Home › Glossary › Letter B

Bedouin

Historical Location
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

Want to hear it? Click the Listen button to hear the browser speak the word using text-to-speech!

The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

A Bedouin is a member of a traditionally nomadic Arab people of the desert. The word often appears in historical or travel writing about the Middle East.

Detailed Definition
In English literature, Bedouin usually refers to the desert-dwelling Arab tribes of Arabia and nearby regions. In a poem about Lawrence, the word helps place him among the people and landscapes of the desert campaign. Modern readers may know the term, but it still carries a specific historical and cultural meaning.
Example
Example in poetry:
“With Bedouin tribes he found his place,” using Bedouin for traditionally nomadic Arab peoples of desert regions; Byron’s Oriental tales frequently place travelers among desert camps and caravans; “Bedouin tents moved with the season’s wind” links the word to mobility rather than a fixed city; use the term precisely, avoiding it as a vague synonym for all Middle Eastern people
Additional Notes
The word in the line "With Bedouin tribes he found his place" names a specific desert people, which many readers may need to identify.; Found in the poem, Desert Wind: The Ballad of Lawrence by Richard
Also Known As
Nomad Wanderer Desert Dweller Bedouin Tribe
Skip to main content