trotwar طروطوار
Algerian Darja · noun
“trotwar” (طروطوار) is a noun in Algerian Darja meaning sidewalk, pavement.
Meanings
- sidewalk, pavement
Usage
Trotwar is a borrowing from French, pronounced with an emphatic t. It is in common use everywhere in Algeria for the raised edge reserved for pedestrians. You say "fouq trotwar" or "3la trotwar" for "on the sidewalk". The word is also used figuratively and pejoratively for someone with no education or qualifications, picked up "from the street". The most common plural is trotwarat. As for pronunciation, the final vowel is often a long "a", and the t's are emphatic.
Example
امشي فوق الطروطوار، ماشي في الطريق
Emchi fouq trotwar, machi fi triq
“Walk on the sidewalk, not in the road.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “trotwar” but also “6ro6waar” and “trotouar”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 6 is emphatic ta (ط).