Mutual intelligibility of spoken Maltese, Libyan Arabic, and Tunisian Arabic functionally tested: A pilot study

Slavomír Čéplö; Ján Bátora; Adam Benkato; Jiří Milička; Christophe Pereira; Petr Zemánek

doi:10.1515/flin-2016-0021

Article

Mutual intelligibility of spoken Maltese, Libyan Arabic, and Tunisian Arabic functionally tested: A pilot study

Slavomír Čéplö , Ján Bátora , Adam Benkato , Jiří Milička , Christophe Pereira and Petr Zemánek

Published/Copyright: November 8, 2016

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From the journal Folia Linguistica Volume 50 Issue 2

Abstract

This paper presents the results of a project designed to functionally test the mutual intelligibility of spoken Maltese, Tunisian Arabic, and Benghazi Libyan Arabic. We compiled an audio-based intelligibility test consisting of three components: a word test where the respondents were asked to perform a semantic classification task with 11 semantic categories, a sentence test where the task was to provide a translation of a sentence into the respondent’s native language, and a text test where a short text was listened to twice and the respondents were asked to answer 8 multiple-choice questions. Data were collected from 24 respondents in Malta, Tunis, and Benghazi. It was found that there exists asymmetric mutual intelligibility between the two mainstream varieties of Maġribī Arabic and Maltese, with speakers of Tunisian and Libyan Arabic able to understand about 40 % of what is being said to them in Maltese, against about 30 % for speakers of Maltese exposed to either variety of Arabic. Additionally, it was found that Tunisian Arabic has the highest level of mutual intelligibility with either of the other two varieties. Combining the intelligibility scores with comparative linguistic data, we were able to sketch out the phonological variables involved in enabling and inhibiting mutual intelligibility for all three varieties of Arabic and set the stage for further research into the subject.

Keywords: Maltese; Tunisian Arabic; Libyan Arabic; mutual intelligibility; functional testing

Funding statement: The research underlying this paper was conducted at the Faculty of Arts of the Charles University and supported by the Grant Agency of Charles University in Prague, project no. GAUK 58313/2013.

Acknowledgments

The authors also gratefully acknowledge the assistance of Albert Gatt (University of Malta) during the field research and the preparation of the paper, as well as the feedback provided by Michael Cooperson (UCLA), Lameen Souag (CNRS), and the two anonymous reviewers. A preliminary version of this paper focusing on the technical aspects of the application LingTest was presented at the Methods in Dialectology XV conference (University of Groningen, August 11–15, 2014) in the special session Bridging the gap between ELF and receptive multilingualism. We gratefully acknowledge the helpful comments of the participants in that session. All errors remain ours.

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Appendix A. Word test data

Word code	Word (English)	Category	Maltese (standard orthography and transcription)	Tunisian	Benghazi
W001C01	dog	Animals	kelb [kelp]	kɛlb	Kelb
W002C01	horse	Animals	żiemel [ziemel]	ḥsān	ḥṣān
W003C01	rabbit	Animals	fenek [fenek]	ʔarnɛb	Arnab
W004C01	cat	Animals	qattus [ʔattūs]	qattūs	gaṭṭūs
W005C01	mouse	Animals	ġurdien [ǧurdin]	fār	Fār
W006C01	bird	Animals	għasfur [asfūr]	ʕasfūr	ʕaṣfūr
W007C01	pig	Animals	ħanżir [ḥanzīr]	ḥallūf	ḥǝllūf
W008C01	fish	Animals	ħuta [ḥūta]	ḥūta	ḥūṭa
W009C01	spider	Animals	brimba [brimba]	rtīla	ʕankabūt
W010C01	fly	Animals	dubbiena [dubbiena]	ḏǝbbɛ̄na	ḏǝbbāna
W011C01	fox	Animals	volpi [volpi]	ṯaʕlǝb	ṯaʕlab
W012C01	wolf	Animals	lupu [lupu]	ḏīb	ḏīb
W013C01	sheep	Animals	nagħġa [nāǧa]	ʕallūš	ḥowlī
W014C01	donkey	Animals	ħmar [ḥmār]	bhīm	ḥumāṛ
W015C02	body	Body parts	ġisem [ǧisem]	bdɛn	Žisim
W016C02	hand	Body parts	id [īt]	yɛdd	yad
W017C02	head	Body parts	ras [rās]	rās	ṛās
W018C02	leg	Body parts	riġel [riǧel]	sɛ̄q	krāʕ
W019C02	foot	Body parts	sieq [sīʔ]	sɛ̄q	krāʕ ^[25]
W020C02	hair	Body parts	xagħar [šār]	šʕār	šǝʕar
W021C02	face	Body parts	wiċċ [wičč]	wužh	Wǝžih
W022C02	eye	Body parts	għajn [ayn]	ʕīn	ʕeyn
W023C02	blood	Body parts	demm [dem]	dɛmm	Dǝmm
W024C02	ear	Body parts	widna [widna]	wuḏɛn	wuḏin
W025C02	neck	Body parts	għonq [onʔ]	raqba	Ruguba
W026C02	tooth	Body parts	snien [snīn]	sǝnna	Sinn
W027C02	finger	Body parts	saba' [saba]	sboʕ	ṣobǝʕ
W028C02	mouth	Body parts	fomm [fom]	fumm	Fǝmm
W029C02	heart	Body parts	qalb [ʔalp]	qalb	Gǝlib
W030C03	shirt	Clothing and jewelry	qmis [ʔmīs]	sūrīya	ṣūriya
W031C03	pants (trousers)	Clothing and jewelry	qalziet [ʔalcīt]	sɛrwɛ̄l	Sirwāl
W032C03	dress	Clothing and jewelry	libsa [lipsa]	rūba	gufṭān
W033C03	shoes	Clothing and jewelry	żarbun [zarbūn]	sabbāt	Kindara
W034C03	belt	Clothing and jewelry	ċinturin [činturīn]	sɛbta	Seyr
W035C03	ring	Clothing and jewelry	ċurkett [čurkett]	ḫātǝm	ḫātim
W036C03	earring	Clothing and jewelry	misluta [mislūta]	ballūta	Dandūla
W037C03	scarf	Clothing and jewelry	xalpa [šalpa]	kāškɔ̄l	Šāl
W038C03	cloak	Clothing and jewelry	mantar [mantār]	barnūs	kābūṭ
W039C03	pocket	Clothing and jewelry	but [būt]	žīb	Žeyb
W040C03	gold	Clothing and jewelry	deheb [dēp]	ḏhɛb	ḏahab
W041C03	silver	Clothing and jewelry	fidda [fidda]	fǝḏḏa	fuḏḏ̣
W042C03	wear	Clothing and jewelry	jilbes [yilbes]	ḥwɛ̄yǝž ^[26]	Yelbes
W043C04	white	Colors, shapes and properties	abjad [abyat]	abyǝḏ	abyaḏ̣
W044C04	black	Colors, shapes and properties	iswed [iswet]	ɛkḥɛl	Aswud
W045C04	green	Colors, shapes and properties	aħdar [aḥdar]	aḫḏǝr	aḫḏ̣ar
W046C04	red	Colors, shapes and properties	aħmar [aḥmar]	aḥmǝr	aḥmar
W047C04	yellow	Colors, shapes and properties	isfar [isfar]	asfǝr	aṣfar
W048C04	brown	Colors, shapes and properties	kannella [kannella]	šoklāti	Gahwī
W049C04	dark	Colors, shapes and properties	skur [skūr]	ġāmaq	Azrag
W050C04	blue	Colors, shapes and properties	blu [blu]	azraq	azrag ^[27]
W051C04	long	Colors, shapes and properties	twil [twīl]	twīl	ṭǝwīl
W052C04	short	Colors, shapes and properties	qasir [ʔasīr]	qsīr	gṣeyyir
W053C04	round	Colors, shapes and properties	tond [tont]	mdawwǝr	mdowwǝr
W054C04	narrow	Colors, shapes and properties	dejjaq [deyyaʔ]	ḏeyyǝq	ḏ̣eyyig
W055C04	thin	Colors, shapes and properties	rqiq [rʔīʔ]	žwɛyyǝd	irgeyyig
W056C04	wide	Colors, shapes and properties	wiesa' [wīsaʔ]	wɛ̄faʕ	ʕarīḏ̣
W057C04	heavy	Colors, shapes and properties	tqil [tʔīl]	rzīn	ṯigīl
W058C04	light	Colors, shapes and properties	ħafif [ḥafīf]	fɛ̄taḥ	ḫǝfīf
W059C05	bread	Eating and drinking	ħobz [ḥops]	ḫubz	ḫubza
W060C05	water	Eating and drinking	ilma [ilma]	mɛ̄	mmǝyya
W061C05	vegetables	Eating and drinking	ħaxix [ḥašīš]	ḫɔḏra	ḫuḏ̣ra
W062C05	meat	Eating and drinking	laħam [laḥam]	lḥam	lǝḥam
W063C05	fruits	Eating and drinking	frott [frott]	ġalla	fākiha
W064C05	oil	Eating and drinking	żejt [zeyt]	zīt	zeyt
W065C05	cheese	Eating and drinking	ġobon [ǧobon]	žbǝn	žibna
W066C05	salt	Eating and drinking	melħ [melḥ]	mɛlḥ	miliḥ
W067C05	grapes	Eating and drinking	għeneb [ēnep]	ʕnǝb	ʕinab
W068C05	wine	Eating and drinking	inbid [inbīt]	šrāb	nǝbīt
W069C05	he drinks	Eating and drinking	jixrob [yišrop]	yušrob	yešrǝb
W070C05	he eats	Eating and drinking	jiekol [yīkol]	yɛ̄kǝl	yākǝl
W071C05	egg	Eating and drinking	bajda [bayda]	ʕḏǝm	daḥī
W072C06	angry	Emotions	irrabjat [irrabyāt]	mǝtġaššǝš	ragīla
W073C06	sad	Emotions	imdejjaq [imdeyyaʔ]	ḥzīn	zaʕlān
W074C06	happy	Emotions	ferħan [ferḥān]	farḥān	farḥān
W075C06	tired	Emotions	għajjien [ayyīn]	tɛ̄ʕǝb	taʕbān
W076C06	love	Emotions	imħabba [imḥabba]	ḥobb	ḥubb
W077C06	fear	Emotions	biża' [biza]	ḫūf	ḫowf
W078C06	patient	Emotions	paċenzjuż [pačencyūs]	sābǝr	ṣǝbūr
W079C06	ashamed	Emotions	mistħi [mistḥi]	ḥāšǝm	mitḥaššim
W080C06	crazy	Emotions	miġnun [miǧnūn]	mɛhbūl	mažnūn
W081C06	hope	Emotions	tama [tāma]	āmal	mutaʔammil
W082C06	envy	Emotions	għira [eyra]	ġīra	ġayūr
W083C06	proud	Emotions	kburi [gbūri]	farḥān	fǝḫūr
W084C06	he worries	Emotions	jinkwieta [yinkwīta]	mǝtqallaq	mašġūl
W085C06	he loves	Emotions	jħobb [yḥopp]	iḥɛbb	īḥebb
W086C07	human being	Family and other people	bniedem [bnīdem]	ʕabd	insān
W087C07	family	Family and other people	familja [familya]	ʕīla	ʕāʔila
W088C07	people	Family and other people	nies [nīs]	ʕbɛ̄d	nās
W089C07	mother	Family and other people	ommi [ommi]	ʔumm	umm
W090C07	father	Family and other people	missier [missīr]	bu	bā̱t
W091C07	brother	Family and other people	ħija [ḥiya]	ḫu	ḫū
W092C07	sister	Family and other people	oħti [oḥti]	oḫt	ǝḫit
W093C07	bride	Family and other people	għarusa [arūsa]	ʕarūsa	ʕarūs
W094C07	cousin	Family and other people	kuġin [kuǧīn]	wuld ʕamm	qarīb
W095C07	aunt	Family and other people	zija [cīya]	ʕamma	ʕamma
W096C07	uncle	Family and other people	ziju [cīyu]	ʕamm	ʕamm
W097C07	married	Family and other people	miżżewweġ [mizzewweč]	mʕarrǝs	mizowwǝž
W098C07	woman, wife	Family and other people	mara [mara]	mart	wǝliya
W099C07	man, husband	Family and other people	raġel [rāǧel]	rāžǝl	rāžul
W100C07	baby	Family and other people	tarbija [tarbīya]	sġīr	ʕāyl
W101C07	was born	Family and other people	twieled [twīlet]	tūlǝd	wǝtǝled
W102C08	door	In the house	bieb [bīp]	bɛ̄b	bāb
W103C08	window	In the house	tieqa [tīʔa]	šubbɛ̄k	rōšen
W104C08	roof	In the house	saqaf [saʔaf]	sqaf	sṭāḥ
W105C08	floor	In the house	qiegħ [ʔīḫ]	qāʕa	arḏ̣
W106C08	room	In the house	kamra [kamra]	bīt	dā̱r
W107C08	table	In the house	mejda [meyda]	tāwla	ṭāwla
W108C08	chair	In the house	siġġu [siǧǧu]	korsi	kirsī
W109C08	bed	In the house	sodda [sodda]	farš	sǝrīr
W110C08	pillow	In the house	mħadda [mḥadda]	mḫadda	mǝxǝdda
W111C08	carpet	In the house	tapit [tapīt]	zarbēya	farša
W112C08	stairs, staircase	In the house	taraġ [tarač]	drūž	drūž
W113C08	key	In the house	muftieħ [muftīḫ]	mǝftɛ̄ḥ	miftāḥ
W114C09	here	Orientation in space	hawn [awn]	hūni	hena
W115C09	there	Orientation in space	hemm [hemm]	ġādi	ġādī
W116C09	left	Orientation in space	lemin [lemīn]	īsār	yeṣār
W117C09	right	Orientation in space	xellug [šelluk] ^[28]	īmīn	yemīn
W118C09	above	Orientation in space	fuq [fuʔ]	fūq	fowg
W119C09	below	Orientation in space	isfel [isfel]	taḥt	taḥit
W120C09	in front of	Orientation in space	quddiem [ʔuddīm]	qoddɛ̄m	giddām
W121C09	behind	Orientation in space	wara [wara]	wurā	wǝrā
W122C09	inside	Orientation in space	ġewwa [ǧewwa]	fi wost	žowwa
W123C09	outside	Orientation in space	barra [barra]	l-barra	bǝrra
W124C09	north	Orientation in space	tramuntana [tramuntāna]	šmɛ̄l	šamāl
W125C09	east	Orientation in space	lvant [lvant]	žanūb ^[29]	šarg
W126C09	west	Orientation in space	punent [punent]	ġarb	ġarǝb
W127C10	time	Time	ħin [ḥīn]	waqt	wagit
W128C10	day	Time	jum [yūm]	nhār	yōm
W129C10	month	Time	xahar [šār]	šhǝr	šǝhar
W130C10	night	Time	lejl [leyl]	līl	leyl
W131C10	daytime	Time	binhar [binār]	nhār	yōm
W132C10	year	Time	sena [sena]	ʕām	sana
W133C10	today	Time	illum [illum]	l-yūm	el-yūm
W134C10	yesterday	Time	ilbieraħ [ilbīraḥ]	l-bɛ̄rɛḥ	ams
W135C10	tomorrow	Time	għada [āda]	ġodwa	bukra
W136C10	in the morning	Time	filgħodu [filōdu]	f ǝs-sbɛ̄ḥ	fi l-ṣobǝḥ
W137C10	in the evening	Time	filgħaxija [filašīya]	f ǝl-līl	fi l-ʕašiya
W138C10	now	Time	issa [issa]	tawwa	towwa
W139C10	always	Time	dejjem [deyyem]	dīma	dīma
W140C10	never	Time	qatt [ʔatt]	žɛ̄mla	māʕomraš
W141C10	summer	Time	is-sajf [is-sayf]	sīf	ṣeyf
W142C10	winter	Time	ix-xitwa [iš-šitwa]	štɛ̄	šitā
W143C10	spring	Time	ir-rebbiegħa [ir-rebīa]	rbīʕ	rǝbīʕ
W144C10	autumn	Time	il-ħarifa [il-ḥarīfa]	ḫrīf	ḫǝrīf
W145C10	hour	Time	siegħa [sīa]	sɛ̄ʕa	sāʕa
W146C11	earth, ground	World around us	art [art]	arḏ	arḏ̣
W147C11	world	World around us	dinja [dinya]	dǝnya	ʕālam
W148C11	sky	World around us	sema [sema]	smɛ̄	sǝmā
W149C11	sea	World around us	baħar [baḥar]	bḥar	bǝḥar
W150C11	beach	World around us	xatt [šatt]	šatt	šǝṭṭ
W151C11	hill	World around us	għolja [ōlya]	žbǝl	žibel
W152C11	mountain	World around us	muntanja [muntanya]	žbǝl	žibel ^[30]
W153C11	village	World around us	raħal [raḥal]	qarya	qǝrya
W154C11	city	World around us	belt [belt]	mdīna	medīna
W155C11	street, road	World around us	triq [triʔ]	šɛ̄raʕ	šāriʕ
W156C11	square	World around us	pjazza [pyaca]	batḥa	sāḥa
W157C11	field	World around us	għalqa [ālʔa]	arḏ	mǝzraʕa
W158C11	island	World around us	gżira [gzīra]	žazīra	žǝzīra
W159C11	sun	World around us	xemx [šemš]	šǝms	šams
W160C11	moon	World around us	qamar [ʔamar]	gamra	gǝmar

Appendix B. Sentence test data

Sentence code	Sentence English	Sentence Maltese
S001C01	Wash your hands with soap.	Aħsel idejk bis-sapun.
S002C01	My brother went to England to find work.	Ħija mar l-Ingilterra biex ifittex xogħol.
S003C01	My son has a small dog.	Ibni għandu kelb żgħir.
S004C01	There is no rose without thorns.	M'hemmx warda mingħajr xewk.
S005C01	He found all the doors locked.	Sab il-bibien magħluqin kollha.
S006C01	His face was red with anger.	Wiċċu kien aħmar bil-għadab.
S007C02	How many children do you have?	Kemm għandek tfal?
S008C02	The bride is waiting in front of the church.	L-għarusa qed tistenna quddiem il-knisja.
S009C02	The young people are dancing without clothes.	Iż-żgħażagħ jiżfnu mingħajr ħwejjeġ.
S010C02	Why don't you come with us?	Għax ma tiġix magħna?
S011C02	They lived there for four years.	Huma damu jgħixu hemm erba' snin.
S012C02	They stole her bag.	Serqulha l-basket tagħha.
S013C02	Children are listening to the teacher.	It-tfal qed jisimgħu lill-għalliem.
S014C02	This one costs forty-seven.	Dan jiswa seba' u erbgħin.
S015C03	The doctor comes to see you at home.	It-tabib jiġi jarak f'darek.
S016C03	The boy broke his leg.	It-tifel kiser siequ.
S017C03	The men brought a long ladder.	L-irġiel ġabu sellum twil.
S018C03	There was a lot of trash on the beach.	Fix-xatt kien hemm ħafna żibel.
S019C03	The sick recover from their illness.	Il-morda jfiqu mill-mard tagħhom.
S020C03	The tree casts a shadow on the building	Is-siġra titfa' dell fuq il-bini.
S021C03	Every time they see him, they laugh at him	Kull meta jarawh, jidħku bih.
S022C03	First, clean the potatoes.	Qabel kollox naddaf il-patata.
S023C04	The cat sleeps in the middle of the road.	Il-qattus rieqed f'nofs it-triq.
S024C04	In summer, many festivals take place.	Fis-sajf isiru ħafna festi.
S025C04	Let's go before the night arrives.	Ejja nimxu qabel jidlam.
S026C04	The fishermen take the fish to the market.	Is-sajjieda jieħdu l-ħut is-suq.
S027C04	People fast during Lent/Ramadan.	In-nies isumu matul ir-Randan.
S028C04	Look how pretty it is!	Ara kemm hi sabiħa!
S029C05	The two women entered the shop.	Iż-żewġ nisa daħlu fil-ħanut.
S030C05	The birds are dying from heat.	L-għasafar imutu bis-sħana.
S031C05	I've never heard this story before.	Din il-ħrafa qatt ma smajtha qabel.
S032C05	They came to give him the last goodbye.	Ġew biex jagħtuh l-aħħar tislima.
S033C05	The girls are eating bread with oil.	Ix-xbejbiet jieklu l-ħobż biż-żejt.
S034C05	What news have you brought us?	X'aħbar ġibtilna?
S035C05	There is black smoke coming from the window.	Mit-tieqa ħiereġ duħħan iswed.
S036C05	In the beginning, God created heaven and earth.	Fil-bidu Alla ħalaq is-smewwiet u l-art.
S037C06	Everyone loves his mother.	Kulħadd iħobb lil ommu.
S038C06	Do not add more salt!	Iżżidx aktar melħ!
S039C06	A leaf flies on the wind.	Werqa ttir mar-riħ.
S040C06	I feel strong pain in my chest.	Inħoss uġigħ qawwi f'sidri.
S041C06	He was sitting with his back against a wall.	Kien bilqiegħda b'dahru mal-ħajt.
S042C06	Do you (sg.) remember this thing?	Tiftakarha din il-ħaġa?
S043C06	She looked at me with a smile.	Ħarset lejja bi tbissima.
S044C06	He appears to be lost in his thoughts.	Jidher mitluf fi ħsibijietu.
S045C07	They began standing up, one after another	Bdew iqumu wieħed wara l-ieħor.
S046C07	The knife is on the table.	Is-sikkina qiegħda fuq il-mejda.
S047C07	The girl has a new book.	It-tfajla għandha ktieb ġdid.
S048C07	Today ends time of Lent/Ramadan.	Illum tmiem żmien ir-Randan.
S049C07	Some workers came out when they heard what happened.	Xi ħaddiema ħarġu meta semgħu x'ġara.
S050C07	The foreigner speaks to us in our language.	Il-barrani jkellimna b'ilsienna.
S051C07	The horse is walking and the old man is riding.	Iż-żiemel miexi u x-xiħ riekeb.
S052C07	Strong rain fell yesterday.	Ilbieraħ niżlet xita qawwija.
S053C08	I opened the door with a key.	Ftaħt il-bieb biċ-ċavetta.
S054C08	Our neighbors bought a new car.	Il-ġirien xtraw karrozza ġdida.
S055C08	We have need for more money.	Għandna bżonn aktar flus.
S056C08	Thanks to you that you came.	Grazzi lilek talli ġejt.
S057C08	Everything is ready to begin the game.	Kollox lest biex tibda l-logħba.
S058C08	Is it true or not?	Dan veru jew le?
S059C08	Every time I ask him, he doesn't reply to me.	Kull darba li nistaqsih, ma jirrispondinix.
S060C08	This may not be used.	Din ma tistax tintuża.
Sentence code	Sentence Tunisian Arabic	Sentence Libyan Arabic
S001C01	aġsǝl īdīk b ǝs-sābūn	ǝġsil īdeyk biṣṣābūn
S002C01	ḫūya mše l anglǝtɛrra bɛ̄š yalqa ḫǝdma	ḫūya ʕǝdda li briṭānya īdowwǝr ʕali šoġǝl
S003C01	wuldi ʕandu kalb sġīr	wulidī ʕinda kelb ṣǝġeyyir
S004C01	ma fammɛ̄š warda blɛ̄š šūk	māfīšī warid bilā wǝrǝg
S005C01	lqa l-bībɛ̄n kull msakkrīn	ligā l-bībān killhin msǝkkǝrāt
S006C01	wǝžhu aḥmar b ǝl-ġušš	wǝža kān ḥǝmǝr mi l-ġǝḏ̣ǝb
S007C02	qaddɛ̄š ʕandǝk s-sġār	kam ʕindak ʕeyl
S008C02	l-ʕarūsa tǝstanna quddɛ̄m ǝl-knīsɛ̄ya	el-ʕarūs itrāžī giddām el-kinīsa
S009C02	š-šɛbɛ̄b yǝštḥu blɛ̄š ḥwɛ̄yž	eš-šǝbāb yirigṣu minġeyr dibeš
S010C02	ʕalɛ̄š ma žītš mʕāna	kannak mātži maʕāna
S011C02	ʕandu ġādi arbʕa snīn	lhum ʕāyišīn ġādī arbaʕ sinīn
S012C02	sǝrqu lha s-sāk mtaḥḥa	sirgū šǝnṭitha
S013C02	s-sġār yesmʕu f ǝl-muʕallǝm	l-aṭfāl yesmǝʕū fi kǝlām el-ustāḏ
S014C02	hɛ̄ḏɛ̄ya sūmu sabʕa w arbaʕīn	haḏi ḥǝgghā sabaʕ u arbaʕīn
S015C03	t-tbīb žɛ̄y bɛ̄š išūfǝk f ǝd-dār	ed-doktor ḥaīžī išūfak fi l-ḥowš
S016C03	t-tfǝl kassǝr sɛ̄qu	el-ʕāyl kǝssǝr krāʕa
S017C03	r-rāžǝl šre sallūm twīl	er-rāžul žāb sellūm ṭawīl
S018C03	kɛ̄n famma barša zɛbla f ǝš-šatt	kān fī wsǝḫ wāžid ʕa l-šǝṭṭ
S019C03	ǝl-morḏa qāʕdīn yebrāw m ǝl-marḏ mtaḥḥum	l-imruḏ̣a bidow iṣǝḥḥū mi l-mǝrǝḏ̣ imtāḥḥum
S020C03	ǝš-šɛžra mḏɛlla ʕ al-bānya	eḏ̣-ḏ̣ull imtāʕ eš-šužura ʕa l-mabnā
S021C03	wīn nšūfu naḏḥak aʕlīh	kull mā īšūfū yaḏ̣aḥkū ʕaley
S022C03	awwǝl ḥāža naḏḏǝf ǝl-bātāta	fi l-awwǝl nǝḏ̣ḏ̣ǝf l-bǝṭāṭa
S023C04	l-qattūs rɛ̄qǝd f wost ǝt-trīq	el-gaṭṭūsa rāgda fi noṣṣ eš-šāriʕ
S024C04	f sīf famma barša mahrajɛ̄nɛ̄t	fi ṣ-ṣeyf fi ḥefalāt wāžid
S025C04	hɛyya nǝmšīw qbǝl ma itīḥ ǝl-līl	hayya nʕǝddū gǝbǝl mā tḏ̣ǝllǝm
S026C04	s-sayyɛ̄da hɛ̄zzīn l-ḥūt l ǝs-sūq	el-ḥǝwāta yāḫǝðu fi l-ḥūt li s-sūg
S027C04	n-nɛ̄s isūmu fi rumḏān	en-nās itṣīm fi ramaḏ̣ān
S028C04	šūf qaddɛ̄š mǝzyɛ̄na	baḥḥit keyf simḥa
S029C05	zūz nse daḫlu l ǝl-ḥānūt	l-wǝlīteyn ḫǝššen li d-dukkān
S030C05	l-ʕasāfǝr qāʕdīn imūtu m ǝs-sḫɛ̄na	el-ʕaṣāfīr īmūten mi l-ḥamu
S031C05	ʕomri ma smaʕt la-ḥkɛ̄ya hɛ̄di qbǝl	māʕomrīš sǝmaʕt el-qiṣṣa haḏi min gǝbǝl
S032C05	žɛ̄w bɛ̄š iwaddʕūh	žow beyš īgūlūla maʕa sǝlāma li l-āḫir mǝrra
S033C05	l-bnɛ̄t qāʕdīn yɛ̄klu f ǝl-ḫobǝz b ǝz-zīt	el-bənāt yākǝlan fi l-ḫubza bi z-zeyt
S034C05	šnuwwa l-ḫbār lli žǝbthum ǝlna	šin el-aḫbār lī žibthin linna
S035C05	famma duḫḫān akḥǝl qāʕd iḫrǝž m ǝš-šubbɛ̄k	fī dǝḫḫān iswud ṭālǝʕ mi l-rōšen
S036C05	m ǝl-awwǝl rǝbbi ḫlǝq sme w ul-arḏ	fi l-awwǝl rǝbbī ḫǝlǝg ǝs-simmā w ǝl-arḏ̣
S037C06	n-nɛ̄s ǝl-kull iḥabbu ummɛ̄thum	kill wāḥid īḥebb umma
S038C06	ma tzīdš melḥ	mātzīdš miliḥ akṯar
S039C06	warqa tāyra f ǝr-rīḥ	wurga ṭṭīr fi l-howā
S040C06	nḥǝss fi barša wužīʕa fi sǝdri	nḥiss fi wǝžǝʕ gowwī fī ṣǝdrī
S041C06	kān qāʕd u ḏahru mʕa ḥīt sġīr	kān mgaʕmiz w ḏ̣ǝhara ʕa l-sās
S042C06	tfakkǝr š-šɛ̄y hɛ̄ḏa	tǝḏǝkkǝr haḏi
S043C06	ḫazrǝt li u hīya tǝtbassǝm	baḥḥǝtat fiya bibtisāmha
S044C06	ḏāhǝr fīh ḏāyǝʕ fīha	ībān inna howa rāyiḥ fī afkāra
S045C07	bdɛ̄w iwāqfu b ǝl-wɛ̄ḥɛd b ǝl-wɛ̄ḥɛd	bidow īṣǝbbū wāḥid bi l-wāḥid
S046C07	s-sǝkkīna fūq ǝt-tāwla	el-mūs ʕa ṭ-ṭāwla
S047C07	lǝ-bnɛ̄ya ʕandha karrāsa ždīda	el-bint ʕandha kitāb žǝdīd
S048C07	l-yūm yūfa rumḏān	el-yūm yikmil wǝgit ramaḏ̣ān
S049C07	l-ḫaddɛ̄ma žɛ̄w ki samʕu bǝlli sār	wāḥdīn yištǝġǝlū ṭǝlʕū baʕd mā simʕū šin ṣār
S050C07	l-barrāni yaḥki mʕɛ̄na b luġǝtna	el-ažnabī yidwīna bī luġitna
S051C07	lǝ-ḥsān yǝmši u rāžǝl kbīr rɛ̄kǝb aʕlīh	l-ǝḥṣān yimšī wa r-rāžul l-kibīr īsūg fīh
S052C07	šte qwīya sɛ̄bǝt ǝl-bɛ̄rɛḥ	mǝṭǝrit bil-guwwa āms
S053C08	ḥallīt ǝl-bɛ̄b b ǝl-mǝftɛ̄ḥ	fitaḥt el-bāb bi-miftāḥ
S054C08	žīrɛ̄nna šrɛ̄w karhba ždīda	žārna šǝrā sayyāra žǝdīda
S055C08	ḥāšǝtna b akṯǝr flūs	nibbū filūs uḫra
S056C08	yaʕtīk saḥḥa ki žīt	šukrān lak ʕala žeyytak
S057C08	kull šɛ̄y ḥāḏǝr bɛ̄š tabda l-laʕba	kull ḥāža wātiya beyš nebdū el-geym
S058C08	b ǝl-mǝn žǝdd wa lɛ	ṣaḥ wǝla lā
S059C08	kull marra nasʔalu ma ižāwǝbnīš	kull mā nesʔela māirǝddš ʕaleya
S060C08	ma lāzǝmš yistaʕmǝl	haḏi rāhī mā tinišġǝlš

Appendix C. Evaluation instructions for the sentence test

Assign the following categories to the answers in the sentence test:

Not answered:	No answer. (Analyzed as “incorrect”)
Incorrect:	Incorrect answer. (Analyzed as “incorrect”)
25 % correct:	Not the correct lexical item, but identified root or stem or gave a false friend. (Analyzed as “incorrect”)
50 % correct:	Partial synonym used or something is missing, e. g., when Maltese xiħ is translated as راجل كبير and only raġel is given by the respondent. (Analyzed as “partially correct”)
75 % correct:	Partial synonym or equivalent used, correct lexical item, incorrect morphology. (Analyzed as “correct”)
100 % correct:	Full synonym or correct lexical item used, correct morphology. (Analyzed as “correct”)

Remarks:

If the answer is “x” or “ا”, mark all items as “Not answered”.
If only a partial answer is provided, it might not be easy to determine which items were not answered. In such case, do your best to guess as I did above. It doesn’t really matter for the purpose of final analysis (both “not answered” and “incorrect” will be analyzed as “incorrect”), but we want to get a realistic picture of situations where the respondent doesn’t have a clue (i. e., “not answered”).
Since translations can differ in the lexical choice, evaluate based on the translation, not the original. For example, S045C07 MT has wieħed wara l-ieħor, but both LB and TU have واحد واحد. If the MT respondent gives wieħed wieħed, evaluate as 100 % correct. Another example: S060C08 MT has Din ma tistax tintuża, but TU only has ma lāzǝmš yistaʕmǝl. A keyword DEMONSTRATIVE has been added to the test package to enable you to correctly evaluate the answer should a TU respondent be able to catch and translate the initial din.

Received: 2015-2-4

Revised: 2015-5-31

Revised: 2015-10-18

Accepted: 2015-10-20

Published Online: 2016-11-8

Published in Print: 2016-11-1

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Articles in the same Issue

https://doi.org/10.1515/flin-2016-0021

Keywords for this article

Maltese&semi; Tunisian Arabic&semi; Libyan Arabic&semi; mutual intelligibility&semi; functional testing