Thursday, December 19, 2013

The Handbook of Tunisian Arabic

Order PDF Copy Emailed To You

Tunisian Arabic in 24 Lessons, Order a Copy Here

Order PDF Copy Emailed To You

Tunisian Arabic in 24 Lessons, paperback edition

https://www.createspace.com/4555597




This is a funny and practical handbook to learn Tunisian Arabic easily the spoken vernacular language in Tunisia, North Africa. This book is intended to help visitors to Tunisia enjoy Tunisian culture more authentically by familiarizing with one facet of its identity: its spoken language!
 It is also helpful to people who wish to communicate in Tunsian Arabic with Tunisians worldwide, but also with speakers of Arabic dialects in general (like Egyptians).
 Finally and simply, this is a funny and instructive book for readers who love foreign languages…and who are always keen to learn new foreign languages! 
After reading this book, say within two hours, you will be able to really speak and genuinely communicate in Tunisian Arabic!
Order PDF Copy Emailed To You

Tunisan Arabic in 20 Lessons, Best Seller in Amazon Kindle!


An enjoyable and very usueful book for visitors to Tunisia and lovers of foreign languages. Classified as Best seller N°1 for Foreign Language Instruction books, in Amazon Kindle and Createspace.
Tunisian Arabic in 20 Lessons

This is an enjoyable and a practical handbook to learn Tunisian Arabic easily. TA is the spoken vernacular language in Tunisia, North Africa. This book is intended to help visitors to Tunisia enjoy Tunisian culture more authentically by familiarizing with one facet of its identity: its spoken language! It is also helpful to people who wish to communicate in an Arabic worldwide, with Tunisians but also with speakers of Arabic dialects in general (Egyptians, Lebanese...). Finally and simply, this is a funny and instructive book for readers who love foreign languages…and who are always keen to learn new foreign languages! After reading this book, say within two hours, you will be able to really speak and genuinely communicate in Tunisian Arabic!

Other versions are: http://www.amazon.com/Tunisian-Arabic-Lessons-Mohamed-Bacha/dp/1494370530/ref=pd_ybh_1

Saturday, November 30, 2013

The Book of Tunisia Proverbs - order on Kindle Amazon

A unique collection of original Tunisian proverbs: Enjoyable, instructive, fun-to-share proverbs. Highly recommended to everyone, especially word and semantics lovers. After intensive research, the writer has carefully selected this proverbial data with great attention and translated it as faithfully as possible. He has deliberately chosen not to explain the proverbs, inviting the reader to use his/her own imagination and powerful interpretative skills. I promise that this is a very delightful book to read, besides being tremendously informative. You may trust me as I am not the kind of persons who 'sells the monkey then laughs at the monkey’s buyer!'

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GLTPF0Y

Saturday, November 9, 2013

Book on Kindle Amazon: The 250 Most Important Tunisian Proverbs

A highly enjoyable and instructive book; 250 original proverbs of Tunisia, translated by the author. Buy it through this link:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GKK9C7Q

Friday, November 8, 2013

Our Days are like Wind in the Mill: 100 Tunisian proverbs

ebook on Kindle store

Our Days are like Wind in the Mill: 100 Tunisian proverbs


A unique collection of Tunisian proverbs: Enjoyable, instructive, fun-to-share proverbs. Highly recommended to everyone, especially word and semantics lovers. The writer has carefully this proverbial data with great attention and translated as faithfully as possible. He has deliberately chosen not to explain the proverbs, inviting the reader to use his/her own imagination and powerful interpretative skills. I promise that this is a very delightful book to read, besides being very informative. You may trust me as I am not the kind of persons who « sells the monkey then laughs at the monkey’s buyer » !


http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GGK0ARG

Saturday, November 2, 2013

Sabra and The Lion: Malicious Words. Tunisian Folkale



Synopsis


In 'Ayoun Essid', an isolated village in the Kingdom of Tunisia where locals communicate mainly through proverbs, lived Sabra, an ambitious and idealistic girl.
After her husband divorced her (partly because of Sabra's bad habit of inadvertedly speaking "Malicious Words"), she flees her village and  people's gossip to live with a lion that she called 'Sultan', who mysteriously had humane eyes.
Together, Sabra and Sultan found the utmost happiness and enjoyment; a semi-human, semi- animal life. Sabra tried to satisfy Sultan's inner longing to be a Man! But honestly, she was also satisfying her own old desire for The Perfect Happiness.
Was she wise to try to 'Convert' Sultan into Humanity? Hasn't she escaped 'The World of Men?' Will Sabra's "Malicious Words" habit affect her life with a lion?
An oral tale adapted to written English, keeping the magical spirit of the original.
The story is built around a core Tunisian proverb: "O Sabra, Injuries may be healed with bandages, but Malicious Words dwell in The Heart and Waken as New in The Morrow".


buy Sabra and The Lion here:
https://www.createspace.com/4503226

Monday, October 28, 2013

Translators of Tales "The Couscous Genie", "Sabra And Sultan" needed


 illustrator / artist for folktale 'Sabra and Sultan' (Paris)

I am a writer looking for an illustrator / drawing artist for best seller folktale 'Sabra and Sultan'
to create 8 - 10 illustrations for a tunisian falktale adapted into English.

When the project is over, we will publish the falktale again as co-authors.

We Need translators from English into french, Arabic, German, Russian, Chinese, Spanish, Italian, japanese of a collection of Tunisian folktales. Here is glimpse of one of the tales and link of book. Please have an idea about the collection then email me your collaboration suggestions:

In 'Ayoun Essid', an isolated village in the Kingdom of Tunisia where locals communicate mainly through proverbs, lived Sabra, an ambitious and idealist girl.
After a divorce, she flees her village and the malicious gossip to live with a lion with mysteriously humane eyes. Together, they found the utmost happiness and enjoyment; a semi-human, semi- animal life. Sabra tried to satisfy Sultan's inner longing to be a Man! But honestly, she was also satisfying her own old desire for The Perfect Happiness. Was she wise to try to 'Convert' Sultan into Humanity? Hasn't she escaped 'The World of Men?' An oral tale adapted to written English, keeping the magical spirit of the original.
The story is built around a core Tunisian proverb: "O Sabra, Injuries may be healed with bandages, but Malicious Words dwell in The Heart and Awake as New in The Morrow", infused with other proverbs: each proverb playing a crucial role in the plot.

buy a copy of the collection of falktales here:

http://www.amazon.com/Sabra-Sultan-Tunisian-Storyteller-Abdelaziz/dp/1492296864/

https://www.createspace.com/4423835

https://www.createspace.com/4325790


Download a electronic copy on kindle (at very reduced price here)

https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B00G5JXIPY

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00G5JXIPY

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00DDALJZO

Thanks

Thursday, October 3, 2013

Why World Cup 2022 Must be Withdrawn from Qatar

This is the additional reason fifa should consider in order to withdraw World Cup 2022 from Qatar: while driving your car in the streets of Doha, you need to leave the way to high speed drivers in luxurious 4 wheeler cars who order you to step aside by your car, so that they are not bothered by your "slow" driving!  If you don't, you may face trouble or even go to jail! beacuse the person in question is a high ranked government official or a Qatar Petrolium manager.

This is what happened to me in 2006, when a 4 wheeler car hit my car by the side several times, in order to oblige me to stop, because I did not slow down and leave the way. After a few weeks, I was fired from Qatar Petroleum Corporate Training Department where I worked as an English teacher, because of this stupid, mentally ill QP manager, whom I met by chance at 7 am in the way to Omsaid teaching unit! I currently run a language school in Tunisia .

In fact, the QP manager (who was in fact a naturalized Palestenian) official accused the person sitting beside me (US citizen English teacher) of having made a "immoral sign' with his hand (middle finger), which was completely wrong, as the colleague was surprised by the QP manager's dangerous behaviour, and only waved  to say to the 4 wheeler driver to go!

The high ranked Oatar Petroleum manager sent QP "investigators" (all palestenians: with no reference to the palestenian people, but these people behave like a mafia, and make like strong lobbies in companies) , the following day who made pressure on me to testify that the american teacher made a "bad" gesture, and to sign to that. Which I refused to do since he never did!

Many cases like these happen in Qatar. Another British English teacher(a brilliant woman since she wrote their teaching material) had the same thing after a car accident. Native Qataris have intricate ways to send  expatriates home, when they (the qataris) make driving crimes! Qatar has a complicated society with locals who continually denigrate foreigners! Imagine thousands of football fans in World Cup 2012, and in that scorching heat! (Heat cabn raech above 50 C degrees, but the real temprature is not revealed!)

don't think it is a open-minded, modern society, by looking at the modern buildings! western visitors should beware from drinking a beer in the open air, let alone get drunk (they risk a whipping sentence, as a Moroccan employee I met who was caught drunk and sentenced to 80 whips. I left him homeless in Doha, fearing to travel back to Morocco, lest sentence be carried out)
have your beer in your hotel or you risk jail or whipping! it is a very conservative society, despite appearances: so holding hands or kissing is a risky behavior.
There is also the very important worker's conditions from Asia, treated like slaves and who work in inhuman conditions. Fires can go any time in buildings for the insupportable heat, as I witnessed in a building in 2007, where tens of asian workers died, and yet, not a word at Aljazeera,( despite the fact that the fire was in a building just in front of Aljazeera HQ) whose only goal is to promote political agendas!

USA: Policeman Shot in front of Congress Capitol Hill


Wednesday, October 2, 2013

Noah takes a photo of himself every day for 12.5 years

Yearning for Honey from a Hornet's ass!

Yearning for Honey from a Hornet's ass !

meaning: expecting something positive/ good, from someone who can't provide anything good or positive!

For example: Hoping to obtain money from someone very mean, or food from a hungry person !

Thursday, August 29, 2013

illustrators Needed for "Tunisian Folktales"

We need illustrators for this new collection of Tunisian Folktales. Artists /  illustrators please contact us through medbtunis@gmail.com

Tunisian Folktales: Five Stories from the oral storytelling tradition 

New book on Amazon!


This book contains a selection of five fabulousTunisian folktales that can be enjoyed by children and grown-ups alike. Five original and unique stories from the ancient, rich and vibrating Tunisian oral culture in which storytelling represented a major constituent. This book is 
funny
 to read but is also a valuable cultural resource about Tunisia. These folktales also contain many splendid proverbs that infuse the Tunisian culture . This book is Ideal to exploit as reading material in ESL teaching classrooms. A certainly entertaining and instructive reading resource for children and older readers!

http://www.amazon.com/Tunisian-Folktales-Stories-Storytelling-Tradition/dp/1514682095/

Saturday, June 29, 2013

Quiz: Complete the Tunisian Proverb?


Friday, June 28, 2013

Quiz: complete the Tunisian proverb !

Sabra And Sultan - Tunisian Folktale



'Sabra and Sultan', Tunisian folktale in english
Inspired from a tunisian folktale, narrated by famous storyteller Abdelaziz el Aroui on radio in the 60's and 70's

Buy 'Sabra and Sultan' from french editor Edilivre through the link:

http://www.edilivre.com/sabra-and-sultan-mohamed-bacha.html

It is Only He Who Stumbles Over the Embers Who Feels Their Burn

'O Sabra, Wounds May Be Cured Withe Bandages, But Malicious Words Dwell in The Heart, and Awake As New in The Morrow'

Tunisian proverbs from 'Four Fantastic Tunisian Tales'


Four Fantastic Tales From Tunisia


collections of Short Stories, aimed at young English learners. interesting reading material for ESL curriculae, inspired from Tunisian Tales and Proverbs. Published on CreateSpace, Amazon and Kindle, both in paperback and electronic formats. One of the tales ‘Sabra and Sultan’ will be published by a french important edition house soon :
Four Fantastic Tales From Tunisia :

Synopsis ‘Sabra and Sultan’ :
In 'Ayoun Essid', a Tunisian isolated village, where locals communicate mainly through proverbs lived Sabra, an ambitious and idealist girl. After a divorce, she flees her village and the malicious gossip to live with a lion with mysteriously humane eyes.
 Together, they found the utmost happiness and enjoyment; a semi-human, semi- animal life. Sabra tried to satisfy Sultan's inner longing to be a Man!
 but she was also satisfying her own old desire for The Perfect Happiness. Was she wise to do so? Didn't she escape 'The World of Men?'
 An oral tale adapted to written English, keeping the magical spirit of the original.  The story is built around a core Tunisian proverb: 'Malicious words dwell in the heart...', infused with other proverbs: each proverb playing a crucial role in the plot.

Thursday, June 27, 2013

Four Fantastic Tales From Tunisia


collections of Short Stories, aimed at young English learners. interesting reading material for ESL curriculae, inspired from Tunisian Tales and Proverbs. Published on CreateSpace, Amazon and Kindle, both in paperback and electronic formats. One of the tales ‘Sabra and Sultan’ will be published by a french important edition house soon :
Four Fantastic Tales From Tunisia :

Synopsis ‘Sabra and Sultan’ :
In 'Ayoun Essid', a Tunisian isolated village, where locals communicate mainly through proverbs lived Sabra, an ambitious and idealist girl. After a divorce, she flees her village and the malicious gossip to live with a lion with mysteriously humane eyes.
 Together, they found the utmost happiness and enjoyment; a semi-human, semi- animal life. Sabra tried to satisfy Sultan's inner longing to be a Man!
 but she was also satisfying her own old desire for The Perfect Happiness. Was she wise to do so? Didn't she escape 'The World of Men?'
 An oral tale adapted to written English, keeping the magical spirit of the original.  The story is built around a core Tunisian proverb: 'Malicious words dwell in the heart...', infused with other proverbs: each proverb playing a crucial role in the plot.

Monday, June 24, 2013

‘Only He who Stumbles over the Embers Who feels its Burn’

A Tunisian Proverb found in 'Four Fantastic Tunisian Tales'

Tunisian folktales available in libraries, Amazon.com, createspace.com

http://www.amazon.com/Four-Fantastic-Tales-From-Tunisia/dp/1490452729/ref=pd_rhf_dp_p_t_1_58ZJ

Hear the Words of He who makes you Weep and Hear not Words of He Who Makes you Laugh


 ‘ O Sabra, Hear the Words of He who makes you Weep and Hear not Words of He Who Makes you Laugh

‘ Patience is key to all reliefs, but Patience Wears Stones !’
"O daughter, He who is covered with other people’s clothes is naked"

From  Sabra And Sultan 
Tunisian folktale available in libraries, Amazon.com, createspace.com

http://www.amazon.com/Four-Fantastic-Tales-From-Tunisia/dp/1490452729/ref=pd_rhf_dp_p_t_1_58ZJ

Sunday, June 23, 2013


"My ear, why are you so big? It said: every day I hear something strange !"
يا وذني آش بيك كبيرة ؟! قالت كل يوم نسمع غريبة

"Beat the cat and the bride will behave herself !"


"Beat the cat and the bride will behave herself !" 

اضرب القطوسة تتربى العروسة

Friday, June 7, 2013

Collection of TUNISIAN FOLKTALES IN ENGLISH - on sale Amazon and Kindle!

Four Marvelous short stories for children that can be enjoyed by all types of readers.
Fantastic unknown folktales from the ancient, rich and vibrating Tunisian oral culture.
This is Part One of a bigger project started by a Tunisian writer. It will be published as:
THE ONE HUNDRED AND ONE TUNISIAN NIGHTS


http://tunisiaproverbs.blogspot.com/2013/06/collection-of-tunisian-folktales-in.html

This book is very funny to read but also valuable to exploit as cultural resource about Tunisia. An original adaptation in English language of Abdelazizi El Aroui stories, legendary brilliant Tunisian story teller.
You will also encounter many splendid proverbs infusing the culture of Tunisia.

1- The Great & Marvelous Akarek: The adventures of Akarek who, after accidentally killing 7 flies, starts a hilarious adventure!

2- Sabra and Gadanfar: after a divorce, a girl flees her village to live with a lion. The lion has strange humane eyes. They have a happy savage life, until the unexpected occurs.

3- The Strange Love Story Of Gador and Baya: a strange love story by all criteria. A bizarre and almost supernatural tale.

4- The Golden Daughter: portrays the weird night of a gold worshipping wealthy man.

This book is Ideal to exploit as reading material in ESL teaching classrooms.
A certainly entertaining and instructive reading resource for children and older readers!


Available on Amazon and Kindle:
http://www.amazon.com/Four-Fantastic-Tales-Tunisia-folktales/dp/1490452729/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1371468749&sr=1-1&keywords=Four+Fantastic+Tales+From+Tunisia

http://www.amazon.com/Couscous-Collection-folktales-Tunisia-ebook/dp/B00DDALJZO/ref=pd_rhf_ee_p_t_3_90R9

Saturday, May 18, 2013

Tunisian Proverbs Translated to English


1. A bull went to impregnate a cow, and he came back a fetus.

2. After I saw what my mother did, I will never trust a widow..

3. Because he has so many trades, he is unemployed..

4. Don't trust the horses if they run away, or the whores if they repent..

5. He ate one fig and he thought the autumn had come..

6. He said, "My uncle is the horse."

7. He who is covered with other people's clothes is naked.

8. He who spends a night with a chicken will cackle in the morning..

9. He who wants to be famous will have many a sleepless night..

10. Hit him with a bean, he will break.

11. How lovely is the sun after rain, and how lovely is laughter after sorrow.

12. If he gives you a rope, tie him with it.

13. If my belly is of glass, I will fill it with bread and chicken; if it is a closed cellar, I will fill it with cockroaches.

14. If someone hits you with a stone, hit him with bread; your bread will return to you and his stone will return to him.

15. If the full moon loves you, why worry about the stars?.

16. If the tail of the dog can save me, I don't care about its stench..

17. If there is any profit in partnership, two will share a woman.

18. If you are ugly, be winsome.

19. If your friend is honey, don't lick him thoroughly.

20. No one will say, "My father is incontinent." Everyone will say, "He is a man of advice and wisdom."

21. One hundred alcoholics are better than one gambler.

22. Pretend that you are crazy, you will live.

23. The anger of a woman is mighty and the devil's trickery weak.

24. The bald woman boasts of her sister's hair.

25. The multitude is stronger than the king.

26. The only difference between the cucumber and water is the moving of the teeth.

27. There is no blindness but the blindness of the heart.

28. They asked the female cat why her kittens were of different colors; she said she is embarrassed to say no.

29. They asked the mule who his father was.

30. They ate our food, and forgot our names.

31. We praised the bride, and she was found pregnant.

32. Who came back from the grave and told the story?

33. You should have done it on the wedding night, you fool.

Thursday, May 16, 2013

You should have done it on the wedding night, you fool.

 Who came back from the grave and told the story?
There is no blindness but the blindness of  the heart

If speaking is silver, silence is gold


This is a list of Tunisian proverbs I translated into English. Can you give the originals in Tunisian Arabic ?
1. He who wants to be famous will have many a sleepless night.
2. Because he has so many trades, he is unemployed.
3. You should have done it on the wedding right, you fool.
4. After I saw what my mother did, I will never trust a widow.
5. If your friend is honey, don' t lick him thoroughly.



Other tunisian proverbs I translated into English. Some have the originals in Tunisian below:

"Turn the pan upside down, the daughter grows to be like her mom!"
اقلب البرمة على فمها تطلع البنية لأمه


"He who steals beats he who shouts !"

If speaking is silver, silence is gold 

O Sabra! The wound can be healed by a bandage,
But the evil word will be born anew, in the heart, the following day!


الجرح يبرا يا صبرا و تهواه الضميدة
و كلمة السوّ تبات و تصبح جديدة

الجرح يبرا يا صبرا و تبرا عليه الضميدة *** أما كلمة السوء تمسى و تصبح في القلب جديدة


If speaking is silver, silence is gold 

 Don't trust the horses if they run away, or the whores if they repent.

 He ate one fig and he thought the autumn had come.

 He said, "My uncle is the horse."

 He who is covered with other people's clothes is naked.

 He who spends a night with a chicken will cackle in the morning.

 He who wants to be famous will have many a sleepless night.

Hit him with a bean, he will break.

How lovely is the sun after rain, and how lovely is laughter after sorrow.

 If he gives you a rope, tie him with it.

 If someone hits you with a stone, hit him with bread; your bread will return to you and his stone will return to him.

 If the full moon loves you, why worry about the stars?

 If the tailof the dog can save me, I don't care about its stench.

 If there is any profit in partnership, two will share a woman.

 If you are ugly, be winsome.

 If your friend is honey, don't lick him thoroughly.

 No one will say, "My father is incontinent." Everyone will say, "He is a man of advice and wisdom."