9ichla قيشلة
Algerian Darja · noun
“9ichla” (قيشلة) is a noun in Algerian Darja meaning barracks, military quarters.
Meanings
- barracks, military quarters
- fort, military citadel
Usage
9ichla refers to a barracks or a military building. It is an old word of Turkish origin, used mainly by older people or when talking about historic places. Today, most speakers say kazerna instead, borrowed from French "caserne". It is used with the article: l9ichla, fel 9ichla (at the barracks). You will mostly come across it in the stories of elders or in some place names. In current conversation, it may sound dated. It does not mean a prison.
Example
جدّي كان يخدم في القيشلة
jeddi kan yakhdem fel 9ichla
“My grandfather used to work at the barracks.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “9ichla” but also “qichla”, “kichla” and “9echla”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 9 is qaf (ق), a k pronounced at the back of the throat.