chaoui شاوي
Algerian Darja · noun
“chaoui” (شاوي) is a noun in Algerian Darja meaning Chaoui, Berber from the Aurès.
Meanings
- Chaoui, Berber from the Aurès
- Chaoui, relating to the Chaouis
- the Chaoui language
Usage
Chaoui refers to the Amazigh people of the Aurès region in eastern Algeria (Batna, Khenchela, Oum El Bouaghi…), and is used as a noun or adjective. The feminine is chaouiya, which also names the language: yehder chaouiya, "he speaks Chaoui". The common plural is chaouiya or chawiya. The word is neutral and embraced by the people concerned, but it also appears in regional jokes about the supposedly stubborn or proud character of the Chaouis; context decides the tone. It is often paired with qbayli (Kabyle) when talking about Amazigh identities in Algeria.
Example
هو شاوي من باتنة وتعلّم القبايلية في العاصمة
howa chaoui men Batna w t3allem lqbayliya f l3asima
“He's a Chaoui from Batna, and he learned Kabyle in Algiers.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “chaoui” but also “chawi”, “chaouia” and “shawi”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.