Help for an Arabic amulet

[Jochen]

Dear members of Arabic language,

here I have an amulet with an Arabic legend just acquired in Antalya/Turkey for my wife. I know it is the name of Allah but there are some small letters around which I don't know. Any help?

Thanks in advance

[KIR]

Hey Jochen

Those are not letters they are the accents of the letters and are placed so caligraphically.
For example the letters actually spell out ALLH but with the "accents" it is pronounced Allah. Alef when at the beginning of a word stands alone and is not attached to the main body of the word itself. When a vowel is inside of the world you put that 3 that fell on its back above it. Thats called Ein. And depening on the accents it becomes a, e, o or u

[Jochen]

Thanks for clarification.

Jochen

[Robert_Brenchley]

It looks like a similar system to Hebrew. It's a very similar language; if I know a Hebrew word, I can often recognise the equivalent in Arabic.

[Aarmale]

It looks like a similar system to Hebrew. It's a very similar language; if I know a Hebrew word, I can often recognise the equivalent in Arabic.

Really?
I would probably find it more similar to Nabataean, although I still can't see the equivalents.

[commodus]

It looks like a similar system to Hebrew. It's a very similar language; if I know a Hebrew word, I can often recognise the equivalent in Arabic.

Really?
I would probably find it more similar to Nabataean, although I still can't see the equivalents.

My guess is Robert is referring to the spoken languages more than the written ones. Arabic and Hebrew are closely related linguistically, though they have different writing systems. Nevertheless, both writing systems have similarities, such as being written from left to right and also the use of what are called nikudim (נִקּוּד = points) in Hebrew (I don't know the term in Arabic): the dots and dashes above or below a letter that imply the values of the vowels. If I am not mistaken, Arabic always employs these, while Hebrew does not require them to be written.

[Aarmale]

Its true, nukud is rarly used unless specifically needed.  For example, if I were to write the Nabataean  name of the "Syllaeus" (Shilai) in Hebrew, I wouldn't just write the three letters SLI (שלי), because it would be read as "Sheli", meaning "my".  I would put in the proper vowels, to make שִלַי.
Its true, sometimes I can vaguely understand Arabic linguistically.

Nevertheless, both writing systems have similarities, such as being written from left to right...

Hebrew and Arabic is read from right to left .

-Aarmale

[commodus]

Nevertheless, both writing systems have similarities, such as being written from left to right...

Hebrew and Arabic is read from right to left .

-Aarmale

Oops! Yes, of course they are -- that's what I thought I'd written.