3a9liya عقلية
Algerian Darja · noun
“3a9liya” (عقلية) is a noun in Algerian Darja meaning mentality, way of thinking.
Meanings
- mentality, way of thinking
Usage
3a9liya is used like English "mentality", often to judge a collective or individual way of thinking. Typical phrases are 3a9liya jdida, "a new mentality", and 3a9liyet ennas, "people's mentality". The expression 3a9liya tta3 Dzayer, "Algerian mentality", comes up often, with a critical or affectionate nuance depending on context. The word can be pejorative: had l'3a9liya, "that kind of mentality", implies a reproach. The plural is 3a9liyat. The register is everyday and understood everywhere.
Example
لازم نبدلو هاد العقلية
lazem nbeddlou had l'3a9liya
“We need to change this mentality.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “3a9liya” but also “3aqliya”, “3a9lia” and “aqlia”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 3 is ayn (ع), a voiced sound from deep in the throat with no English equivalent; 9 is qaf (ق), a k pronounced at the back of the throat.
Type “3a9liya” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “mentality, way of thinking”: 39lia in Moroccan.
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “mentality, way of thinking”; “a group's mindset”: 3a9liya in Tunisian.