A language guide for British soldiers stationed in Iraq during the First World War

Thomson, Captain R. Campbell / Georges, Elias, et al. (eds.). A List of Words and Phrases in the Basrah Dialect of Arabic.

€ 1,500.00

An introduction to Basra Arabic, a dialect spoken in southern Iraq, printed for British and British Indian soldiers serving in Basra during the Mesopotamian Campaign of the First World War.

Initially published in 1915, the booklet was distributed to the officers and men of Indian Expeditionary Force “D”, who were the first unit to arrive in Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq) from India in November 1914. Since they likely knew little Arabic, they would have needed a language guide with the most important words and phrases. The work was meant to ease verbal communication only, as the Basra words were transliterated into Roman script.

There were 5000 copies of the first edition. As British presence in Mesopotamia continued to grow, another 5000 copies were needed, and a second edition was published in 1916. The target audience of the work becomes clear once you read it, as it focuses largely on military terms. There are translations for weapons, various army ranks, and such phrases as "was he wounded?" and "did you see any troops there?". Also included are notes on pronounciation, a short grammar, and translations of animals, foods and drinks, body parts and numerals.