Camel Culture and Camel Terminology Among the Omani Bedouin
Traditionally a defining aspect of Bedouin culture, the role of the camel among the Omani Bedouin has diminished significantly due to rapid modernization throughout the country. The very rich camel culture of the Bedouin of Oman is reflected most obviously in their terminology for camel husbandry, m...
| Authors: | ; ; |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Oxford University Press
[2013]
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| In: |
Journal of Semitic studies
Year: 2013, Volume: 58, Issue: 1, Pages: 169-186 |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (Verlag) Volltext (doi) |
| Parallel Edition: | Non-electronic
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| Summary: | Traditionally a defining aspect of Bedouin culture, the role of the camel among the Omani Bedouin has diminished significantly due to rapid modernization throughout the country. The very rich camel culture of the Bedouin of Oman is reflected most obviously in their terminology for camel husbandry, made famous in classical Arabic poetry and prose; one manifestation of the reduced significance of the camel today is a diminishing awareness of the complexity of camel terminology among the young Omani Bedouin. This paper examines aspects of camel husbandry among two Bedouin communities which are distinguished geographically and linguistically within Oman: a Mehri-speaking community of the Dhofar region in the south of the country and an Arabic-speaking community of the Šarqiyya region in the north, and then considers a taxonomy of camel terminology. The study found a paucity of lexical borrowing between the two communities with respect to camel terminology, reflecting the fact that camel husbandry has ancient roots within the cultures of each community. The paper is based on ongoing documentation of traditional camel culture among the southern Arabian Bedouin, and represents an attempt both to show the intricacy of camel husbandry terminology and to produce an initial taxonomy of terms. |
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| ISSN: | 1477-8556 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Journal of Semitic studies
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1093/jss/fgs044 |