Transliteration Tables

In: From Persia with Love
Author:
Michael G. Wechsler
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Transliteration Tables

1 Hebrew and Aramaic

Consonants

l

ל‬‎

ʾ

א‬‎

m

מ‬‎

b

‬‎

n

נ‬‎

ב‬‎

s

ס‬‎

g

/ג‬‎

ʿ

ע‬‎

d

/ד‬‎

p

‬‎

h

ה‬‎

f

פ‬‎

v

ו‬‎

צ‬‎

z

ז‬‎

q

ק‬‎

ח‬‎

r

ר‬‎

ט‬‎

ś

‬‎

y

י‬‎

sh

‬‎

k

‬‎

t

/ת‬‎

kh

כ‬‎

  • The sign ʾ is omitted when initial (e.g., īsh for ‮אִישׁ‬‎).

  • The doubling of letters prefixed by the definite article and in biblical “vayyiqtol” forms is generally not indicated (e.g., ha-kātūḇ, not hak-kātūḇ; va-yōʾmer, not vay-yōʾmer).

Vowels

ā

◌ָ/◌ָה‬‎ (gādōl)

a

◌ַ‬‎ (furtive: ä)

ă

◌ֲ‬‎

ē

◌ֵ/◌ֵי/◌ֵה‬‎

e

◌ֶ/◌ֶי/◌ֶה‬‎

ĕ

◌ֱ‬‎/‮◌ְ‬‎ (vocal)

ī

◌ִי‬‎

i

◌ִ‬‎

ō

◌ֹ/וֹ/◌ֹה‬‎

o

◌ָ‬‎ (qāṭān/ḥāṭūf)

ŏ

◌ֳ‬‎

ū

‬‎

u

◌ֻ‬‎

  • The signs ī and ū are also generally used in cases of scriptio defectiva (e.g., nāḇīʾ for ‮נָבִא‬‎ [= ‮נָבִיא‬‎] and qūm for ‮קֻם‬‎ [= ‮קוּם‬‎]).

  • Quiescent ‮י‬‎ in the suffixes ‮◌ַיו‬‎ and ‮◌ָיו‬‎ is not transliterated (hence, respectively: av and āv).

2 Arabic and Judaeo-Arabic

Consonants

q

ק‬‎/‮ق‬‎

z

ז‬‎/‮ز‬‎

ʾ

א‬‎/‮ء‬‎

k

כ‬‎/‮ك‬‎

s

ס‬‎/‮س‬‎

b

ב‬‎/‮ب‬‎

l

ל‬‎/‮ل‬‎

sh

ש‬‎/‮ش‬‎

t

ת‬‎/‮ت‬‎

m

מ‬‎/‮م‬‎

צ‬‎/‮ص‬‎

th

ת̇‬‎/‮ث‬‎

n

נ‬‎/‮ن‬‎

צ̇‬‎/‮ض‬‎

j

ג̇‬‎/‮ج‬‎

h

ה‬‎/‮ه‬‎

ט‬‎/‮ط‬‎

ח‬‎/‮ح‬‎

w

ו‬‎/‮و‬‎

ט̇‬‎/‮ظ‬‎

kh

כ̇‬‎/‮خ‬‎

y

י‬‎/ ‮ي‬‎

ʿ

ע‬‎/‮ع‬‎

d

ד‬‎/‮د‬‎

gh

ג‬‎/‮غ‬‎

dh

ד̇‬‎/‮ذ‬‎

a/at

ה̈‬‎/‮◌َة‬‎

f

פ‬‎/‮ف‬‎

r

ר‬‎/‮ر‬‎

  • The sign ʾ is omitted when initial and followed by a vowel (i.e., without waṣla; thus: iqtidār for ‮اقتدار‬‎, yet ḥasaba ʾqtidār for ‮حسب ٱقتدار‬‎), as well as when final in plural verbs (i.e., when functioning as al-alif al-fāṣila; thus: yaʿmalū rather than yaʿmalūʾ).

  • ◌َة‬‎ is represented by at when in construct or when the following word begins with alif (e.g., al-qiṣṣat al-ūlā for ‮القصّة الأولى‬‎).

Vowels

ā

◌َا‬‎ (and ‮ى‬‎ maqṣūra)

a

◌َ‬‎

ī

◌ِي‬‎ (and final ‮◌ِيّ‬‎; yet non-final: īy/iyy)

i

◌ِ‬‎

ū

◌ُو‬‎ (and final ‮◌ُوّ‬‎; yet non-final: ūw/uww)

u

◌ُ‬‎

  • Before alif al-waṣl the vowels ‮◌َا‬‎, ‮◌ِي‬‎, and ‮◌ُو‬‎ are respectively represented by a, i, and u (thus: ʿalayhuma ʾl-salām for ‮عليهما ٱلسلام‬‎, fi ʾl-kalām for ‮فى ٱلكلام‬‎, and abu ʾl-kadhib for ‮ابو ٱلكذب‬‎).

  • Tanwīn, though generally not indicated, is represented by un (for ‮◌ٌ‬‎), an (for ‮◌ً‬‎, ‮◌ًا‬‎, ‮◌ًى‬‎, or, when denoting any of the previous, final ‮א‬‎), or in (for ‮◌ٍ‬‎ or, when denoting the previous, final ‮י‬‎).

  • The resolved diphthongs ‮◌َيِ‬‎ (< ‮◌َيْ‬‎) and ‮◌َوُ‬‎ (< ‮◌َوْ‬‎) are respectively represented by and .

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