[go: up one dir, main page]
More Web Proxy on the site http://driver.im/

"bilkul" - from Arabic?

L

linguist786

Senior Member
Blackburn, England
English, Gujarati & Urdu
I was just thinking about the word "bilkul" today which we use in Urdu (and is also borrowed in Gujarati) to mean "absolutely". For example, "bilkul nahee!" = "absolutely not!". It just suddenly occurred to me that it might have come from Arabic. "bi" (بـ) is the preposition meaning "with/by means of/through" and the rest would be "al-kul" (الكل) meaning "all" giving us "بالكل" (written بلكل in Urdu). So it would literally mean something like "through everything".

Would this be right? Does it come from Arabic? If so, is it also used in Arabic? If it is, is it used in the same way?
 
    • I think in Arabic they tend to use بالكلية (totally) in the context you are talking about. But a more correct translation for "Absolutely not" would be "قطعاً لا" or even just أبدا (Never! Not at all!) and then there is a certain way way that you say it.

    As for بالكل it could mean ("to the whole" or "to all") like: علاقة الجزء بالكل (the relation of the part to the whole), or مرحباً بالكل (Welcome to all). So the "Baa" is often used to mean "to" in the sense of "being connected or related to" as in the first example. In fact, verbs such as تعلَّق , ارتبط , اتصل all of which have their basic meaning as "being connected" use the "Baa".

    Maybe others can elaborate more.
     
    Hi linguist786 and Abu Bishr,

    linguist786 said:
    Does it come from Arabic? If so, is it also used in Arabic? If it is, is it used in the same way?
    Click to expand...
    I'm no longer sure whether بالكل is used interchnageably in Arabic with إطلاقا or أبدا , but I can at least tell you that we definitely use it in Moroccan colloquial arabic to mean absolutely not or at all.

    Abu Bishr said:
    I think in Arabic they tend to use بالكلية (totally) in the context you are talking about.
    Click to expand...
    Are you sure ? I don't think that بالكلية is used in that context!
     
    Mery_Dian said:
    Are you sure ? I don't think that بالكلية is used in that context!
    Click to expand...
    I agree.

    In colloquial Palestinian Arabic we would say "bilmarra." "Bilkul" can only mean "bi" + "kul."

    Huwwe bihtam bilkul. - He takes care of everyone.
     
    " بالكل " does'nt look negative at all ; its meaning depends on the context , "at" or "to" all (everything or everybody) , as Abu Bishr rightly elaborates on.
     
    " بالكل " in Wehr: Arabic-English Dictionary: on the whole, in the aggregate, taken altogether, in bulk.
    Platts: A Dictionary of Urdu, Classical Hindi and English:
    " بالكل " bi'l-kul (bi + al + kullī) adv. Entirely, completely, totally, wholly, universally; altogether.
    Platts: "بالكلية " bi'lkullīya adv. In the totality, &c.= bi'l-kul
    McGregor: Hindi-English Dictionary: बिलकुल bilkul [A. bi'lkul] adv. entirely, completely; quite.
     
    Bear in mind that Arabic terms in Urdu have usually come into the language through the medium of Farsi. Not infrequently Arabic loan words in Farsi retain meanings that have passed out of use in the original Arabic. That may not be what has happened here, but I think it's quite possible.
     
    You must log in or register to reply here.
    Back
    Top