welwel ولول
Algerian Darja · verb
“welwel” (ولول) is a verb in Algerian Darja meaning to ululate.
Meanings
- to ululate
- to wail loudly in mourning
Usage
Welwel means to ululate, the shrill cries that women let out at weddings, births or on hearing good news. The verb conjugates: ywelwel in the present, welwlet in the past for a woman. The corresponding noun is welwla, "ululation". With the same meaning, you also often hear zeghret, depending on the region. The Standard Arabic meaning, "to lament, to moan", exists but is rarer in everyday speech. Beware in writing: welw or walaw, "even if", looks like this word but has nothing to do with it.
Example
كي دخلت العروسة الكل ولولو
ki dekhlet la3roussa koul welwlou
“When the bride came in, all the women ululated.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “welwel” but also “welwal” and “walwal”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.