Alborgian/ Borgi

Alborgian or Borgi is the language of the fictional island Alborgia, South of the
Algarve (Portugal) and North of Morocco. It is the left-over of the Moorish
Arabic spoken in Southern Iberia until the Middle Ages. Alborgian can be
compared with Maltese: it is spoken mainly by Roman Catholics and Jews and
has many Romance loans, the island is orientating on Portugal and the UK (as
a former British colony). The difference with Maltese is that its base is a
different Maghribi dialect, namely Moroccan instead of Tunesian Arabic, and
the Romance stock in Maltese is Sicilian and/or Italian, in Borgi it is Portuguese.
Here below a text sample of Alborgian:


We nar mesih w’oliedo kal n’el abo d’o:
Papá, en heb (en) mesí f’el alm kwir!
Xâft youa basta d’el blêna zaïra deva
En soal-ek: atê-li ‘l denêr-i, o ageos!
L’abo gewab: Joan, enta l’olied’i ‘l char helo
Iella ‘l soal-ek meis fásel l’i
Alês la, papá? la’n kar figa onê ...

One good day a boy said to his father:
Daddy, I want to go into the wide world!
I've seen enough of our small country now
I ask you: give me my money, and Adieu!
The father answered: John, you are my sweetest son
But your question is not easy for me.
Why not, daddy? I can not stay here ...

Standard Pronunciation:

[wэ nar mэ′si wu′λεðu kał nэ ′laβuðu
pα′pa эn hεb (эm) mэ′si fэ ′lałm kwir
šœft ′jåwα ′baśtα dэł ′blenα
zα′irα ′dεvα
эn ′śwalэk α′telił dэ′neri u
α′žewś
′laβu žэ′wab žu′wã ′εntα
lu′λεðił čar ′hεlu
′jεl:αł  ′śwalэk meś fasэl:i
α′leś la pα′pa laŋ kar ′figα u′ne]

South Eastern rural pronunciation (more conservative, arabic like):

[wэ na:r mэ′si:ђ wэђu′liэd ka:ł
nэla′βu:ðu
pa′pa эn ђεb:эm:э′si: fэ
′la:lэm kэ′vi:r
šœft ′jεwa ′basta dэl ′ble:na zэ′εjra
′de:βa
эn su′walэk a′te:li d:э′ne:ri u a′džews
la′βu: džu′wab džu′wan ′εnta lu′liэðil
ča:r ′hεlu
′jεl:a s:u′walэk ′mεjsi ′fasэl:i
α:′le:s la pa′pa la:ŋ ga′ðar ′fi:ga une:]

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