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Regular expressions
The Princeton Geniza Project database allows for search expressions containing certain 'regular expressions'. Regular expressions are codes that can be inserted in search queries to match patterns of text.
| ^string | Matches the text at the beginning of the string |
| string$ | Matches the text at the end of the string |
| . | Matches any single character (including special characters) |
| a* | Matches the sequence of zero or more of the specified character |
| a+ | Matches the sequence of one or more of the specified character |
| a? | Matches zero or one occurrence of the specified character |
| abc|def | Matches either one of the specified strings |
| [abc] | Matches any one of the specified characters |
Boolean Search
The Princeton Geniza Project database uses a boolean full-text search. This type of search allows users to combine keywords with operators to refine searches. Possible operators and examples of their use:
| מולאנא מולאי | Search for rows that contain either of two words by simply typing them consecutively. In this case, the search will find documents that contain either מולאי or מולאנא. |
| כתאבי +מולאי+ | Use a + sign before word to search for rows that contain all of them (in this case the words כתאבי and מולאי) |
| כתאבי AND מולאי כתאבי OR מולאי | The keyword AND indicates that both search terms must be present in the results. OR matches either search term. |
| כתאב –כתאבה | Use a - sign to exclude a term from your results (in this case, the search will include כתאב but exclude כתאבה) |
| *כתאב ?כתאב |
Use an asterisk or a question mark as a wildcard. An asterix matches any number of characters. A question mark matches any single character |
T-S AS 145.108
Letter from Shelomo Mizraḥi or a female family member, in Alexandria, to Ibrāhīm/Brahim Aghion, in Cairo (Miṣr). In Judaeo-Arabic, with the address in slightly broken French ("Monsier Brahim Aghion: si vous plez de le remettre tout de suite"). Dated: 20 Luglio 1885 CE. The letter is signed by Shelomo Mizraḥi, but the narrator of the letter seems to be a woman, as she uses feminine adjectives—perhaps she is Shelomo's sister. The relationship with the addressee is also confusing, because the sender refers to her "wālida" (mother) and "umm" (mother) as if they are different people. It seems that the "wālida," who is named סרינא, is actually the sender's paternal grandmother, and the addressee is her brother, which would explain why he is addressed as ʿamm (paternal uncle). In any case, everyone in the sender's household is sick (ʿayyān, ʿayyānīn). "The son of your sister" is swollen (wārim, manfūkh). "Your sister" is sick (ʿayyāna). The sender's mother (ummī) has swollen legs (rijlayhā wārimīn). The sender has a stomach ailment (ʿayyāna bi-miʿdatī). One man in the household was especially sick. The physician came to visit him twice every day. He remained bedbound for 22 days, but is now doing better. (There may be a rebuke here for the addressee, who failed to write and inquire about his health.) There may also be a couple lines of poetry (the part with long hyphens), but this needs examination. (Information in part from CUDL.) ASE
Library: CUL
Type: Letter
