Members
Shahd Dibas
DPhil student in linguistics (Syntax-semantics Interface) at the University of Oxford
Project Lead/linguist
Collected the data as a corpus (40,000 words), and did the field work data collection in villages, towns and refugee camps.
Annotated all the data she collected from the people whom she interviewed, and the corpus that she collected (35,246 entries)
Added all the literal translations to the glosses of all the phrases.
Took some pictures (200).
Did the different rounds of quality check and corrections (added all the diacritics and filled the missing ones).
Designed the website
Christian Khairallah
Research Assistant at Computational Approaches to Modeling Language Lab (CAMeL Lab; NYU Abu Dhabi)
Primary software engineer and computational linguist on the project.
Maintained the resources using careful linguistic analysis, and developed code for streamlining well-formedness checks and quality control, as well as provided automatic slot filling to speed up repetitive tasks.
Created the PDF version of the lexicon.
Prof. Nizar Habash
Director of Computational Approaches to Modeling Language Lab (CAMeL Lab; NYU Abu Dhabi)
Primary advisor of the project.
Guided the definition of the guidelines for the various components of the lexicon.
Guided the evaluation and quality check process.
Guided the paper writing, website design, and dissemination efforts.
Omar Sadi
Annotated the data he collected from the people whom he interviewed (636) entries
Took some pictures (200)
Was a language informant whom Shahd interviewed several times. He also connected her with his grandmother and relatives in Jenin.
Dr. Tariq Sairafy
Assistant Professor in Arabic Literature and Criticism at UCES-UNRWA
Checked all the roots of Maknuune and offered some useful suggestions.
Answered all of the questions regarding the part of speech as he is an expert in MSA.
Consulted several references and shared them with the researchers.
Karmel Sarabta
Annotated the data she collected (626) entries.
Abrar Arda
Took some pictures (400)
Was a language informant whom Shahd interviewed several times. She also connected her with her family members and friends at Askar Refugee Camp/Nablus.
Acknowledgement
This work would have never been possible without the help of so many outstanding people who believed in Maknuune from the very beginning and helped it grow with authentic data that was collected from different settings and sources in order to reflect language diversity. Some of the language users agreed to be interviewed more than one time, and they kindly connected Shahd with their grandparents and other relatives in the different towns, villages and refugee camps in Palestine. Unfortunately, some language users preferred to be anonymous and asked us not to write their names. We are deeply grateful to all of the language users for their time and patience in answering Shahd's questions! All of them contributed largely to the growth of Maknuune. It is worth mentioning that some of the language users whom Shahd interviewed were the last living people in some villages that can now only be found in old British maps. We also need to highlight that some language users passed away since the beginning of the project. Sadly, with their death, we lost part of the truth about how our beautiful Palestine was before the Nakba in 1948. Therefore, this work is dedicated to them and to all Palestinians no matter where they live. We hope that this collective effort would enable us to preserve the cultural identity and the linguistic heritage of Palestinians, root Palestinians who are constantly being uprooted, and help the young generation of Palestinians who live in the diaspora learn more about Palestine from the language that their people use.
Adnan Abu-Shamma
(Salfit/Nablus)
Salah Uddin Dibas
(Tulkarm Refugee Camp/Tulkarm)
Wafa Sabbah
(Tulkarm)
Abeer Ismail
(Ramallah)
Issra'a Ghazzawi
(Jalazone Refugee Camp/Ramallah)
Kazem Abu-Khalaf (Hebron/Jerusalem)
Eman Nasser
(Deir Qaddis/Ramallah)
Sahar Yousef
(Al-Almaniyye Neighborhood/Jenin)
Sewar Jamal
(Beit Surik/Jerusalem)
Badia Yacoub
(Shoufa village/Tulkarm)
Tamer Zagharneh
(Ramadin/Hebron)
Yazan Jakhaadbe
(Ramadin/Hebron)
Maryam Saleh
(Rantiyya/Jaffa-Jalazone Refugee Camp/Ramallah)
Yousef Maarouf
(Ein Yabroud/Ramallah)
Shaimaa Mansour
(Biddu/Jerusalem)
Falak Soboh
(Al-Faraa Refugee Camp/ Tubas)
Omar Hamada
(Beit Lid/Tulkarm)
Ghaidaa Shafie
(Ramallah)
Mahmoud Salman
(Ramin/Tulkarm)
Iman Sarafandi
(Ramallah)
Malak Flaifel
(Al Am'ari Refugee Camp/Ramallah)
Mariam Abu Dyak
(Silat ad-Dhahr/Jenin)
Bara'a Zahran
(Biddu/Jerusalem)
Aya Abu Nusair
(Beit Safafa/Jerusalem)
Dawood Dibas (Abo Mohammed)
(Khirbet Dibas- Tulkarm Refugee Camp/Tulkarm)
Eida Hassan (Umm Jihad)
(Aumm Ezzenaat/Jaffa-Jenin Refugee Camp)
Umm Ibrahim
(Beit Lid/Tulkarm)
Lubna Abu-Khalaf
(Hebron/Jerusalem)
Ameera Freijat
(Ramadin/Hebron)
Marwa Ikwain
(Surif/Hebron)
Razan Allawzy
(Qalandya Refugee Camp/Jerusalem)
Bayan Saleh
(Jifna/Ramallah)
Rahma Bani Ghurra
(Jenin Refugee Camp/Jenin)
Shaimaa Metani
(Immatin/Qalqilya)
Yasmeen Mansour
(Biddu/Jerusalem)
Diana Noaman
(Biddu/Jerusalem)
Saja Shehada
(Qalandia Refugee Camp/Jerusalem)
Mojahed Jabbareen
(Khirbet At-Taybe/Jenin)
Thaer Lahlouh
(Arraba/Jenin)
Mu'omen Hannoun
(Balata Refugee Camp/Nablus)
Baraa Jamhour
(Beit Anan /Jerusalem)
Mutaz Ghawadra
(Bir Al-Basha/Jenin)
Omar Wahdan
(Ramallah)
Kawkab Abu-Khalaf (R.I.P)
(Hebron/Jerusalem)
Islam Abu-Qaoud
(Askar Refugee Camp/Nablus)
Muhyi Uddin Al-Khatib (Abu El-Aref)
(Hizma/Jerusalem)
Raed Shobaki (R.I.P)
(Surda/Ramallah)
Lamis Zahi
(Ramallah)
Bassam Abu Obeid
(Isawiya/Jerusalem)
Suleiman Khateeb
(Hizma/Jerusalem)
Fatima Sheikh
(Beit Surik/Jerusalem)
Abo Ahmad
(Qatanna/Ramallah)
Zainab Dibas
(Tulkarm Refugee Camp/Tulkarm)
Zakiyye Dibas
(Khirbet Dibas/Tulkarm)
Rafa Abo Zarifa
(Nablus)
Khalid Dibas
(Tulkarm Refugee Camp/Tulkarm)
Mohammad Dibas
(Tulkarm)
Amal Yousef
(Qalqilya)
Nihaya Tartir
(Ramallah)
Razan Yaghmour
(Hebron/Jerusalem)
Hossam Habbabe
(Bayt Iksa)
Imad Hassan
(Jenin Refugee Camp)
Zbaida Bakr (R.I.P)
(Beit Dajan/Jaffa)
Asmaa Musleh
(Ramallah)
Aisha Sabbah
(Tulkarm)
Umm Walid
(Askar Refugee Camp/Nablus)
Umm Yasin
(Ktaaba Village/Tulkarm)
Hilwe (Umm Omar) (R.I.P)
(Jenin )
Abdulhakeem Assaf (Abo Murad)
(Ramallah)
Tasnim Suleiman
(Ramallah)
Aisha Shamasne
(Ramallah)
Hajar Sarahneh
(Fawwar Refugee Camp/Hebron)
Sara Abu Rezeq
Ayat Rizeq
Umm Khalid
(Beit Fajjar/Bethlehem)
Sara Taqatqa
(Beit Fajjar/Bethlehem)
Rawiya Omar
(Battir/Bethlehem)
Malak Baajawi
(Ramallah)
Rewaa Amasi
(Hebron)
Yasmin Abo Abed
(Jenin)
Laila Hammash
(Bethlehem)
Razan Abd Rabbo
(Jabal Abu Rumman/Hebron)
Hanan Hamaideh
(Beit Lid/Tulkarm)
Rania Fayyad
(Al Harthiyya/Jenin)
Dalal Ayesh
(Biddu/Jerusalem)
Tabarak Jbara
(Tulkarm)
Abo Ahmad
(Qaisariyya Neibourhood/Nablus)
Umm Odai
(Qaisariyya Neibourhood/Nablus)
Yazan Jumaa
(Beit Lid/Tulkarm)
Ghadeer Miskawi
(Azzoun/Qalqilya)
Sharifa Jumaa (R.I.P)
(Beit Lid/Tulkarm)
Omar Shakir Hamada (R.I.P)
(Beit Lid/Tulkarm)
Zuhdi Rashed
(Beit Lid/Tulkarm)
Fathiyye Draidi
(Beit Lid/Tulkarm)
Ahmad Atallah (R.I.P)
(Beit Lid/Tulkarm)
Rasmiyye Sadi (Umm Fouzi)
(Al-Mazar/Arabbuna/Beit Imrin/Jenin)
Umm Khalid
(Khirbat Al-Taqa-Tubas/Nablus)
Abo Ziyad
(Sa'sa'-Jaba'/Jerusalem)
Amira Hassan
(Jericho)
Said Hassan
(Jericho)
Iyad Samaane
(Sebastia/Nablus)
Fayiz Sadi
(Jenin)
Nasr Uddin Sadi
(Jenin)
Firas Sadi
(Jenin)
Kifah Sadi
(Jenin)
Sobhiyya Sadi
(Jenin)
Amani Sadi
(Jenin)
Rajaa Jalamna
(Jenin)
Kamal Jalamna
(Jenin)
Jawad Jalamna
(Jenin)
Hala Shalbak
(Jenin)
Alia Hassan
(Hebron)
Sura Majdi
(Jerusalem)
Saba Al-Muhtadi
(Jerusalem)
Fatima Sheikh
(Beit Surik/Jerusalem)
Khadr Sheikh
(Beit Surik/Jerusalem)
Ibrahim Arda (R.I.P)
(Yazur/Jaffa-Askar Refugee Camp/Nablus)
Walid Ibrahim Arda
(Askar Refugee Camp/Nablus)
Fatima Kashef
(Askar Refugee Camp/Nablus)
Jamal Sheikh (Abo Firas)
(Deir Ammar Refugee Camp/ Ramallah)
Mohammad Ghanayem
(Beit Lid/Tulkarm)
Abu Malik
(Khirbet Al-Nuwayriyya -Aida Refugee Camp/Bethlehem)
Sara Omar (Umm Ahmad)
(Aida Refugee Camp/Bethlehem)
Eman Gharib
(Jerusalem)
Mahdi Darras
(Jericho)
Khalid Shish
(Jericho)
Hisham Tlaib
(Ein Arik/Ramallah)
Shadi Zughayyar
(Battir/Bethlehem)
Roqayya Abd Rabbo
(Ajjur/Hebron-Ein Al Sultan Refugee Camp)
Afnan Qaddumi
(Jerusalem)
Roqayya Qaddumi
(Jerusalem)
Ali Sobhi
(Bayt Nabala-Qatanna/Jerusalem)
Atallah Jamal
(Kufr Jammal/Tulkarm)
Samira Ali
(Kufr Abbush/Tulkarm)
Umm Loay
(Kufr Abbush/Tulkarm)
Omar Khrisha
(Jayyus/Tulkarm)
Alia Jayyusi (Umm Ayman)
(Jayyus/Tulkarm)
Ahmad Khadr
(Farun/Tulkarm)
Sobhi Shamasne
(Qatanna/Jerusalem)
Tasnim Shamasne
(Qatanna/Jerusalem)
We would also like to thank Prof. Jihad Hamdan and Mohammed Abo Odeh for the very useful discussions.
Special thanks to Ahmad Habash for designing the Maknuune picture and logo