__itef] and [Dufer] or perhaps [ketef] and [Dofer].
  
Also, a "typically" Lebanese-sounding body part missing from this list would be "dayne" meaning "ear" where in Lebanese a diminutive of أذن is used, where Syrian has [2ədn] أدن.

_


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## ritoue

Mar7abten!! (= 2 mar7aba  typical lebanese )

I think i can help you with this!
Here's the equivalent in lebanese abaric with the lebanese accent: 
* pl.=plural

- Lips: sheffe, pl.shfef (e like é accent in French, or close to "ei" in English if you prefer)
- Forehead: jbin (i like "ee")
- Cheek: khadd, (pl. khdood)
- Eyelash: ramsh (pl. rmoosh)
- Eyebrow: 7ejib (pl. 7wejib) 7, meaning ح
- Ear lobe: actually it is 7almit ed-dayne
- Chin: da2en (2, meaning ء)
- Neck: ra2be
- Shoulder: ketef (pl. ktef)
- Elbow: kou3, pl. kwe3 (3, meaning ع)
- Stomach: me3de
- Nail: dofr (pl. dafeer)
- Knee: rekbe (pl. rkeb)

 Sometimes, like you can see, we use for plural the plural form of latin languages (in arabic there's singular, plural of 2 elements, and plural). For instance, rekbe -> rkeb, not roukbatayn ركبتين (meaning 2 knees).

I hope i'm not too late to answer 
And tekrame!


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## be.010

clevermizo said:


> Etymological word final -i ـي in Lebanese pronunciation typically is reduced to -e in speech, and promoted to -i in "stylized" speech such as singing.


Yes, but shəffe (as we say it in Syrian) ends with ة, not ي!! So I thought the Lebanese version would end with ي sound as in many other words ending with ة (while the ة, as you know, is pronounced like -e in Syrian)...


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## ritoue

Yep, right be  we don't have  ة, we end our words with ي. For sure, when we write the lebanese in arabic, sheffe becomes شفّة. But in latin letters, sheffe ends with e. 
In fact the end of the words is not really an "i"/ي as in "knee", it's more like the french accent é when you say "touché"!


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## tabyyy

ritoue said:


> Mar7abten!! (= 2 mar7aba  typical lebanese )
> 
> I think i can help you with this!
> Here's the equivalent in lebanese abaric with the lebanese accent:
> * pl.=plural
> 
> - Lips: sheffe, pl.shfef (e like é accent in French, or close to "ei" in English if you prefer)
> - Forehead: jbin (i like "ee")
> - Cheek: khadd, (pl. khdood)
> - Eyelash: ramsh (pl. rmoosh)
> - Eyebrow: 7ejib (pl. 7wejib) 7, meaning ح
> - Ear lobe: actually it is 7almit ed-dayne
> - Chin: da2en (2, meaning ء)
> - Neck: ra2be
> - Shoulder: ketef (pl. ktef)
> - Elbow: kou3, pl. kwe3 (3, meaning ع)
> - Stomach: me3de
> - Nail: dofr (pl. dafeer)
> - Knee: rekbe (pl. rkeb)
> 
> _Sometimes, like you can see, we use for plural the plural form of latin languages (in arabic there's singular, plural of 2 elements, and plural). For instance, rekbe -> rkeb, not roukbatayn ركبتين (meaning 2 knees).
> _
> I hope i'm not too late to answer
> And tekrame!



Shukran ktiir ktiir for your detailed post! 

The part I italicized I found interesting, because I learned that (and correct me if I'm wrong) in Lebanese one generally uses the dual form for body parts (ie using the dual _iidee__n_ instead of the plural _iyed_ for "hands"). Are the terms on my list exception to this, or does the plural/dual use just vary from region to region?


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## be.010

ritoue said:


> Yep, right be  we don't have ة, we end our words with ي. For sure, when we write the lebanese in arabic, sheffe becomes شفّة. But in latin letters, sheffe ends with e.
> In fact the end of the words is not really an "i"/ي as in "knee", it's more like the french accent é when you say "touché"!


Ahha... thanks, Ritoue! Although confusing!!
In Syria, we do pronounce the ة exactly the way you've mentioned... But I always hear other similar words on Lebanese TV's like siyeesi/siyeesiyyi (short knee)... So... sounds like this doesn't apply to rekbe and sheffe?!!


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## ritoue

As you said, sometimes the plural/dual is used and some other times the plural is used.
It's only a matter of usage.

For your list, those with plural are lip, cheek, eyelash, eyebrow, shoulder, elbow, nail, knee.
For the plural/dual, ear (deine->dinen), and some other parts not included in your list like foot (ejer->ejren), eye (3ayn->3inen), ...


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## ritoue

be.010 said:


> Ahha... thanks, Ritoue! Although confusing!!
> In Syria, we do pronounce the ة exactly the way you've mentioned... But I always hear other similar words on Lebanese TV's like siyeesi/siyeesiyyi (short knee)... So... sounds like this doesn't apply to rekbe and sheffe?!!


 
It does you see, sheffe, rekbe, siyesse, are short knee but i'd rather say "é" as in kebab instead of the "high-pitched knee sound". I'm not sure if it's the same kebab sound in lebanese and syrian languages but at least, we have many sounds in common.


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## tabyyy

ritoue said:


> As you said, sometimes the plural/dual is used and some other times the plural is used.
> It's only a matter of usage.
> 
> For your list, those with plural are lip, cheek, eyelash, eyebrow, shoulder, elbow, nail, knee.
> For the plural/dual, ear (deine->dinen), and some other parts not included in your list like foot (ejer->ejren), eye (3ayn->3inen), ...



Thank you very much for the clarification


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## ritoue

you're welcome


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## clevermizo

be.010 said:


> Yes, but shəffe (as we say it in Syrian) ends with ة, not ي!! So I thought the Lebanese version would end with ي sound as in many other words ending with ة (while the ة, as you know, is pronounced like -e in Syrian)...



Basically in _normal speech _both ـة and ـي sound like [e]***. So, سياسي and سياسة are homophones (both of them [s(i)yeese] or perhaps also [s(i)yeesi]). In some rural areas and in stylized speech like singing but perhaps also television and radio, ـة and ـي sound more like _. 

There's another thread from a long time ago in which this is discussed about the Fairouz song ع إسمك غنّيت, in which حبيبي and قريبة rhyme - in the song as [7abiibi/2ariibi] and in regular speech as [7abiibe/2ariibe].


***Except when ـة sounds like [a] after ح، خ، ق، ط، ص، ض، ظ , ع, ه, ء and sometimes ر just as in Syrian._


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## yasmeena

clevermizo said:


> The red font is to change the vowel - not mark the stress I think


Right. Thank you. 




clevermizo said:


> Some other pronunciation changes I would add and Yasmeena can correct me, is that the Damascene [ə] is promoted to _ or  in different phonetic environments. I would write [k__itef] and [Dufer] or perhaps [ketef] and [Dofer]._


_
You're right again. I did not make the changes though because I think in some non-Beiruti Lebanese accents, Be's pronunciation is alright._


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## ritoue

yasmeena said:


> You're right again. I did not make the changes though because I think in some non-Beiruti Lebanese accents, Be's pronunciation is alright.


 
Right Yasmeena, not only we say in some regions Dofer but also sometimes, dofr and dofor. So it's not only the first bowel that changes. For example, in Bekaa, the o sound is more spread, in north it's the kebab sound (ring=khetim), in kesserwan it's more the a sound like Pasha (ring would be=khatim). In south i think it's more like the ee sound, whether Shiaa or Christians, they say Anee (means "I"), whereas in Beirut we say "Ana".

It's just a dialect. But no matter what dialect it is, the list of lebanese words i wrote (and which mostly all persons in this thread wrote in the same way) are the "standard-beirut-accent". This is the basic lebanese accent understood by all lebanese.


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