Chapter 12 - The Library of Iberian Resources Online
Chapter 12 - The Library of Iberian Resources Online Chapter 12 - The Library of Iberian Resources Online
system, the size of the canal and its place in the hierarchical network from main canal down to field, and the function of the system, whether for delivery or drainage. (7) A similar pattern is evident in the words used to describe hydraulic wheels. Strictly speaking, a noria is a wheel moved by the force of the current alone, while a sinia is one moved by human or animal power: but only in Murcian usage is this distinction correctly made. In Catalonia and Valencia sinia displaced noria completely and was used to describe all hydraulic [219] wheels. In other parts of Spain the common word for diversion dam, azud (and its variant azuda), came to be applied to the current wheel. (8) At the base of this fluidity is regional variation in irrigation customs along ethnic lines. Terminology varied principally as the ethnic composition of the original Muslim irrigators and the Christian settlers varied. The place of arabisms in the picture is crucial. The fact that there were not enough terms in the Romance tongues of the conquerors to replace the multiplicity of definitions in a highly developed irrigation system made this sector of the lexicon particularly susceptible to linguistic borrowing; the fact that Arabic was unintelligible to most of the new settlers ensured that the borrowing would be loosely structured. Thus many areas of human thought and industry were described by two sets of terms. The Romance tongue of the Christians, together with Latin expressions of long acceptance in Catalonia and Castile, coexisted with words acquired from the Arabs. Irrigation was one of those areas of culture (warfare was another) where the arabisms tended to predominate. That many of the concepts of irrigation were new to the Christians is indicated by the intrusion of vernacular arabisms into Latin documents in the thirteenth and early fourteenth centuries. This phenomenon is indicative of the lack of consensus concerning a given term (evidence of entrenched regional variation, in other words), and the lack of a Latin or Romance tradition to guide the scribe. (9) REGIONAL AND LOCAL VARIATION Most of the arabisms common throughout eastern Spain were present either in Castilian or Catalan by the thirteenth century. Sinia and safareig, both specialized hydraulic devices, were among the earliest peninsular arabisms, dating from the epoch of Islamic expansion (711 to the mid-eleventh century). Cequia and açut, the most common and typical of Valencian irrigation arabisms, date from the epoch of the great Christian conquests (mid-[220]eleventh to the end of the twelfth century) and were therefore already in the language when the Valencian region was taken from the Muslims. Alcaduf, aljub, azumbre, çabacequies, and marjal are arabisms which passed into the Romance vernaculars in the course of the thirteenth century. (10) Most of the localized arabisms as well must have passed into the Christian vernacular in the late thirteenth century during the post-Conquest process of learning local customs from Muslim irrigators. The lists that follow include all the important regional arabisms and most of the significant local ones; the contents of the lists are summarized in Tables 22 and 23. Regional Irrigation Arabisms 1) açut (çut, azut), "diversion dam," Arabic al-sudd; the most common and widest spread arabism besides cequia. The Romance equivalent, resclosa, retains the sense of the original Arabic sadda, to close. The word has been used consistently throughout eastern Spain from the Reconquest to the present, and the Castilian form, azud, dates from the period of the great Christian conquests (1050 to the end of the twelfth century). Both the word sudd and the technology are typical of southern Arabia. (11)
2) albellon, "sewer, drain," Arabic al-bâlû'a. Usually an urban term in medieval Valencian documents, typically associated with vall, "sewer, moat." In Murcia, however, its oldest meaning was that of a permanent opening in a channel, and other references corroborate its association with irrigation. (12) 3) alcaduf, "bucket of a water wheel," Arabic al-qâdûs: a very common term in Islamic irrigation, originally referring to the buckets of the Persian water wheel, by extension a measure of water and even (in Spain) a conduit. The qâdûs is the common instrument for measuring water in the Saharan oases. (13) 4) aljup (aljub), "cistern," Arabic al-jubb. (14) 5) almenara, "return ditch," Arabic al-manâhir, pl. of manhar, "canal." (15) [221] 6) çabacequies (çabacequia and, through influence of cequier, çabacequier), "master of the canals" (an irrigation official), Arabic sâhib al-sâqiya. (16) 7) cequia, "irrigation canal," Arabic sâqiya; the most characteristic and widespread irrigation arabism. In thirteenthcentury Castilian documents (Castilian acequia) it frequently has the meaning of a canal that supplies a mill, but in Valencia it means any kind of irrigation canal. (17) Sâqiya is the common word for irrigation canal throughout the Islamic world. 8) marjal (almarjal, almargal), "swamp," Arabic marj, "meadow." In Valencian documents it has no synonyms. (18) 9) noria, "hydraulic wheel," Arabic nâ'ûra (from na'ara, to grunt); one of the earliest hydraulic arabisms in Spanish. The addition of the i to the primitive form nora, annora, is possibly explained by the influence of acenia (sinia) and acequia. The first document is of the twelfth century. (19) l0) safareig, "cistern," Arabic sahrîj. (20) 11) sinia (Medieval Valencian cenia), "Persian wheel," Arabic sâniya; Castilian-Murcian acenia, aceña. In the Catalan zone sinia is understood as synonymous with noria, also an arabism. But strictly speaking a sâniya is driven by animal power, while the nâ'ûra is moved by force of water alone. One of the earliest of irrigation arabisms, first documented in 945. (21) 12) tanda, "irrigation turn." Corominas suggests that an Arabic derivation from *tanzîm (the root means to put in order) is preferable to one from the Latin tanta. The first appearance is in thirteenth-century Catalonia as the standard word for "irrigation turn," although in Valencia and Murcia some local variants (all arabisms) occur. (22) 13) tarquim, "silt." Corominas suggests a derivation from the Arabic *tarkîm, from the root meaning "to pile up." (23) Localized Arabisms: Valencia, Murcia, Lorca 1) açarb, "drainage canal" (Murcia), Arabic al-zarb. (24) 2) ador, "turn" (Gandia), Arabic al-daur. A feminine form [222] of daur is a common word for "turn" in modern Yemen. (25) 3) albala, "water-ticket" (Alicante), Arabic al-barâ'a. The albala is a ticket representing a certain number of minutes of water on sale at the water auction at Alicante. (26) 4) almahacen, "water that remains unapportioned, for communal use" (Lorca), Arabic al-mahzan
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2) albellon, "sewer, drain," Arabic al-bâlû'a. Usually an urban term in medieval Valencian documents,<br />
typically associated with vall, "sewer, moat." In Murcia, however, its oldest meaning was that <strong>of</strong> a<br />
permanent opening in a channel, and other references corroborate its association with irrigation. (<strong>12</strong>)<br />
3) alcaduf, "bucket <strong>of</strong> a water wheel," Arabic al-qâdûs: a very common term in Islamic irrigation,<br />
originally referring to the buckets <strong>of</strong> the Persian water wheel, by extension a measure <strong>of</strong> water and even<br />
(in Spain) a conduit. <strong>The</strong> qâdûs is the common instrument for measuring water in the Saharan oases.<br />
(13)<br />
4) aljup (aljub), "cistern," Arabic al-jubb. (14)<br />
5) almenara, "return ditch," Arabic al-manâhir, pl. <strong>of</strong> manhar, "canal." (15) [221]<br />
6) çabacequies (çabacequia and, through influence <strong>of</strong> cequier, çabacequier), "master <strong>of</strong> the canals" (an<br />
irrigation <strong>of</strong>ficial), Arabic sâhib al-sâqiya. (16)<br />
7) cequia, "irrigation canal," Arabic sâqiya; the most characteristic and widespread irrigation arabism.<br />
In thirteenthcentury Castilian documents (Castilian acequia) it frequently has the meaning <strong>of</strong> a canal<br />
that supplies a mill, but in Valencia it means any kind <strong>of</strong> irrigation canal. (17) Sâqiya is the common<br />
word for irrigation canal throughout the Islamic world.<br />
8) marjal (almarjal, almargal), "swamp," Arabic marj, "meadow." In Valencian documents it has no<br />
synonyms. (18)<br />
9) noria, "hydraulic wheel," Arabic nâ'ûra (from na'ara, to grunt); one <strong>of</strong> the earliest hydraulic arabisms<br />
in Spanish. <strong>The</strong> addition <strong>of</strong> the i to the primitive form nora, annora, is possibly explained by the<br />
influence <strong>of</strong> acenia (sinia) and acequia. <strong>The</strong> first document is <strong>of</strong> the twelfth century. (19)<br />
l0) safareig, "cistern," Arabic sahrîj. (20)<br />
11) sinia (Medieval Valencian cenia), "Persian wheel," Arabic sâniya; Castilian-Murcian acenia, aceña.<br />
In the Catalan zone sinia is understood as synonymous with noria, also an arabism. But strictly<br />
speaking a sâniya is driven by animal power, while the nâ'ûra is moved by force <strong>of</strong> water alone. One <strong>of</strong><br />
the earliest <strong>of</strong> irrigation arabisms, first documented in 945. (21)<br />
<strong>12</strong>) tanda, "irrigation turn." Corominas suggests that an Arabic derivation from *tanzîm (the root means<br />
to put in order) is preferable to one from the Latin tanta. <strong>The</strong> first appearance is in thirteenth-century<br />
Catalonia as the standard word for "irrigation turn," although in Valencia and Murcia some local<br />
variants (all arabisms) occur. (22)<br />
13) tarquim, "silt." Corominas suggests a derivation from the Arabic *tarkîm, from the root meaning<br />
"to pile up." (23)<br />
Localized Arabisms: Valencia, Murcia, Lorca<br />
1) açarb, "drainage canal" (Murcia), Arabic al-zarb. (24)<br />
2) ador, "turn" (Gandia), Arabic al-daur. A feminine form [222] <strong>of</strong> daur is a common word for "turn" in<br />
modern Yemen. (25)<br />
3) albala, "water-ticket" (Alicante), Arabic al-barâ'a. <strong>The</strong> albala is a ticket representing a certain<br />
number <strong>of</strong> minutes <strong>of</strong> water on sale at the water auction at Alicante. (26)<br />
4) almahacen, "water that remains unapportioned, for communal use" (Lorca), Arabic al-mahzan
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