Denis McAuley
@denismcauley.bsky.social
Independent researcher (when I get half a chance): classical Arabic poetry, especially Sufi. Also Persian. All views my own.
Ziyād ibn Abīh (Ziad son of his father)
Herman the German
Roland the Farter
Herman the German
Roland the Farter
October 24, 2025 at 2:50 PM
Ziyād ibn Abīh (Ziad son of his father)
Herman the German
Roland the Farter
Herman the German
Roland the Farter
I did see lots of clips of South Asian grammarians cautioning against “amn’t”, so it must be A Thing there too, at least on some level
September 19, 2025 at 1:53 PM
I did see lots of clips of South Asian grammarians cautioning against “amn’t”, so it must be A Thing there too, at least on some level
Yep, the n is pronounced, with a slight schwa between the m and the n. I was looking for a clip of someone doing it unselfconsciously and haven’t found one yet, but it is pretty common in Ireland.
September 19, 2025 at 1:51 PM
Yep, the n is pronounced, with a slight schwa between the m and the n. I was looking for a clip of someone doing it unselfconsciously and haven’t found one yet, but it is pretty common in Ireland.
But we do say amn’t I (in Ireland at least)
September 19, 2025 at 12:51 AM
But we do say amn’t I (in Ireland at least)
A bunch of those لا ones, including لا أبالي, have become adjectives in Persian:
August 21, 2025 at 3:10 AM
A bunch of those لا ones, including لا أبالي, have become adjectives in Persian:
For my then toddler, Chinese was “French what Shan Shan speak” and Arabic was “French what Hammed speak”
August 18, 2025 at 11:33 PM
For my then toddler, Chinese was “French what Shan Shan speak” and Arabic was “French what Hammed speak”
Glad to hear it! My kids are still listening to Homeschool Histories a loop
June 11, 2025 at 12:51 PM
Glad to hear it! My kids are still listening to Homeschool Histories a loop
ABBA do it: “Now we're old and grey Fernando / since many years I haven't seen a rifle in your hand”
May 10, 2025 at 11:08 AM
ABBA do it: “Now we're old and grey Fernando / since many years I haven't seen a rifle in your hand”
Brugse Zot is an excellent local beer. As others have said, basically all the beers (though anything called kriek/geuze is likely to be divisive. I personally like it, but many don’t).
April 24, 2025 at 1:07 AM
Brugse Zot is an excellent local beer. As others have said, basically all the beers (though anything called kriek/geuze is likely to be divisive. I personally like it, but many don’t).
Yes! Also, bring back تأبّط شراً
February 28, 2025 at 10:19 PM
Yes! Also, bring back تأبّط شراً
Wow! Even for him, that is a lot
February 27, 2025 at 10:19 PM
Wow! Even for him, that is a lot
I’m here for it! I think there’s virtue in doing something that isn’t (*gestures at everything*)
February 9, 2025 at 10:16 PM
I’m here for it! I think there’s virtue in doing something that isn’t (*gestures at everything*)
(A word of solace for times of adversity. It amounts to "Hang in there, this too shall pass," but that sounds so much more confident when Hafez says it)
January 31, 2025 at 9:17 PM
(A word of solace for times of adversity. It amounts to "Hang in there, this too shall pass," but that sounds so much more confident when Hafez says it)
"Good news! the days of grief and pain
won't stay like this -
As others went, these won't remain
or stay like this"
(Hafez, tr. Dick Davis)
won't stay like this -
As others went, these won't remain
or stay like this"
(Hafez, tr. Dick Davis)
January 31, 2025 at 9:17 PM
"Good news! the days of grief and pain
won't stay like this -
As others went, these won't remain
or stay like this"
(Hafez, tr. Dick Davis)
won't stay like this -
As others went, these won't remain
or stay like this"
(Hafez, tr. Dick Davis)
Reminds me of the old Michael Redmond line “People often ask me: what are you doing in my garden?”
January 22, 2025 at 4:33 PM
Reminds me of the old Michael Redmond line “People often ask me: what are you doing in my garden?”
(This is a subtweet of basically everything)
January 13, 2025 at 5:15 PM
(This is a subtweet of basically everything)
“With eyes wide open, we have seen things that would be plenty even for a dream” (Ibn al-Rūmī)
January 13, 2025 at 5:15 PM
“With eyes wide open, we have seen things that would be plenty even for a dream” (Ibn al-Rūmī)
Nice! Reminds me of this, by Ibn Ḥamdīs:
فتَرى البَعوضَ مُغَنّيًا بِرَبابِهِ / والبَقُّ تَشْرَبُ والبَراغِثُ تَرْقُصُ
(“See the mosquitoes playing their rabāb, while the bedbugs drink and the fleas dance”)
فتَرى البَعوضَ مُغَنّيًا بِرَبابِهِ / والبَقُّ تَشْرَبُ والبَراغِثُ تَرْقُصُ
(“See the mosquitoes playing their rabāb, while the bedbugs drink and the fleas dance”)
January 10, 2025 at 4:31 PM
Nice! Reminds me of this, by Ibn Ḥamdīs:
فتَرى البَعوضَ مُغَنّيًا بِرَبابِهِ / والبَقُّ تَشْرَبُ والبَراغِثُ تَرْقُصُ
(“See the mosquitoes playing their rabāb, while the bedbugs drink and the fleas dance”)
فتَرى البَعوضَ مُغَنّيًا بِرَبابِهِ / والبَقُّ تَشْرَبُ والبَراغِثُ تَرْقُصُ
(“See the mosquitoes playing their rabāb, while the bedbugs drink and the fleas dance”)
The Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic? It’s recognized by the African Union and by a range of countries, though it doesn’t have a seat in the General Assembly
December 7, 2024 at 4:38 AM
The Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic? It’s recognized by the African Union and by a range of countries, though it doesn’t have a seat in the General Assembly
Word-initial /k/ is pronounced /h/ in Tuscan, and that was considered normative in the 19th c (though it’s more of a local quirk now). *If* the word was pronounced “hamallo” until fairly recently, that could have been rationalised as “camallo” (but I’m guessing of course)
November 23, 2024 at 10:32 PM
Word-initial /k/ is pronounced /h/ in Tuscan, and that was considered normative in the 19th c (though it’s more of a local quirk now). *If* the word was pronounced “hamallo” until fairly recently, that could have been rationalised as “camallo” (but I’m guessing of course)