According to the GNU project's Bash Reference manual, Bash's arrays are one dimensional, whether they be indexed or associative. That means you can't nest them. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but I don't think what you're trying to do is possible.

According to the GNU project's Bash reference manual, Bash's arrays are one-dimensional, whether they be indexed or associative. That means you can't nest them. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but I don't think what you're trying to do is possible.