Portuguese Aljamia in Light of Maghrebi Vernacular Arabic

forthcoming

This research seeks to address a significant gap in the study of Aljamia—Romance languages written in Arabic script. Unlike the numerous Aljamiado texts produced by Moriscos in Spain, the Portuguese Aljamia corpus consists of only eight known samples, compiled into a small notebook preserved in the National Archive of Torre do Tombo. These texts are believed to be versions of 16th-century Portuguese correspondences, translated from Middle Arabic originals, many attributed to Yahya U-Ta‘fuft (Bentafuf), a Berber leader serving King Manuel I during the Portuguese presence in Morocco in the early modern period. Despite partial editions, these documents have never been compiled into a full critical edition. The proposed edition aims to address long-standing questions, such as the authorship of these Aljamia texts and the function of using Arabic script for Portuguese. An interdisciplinary approach will enable a comprehensive analysis, combining philological and palaeographic examinations with Arabic linguistics, while situating the texts within the historical context of Portuguese expansion in North Africa. Central to this framework is the role of Maghrebi vernacular Arabic, as the texts exhibit significant influences from spoken Arabic varieties, which likely shaped both the translations and script choices. The project also highlights the role of Arabic-Portuguese translators, often Jewish intermediaries—such as the Benzamerro family—based in Atlantic coastal cities like Safi, Azemmour, and Mazagan. Finally, the study will explore translation choices from vernacular Arabic into Portuguese—written in both Latin and Arabic scripts—focusing on omissions, calques, loans, and additions. Through a critical edition of all versions of these texts, this research aims to clarify questions of authorship and highlight the linguistic varieties involved: 16th-century Portuguese and Middle Arabic, influenced by Maghrebi vernacular forms.