Luuq and Luqeyn

[Riftvalley]

Some western academics seem to have thought this word for a Somali chanting style was burrowed from Arabic…..Due to similarity with the Arabic word luuqad, which was burrowed as a term for languages (af is the Somali native word for languages)…

It doesn’t seem related it all.


luuq

(m.dh) (-qo, m.l)

1. Cod gaar ah oo gabayada iyo heesaha lagu qaado; cod lagu dheeraysto oo laga xareediyo. 2. ld laaq¹.
luuq

It also basically means a specific melody or chanting style. Another related word is to shout to someone.

The verb stem is probably related to;

Liq (swallow), luqluqo (rinse mouth) luqun (neck)-similar cognates in all Cushitic languages.

Probably- bringing forth a deeply melody from the neck/throat.


Arabic itself has the verb lqam (to swallow mouthful) which later forms other words related to drowning etc.

Why an alley is called Luuq is an interesting one though. Maybe narrow path line neck area?

#afroasiatic
#somali

 

[Maakhri2024]

The verb stem is probably related to;

Liq / Laq (swallow), luqluqo (rinse mouth) luqun (neck)-similar cognates in all Cushitic languages.

Probably- bringing forth a deeply melody from the neck/throat.

Arabic itself has the verb laqam (to swallow mouthful) which later forms other words related to drowning etc.

فَالْتَقَمَهُ الْحُوتُ وَهُوَ مُلِيمٌ
And the fish swallowed him while he was blameworthy .
فَالْتَقَمَهُ root is :laqam : ل ق م (l q m) means swallow.

In Somali, the biconsonant verb l-q ( laq / liq لق ) means swallow .

In Somali, the verb ( laq / liq لق ) is biconsonant ( l-q ل-ق ) and is grammatically conjugated as follows:

In Somali, to conjugate the verb, we add "-ay" at the end of the verb to make it in the past tense.

laq / liq means : swallow ;
lagay / liqay means : he swallowed ( Third person, singular masculine ) .
laq / liq → lagay / liqay (masculine) ;
لق ← لقي ( للمذكر )

laq / liq → laqday /liqday ( Third person, singular feminine ) .
لق ← لقدي ( للمؤنث )

while Arabic لقم ( laqam ) is trilateral root ( l-q-m ل-ق-م ) .

The very important question that arises is:
Where does the letter “ m م ” at the end of the Arabic word
“Laqam لقم ” come from ?

What does this letter " m م " at the end of the Arabic word
" لَقَم laqam " indicate grammatically ?

The answers to this very important question :

In Somali, to conjugate the verb, we add "-y" at the end of the verb to put it in the past tense.
This suffix "-y" which transforms the biconsonant Somali verb into the past tense has become " m م" in Arabic .

laq→ lagay → laqam .
لق ← لقي ← لقم

thus Arabic " laqam لقم" means : he swallowed .

So the verb was a biconsonantal verb in Somali ( laq : l-q ل-ق ) ,
then we added the suffix (-y) to conjugate it in the past tense,
which made the verb a trilateral verb ( laqay لقي ) ,
then finally this suffix ( -y ) became ( -m / م- ) in the Arabic language.

This is how Semitic verbs went from the biconsonantal verbs to the trilateral verbs .

liq = laq .
liq " verb" : swallow .
laq v. : swallow
laq v. : sink, drown.
laq ( laqay , laqday ) ld liq.
liq ( liqay , liqday ) .
liq ( liqay, liqday ) Cunto ama cabbitaan
jadiinka marin. ld laq.