Humanities Journal of University of Zakho

THE ASSYRIAN ORAL HERITAGE TREASURES: RAWE AS AN ORAL SINGING

2026-01-25T15:48:06+00:00

This study examines the early beginnings of unwritten Assyrian literature, which originally emerged as temple prayers and hymns expressing worship and supplication to the gods. This heritage was transmitted orally across generations, preserving its folkloric character outside the realm of formal written culture, and later developed into songs that were performed during celebrations and social gatherings. The traditional singing known as Rawe represents the most prominent examples of this heritage, and it remains preserved among Assyrians in the regions of Tkhuma, Tiyari, and Barwar. This singing offers important insights into the social and emotional life of Assyrians in the mountains of Ashur, reflecting linguistic and experiential dimensions deeply rooted in their identity and history. Although Rawe is often narrowly viewed as purely emotional singing, it fundamentally encompasses deeper literary significance. It addresses themes such as courage and manhood, the relationship with nature, longing for a lost homeland, and the experiences of exile and nostalgia. Through concise, rhymed couplets, villagers were able to express profound thoughts and emotions with clarity and brevity. Rawe continues to represent an essential artistic and cultural form, and its preservation and transmission remain vital. It is also noteworthy that Rawe shares similarities with the folk singing traditions of other peoples, such as the south of Iraq singing called ‘Darmi’ and the Japanese ‘Hiko’ alongside the interest shown by foreign researchers in studying it and making comparison between their own cultural singing and Rawe. This study aims to shed light on this traditional form of singing and to help protect this unique heritage from disappearance through its documentation and analysis, ensuring that it remains a shining symbol within Assyrian cultural heritage. Using a qualitative method, this research analyzed a large number of Rawe verses recited by ten individuals aged between 50 and 70 who live in Duhok and the Kurdistan Region. Approximately 700 Assyrian verses were collected from these participants. The findings indicate that Rawe verses are not merely love poems; rather, they vary in their themes and contexts, extending to expressions of nostalgia for the homeland, courage, and the description of the beauty of nature.

TECHNOLOGY AND TECHNOLOGY IN INDIA (2003-2023)

2025-11-03T09:38:18+00:00

Haiku is an ancient japanese poetic style that emphasizes the representation of nature and the depiction of life. The origins trace back to the renowned Japanese poet Matsuo Bashō (1644–1694); However, its compositional principles derive from renga poems and several other concise literary forms that influenced its structure. This structure established the basis for the creation of concise poetry globally. This research, named "Techniques Of Scene Depiction In The Haiku of the Bahdinan region (2003–2023)," aims to elucidate the strategies of scene description in the Haiku from the Bahdinan region. It underscores the degree to which Haiku poets have effectively utilized these approaches in their works. Poetic composition operates within two realms: form and content. This research examines the structure of the poetry. The poem's structure is categorized into two types: lengthy and concise. kurdish poetry has undergone several phases throughout history, each characterized by unique attributes.This study elucidates the structure of Haiku poetry in the Bahdinan region from 2003 to 2023 by studying works from five Haiku writers over this timeframe. The objective is to identify the approaches of scene representation employed in their Haiku compositions to construct their poems and to extract their aesthetic and semantic qualities. The research begins with a definition of the concept of Haiku, its Japanese origins, and its distinctive features, before moving on to discuss the techniques of scene depiction. In conclusion, the study arrives at several findings, the most significant of which is that while these techniques have indeed been applied in the poets’ works, some of them have not fully mastered the Haiku form, its features, and its techniques.

ANALYZING THE RHYTHM OF NARRATION IN THE MAIN INTRODUCTION OF 'MEM AND ZIN' BY AHMAD KHANI ACCORDING TO GÉRARD GENETTE'S CONCEPT OF TIME

2025-08-26T12:31:42+00:00

This study, titled "Analyzing the Rhythm of Narration in the Main Introduction of 'Mem and Zin' by Ahmad Khani According to Gérard Genette's Concept of Time," is a comprehensive analysis of the narrative rhythm in the main introduction of Ahmad Khani's masterpiece "Mem and Zin," relying on Gérard Genette's theory of "time." The main objective is to identify the narrative rhythms (fast and slow) in the introduction of "Mem and Zin," especially the dominant rhythm that Khani used to build the foundation of the epic. The study investigates the factors and effects of using these rhythms to convey profound messages. The descriptive-analytical method has been used, and the analysis will be conducted according to Gérard Genette's theory of "time." The scope of the study is limited to the main introduction of Khani's "Mem and Zin," with its introductory poems taken as the primary material for practical application. The study attempts to answer several hypotheses, such as: How and where does the main introduction of the epic begin and end? Which technique did Khani use more frequently? Did it lead to the identification of a specific type of rhythm ("fast or slow") as the main rhythm in the main introduction? The results obtained in this study are: In the main introduction, which begins with "In the name of God" and extends to "The Introduction of Mem," Khani constructs the world of the story in a descriptive and lengthy manner. Khani utilized both fast and slow rhythms; especially the use of slow rhythm and the technique of descriptive pauses. This slow rhythm and descriptive style, mean that, the dominant rhythm is the slow rhythm. Builds the story's world, introduces characters and relationships, and prepares the reader for major and future events.

The language of mystical narrative and its terms, the narrative "Mut Saghir" by Muhammad Hassan Alwan

2025-06-15T12:16:04+00:00

This research examines the narrative language of mystical novels، raising key questions: starting with what defines a mystical novel? Is it historical fiction or a distinct narrative style? Does it have a unique language that differentiates it from contemporary Arabic novels? How is this language structured، and does it vary in the novel itself between the dialogue and the narration language? The study uses Mawt Sagheer (A Small Death) by Saudi novelist Mohammed Hassan Alwan as a case study to address these questions. While acknowledging the contributions of Moroccan scholar and novelist Dr. Abdelilah Ben Arafa، a pioneer of mystical narration، this research focuses on Mawt Sagheer due to the lack of prior studies on it، unlike the widely analyzed works of Dr. Ben Arafa. The research employs a structural narrative approach and is divided into three sections: The first section was theoretically entitled (“The Mystical Novel: Concept and Beginnings” The second section dealt with ، “The Language of Mystical Narration and its Characteristics” ، and the last one is an analytical study entitled “Mystical Language in Mawt Sagheer.” It is worth mentioning that, this study is part of a broader series of studies on the relationship between the Arabic novels and the Arab history and Arab-Islamic mysticism، providing insights into how mystical language shapes narrative fiction.

Antithetical pairs in the poetry of Ibn al-Abbar al-Balansi - Youth and old age as a model

2025-10-29T07:30:38+00:00

The poet is a sensitive being, easily affected, expressing emotions through harmonized words and phrases adorned with the vibrations of his soul and the stirrings of his feelings. Poetry for the most part, is lyrical, painting with words the depths of the Arab individual, filled with accumulated experiences and emotions resulting from both individual and collective suffering throughout time, life, and society. These include joy and sorrow, bliss and pain, wealth and poverty, stability and loss, love and hatred… and other such contradictions experienced by every human being.

A close reading of Ibn al-Abbār al-Balansī’s poetry reveals a clear manifestation of oppositional binaries within his poems, carrying deep connotations that reflect a life filled with hardships, travels, challenges, and betrayals — whether in the psychological, intellectual, or social realms. He employs these realities through polar oppositions: sadness/joy, good/evil, truth/falsehood, light/darkness, love/hatred, dignity/humiliation, compassion/cruelty. His poetry also embodies bravery/cowardice, hope/despair, and fear/security.

Through this, he expresses a longing for knowledge and a passion for politics, distinguishing himself in his poetic craft. His works offer rich aesthetic dimensions and fruitful semantic variety, granting his poetry unique artistic layers and profound philosophical visions that reflect existential anxiety. This is achieved through the active presence of cultural patterns that reveal the hidden and bring forth the concealed.

Therefore, this study will undertake a careful analysis of the binary opposition of youth and old age in his poetic texts, uncovering the underlying meanings behind this duality in its various dimensions — meanings that stirred within the poet feelings of fear and, at times, sorrow about the fate that awaits all who cherish life and hold long hopes within themselves

THE TRANSLATION OF ENGLISH POLITE REQUESTS INTO BAHDINI KURDISH

2025-11-04T08:36:33+00:00

Politeness refers to the social norms and behaviours that imply respect, consideration and courtesy towards others. The current study investigates the translation of polite requests as speech acts from English into Kurdish. Focusing on the challenge of translating pragmatic meaning, it aims at identifying the different patterns of polite requests in English, translating these patterns from English into Kurdish to see how they are realized in Kurdish and shedding light on the points of similarity and difference between the English constructions and their realizations in Kurdish. In order to achieve the aims, the study hypothesizes that: (1) there is no one-to-one correspondence between the structures of polite requests in English and their realization in Kurdish. (2) Kurdish makes use of markers of polite requests more than English does. (3) The illocutionary force of English polite requests the intended effect or function of the utterance can be translated in case the communicative translation is exploited. To test these hypotheses, the study adopts a qualitative research methodology utilizing Newmark’s (1988) approach to translation in terms of his distinction between semantic translation (word-for-word accuracy) and communicative translation (contextual and cultural effectiveness), as a framework to analyse 10 polite requests in English translated by 10 fourth-year students at the Dept. of Translation-College of Languages, University of Duhok. Translation Failure is also taken into consideration which is a text where the message transfer is inaccurate due to significant linguistic or pragmatic errors. The study concludes that polite markers which give the utterances the force of polite requests in Kurdish are more than those in English. Moreover, the differences in percentage, (79% semantic) and (17% communicative) and (4% failure) highlight that there is no one-to-one correspondence between the structures of polite requests in English and their realization in Kurdish