Kitab al Mukadas ma Arabi Juba (PGAEBL)

Overview

This is a 2025 collection of scripture portions in Juba Arabic (Sudanese Creole Arabic), containing five New Testament epistles: 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, and James. It was published by Pioneer Bible Translators. [1] Juba Arabic is an Arabic-based creole that developed in the 19th century in the Equatoria region of what is now South Sudan, deriving its name from the capital city Juba. [2] It functions primarily as a lingua franca and is reportedly the most widely spoken language in South Sudan, used by the majority of the population as a first, second, or third language. [2] Bible portions in Juba Arabic have been in production since 1983. [3]

Language and People

Juba Arabic has approximately 307,000 speakers across multiple people groups, primarily in South Sudan. [3] It developed from a pidgin based on Sudanese Arabic, with heavily simplified grammar and influence from local southern Sudanese languages. [2] The language is characterized by isolating morphology, in contrast to the fusional morphology of its Sudanese Arabic lexifier. [2] Despite its widespread use, residents of some major towns outside Juba, notably Malakal and Wau, tend to use varieties closer to Sudanese Arabic rather than Juba Arabic. [2]

References