bebbagha ببغة
Moroccan Darija · noun
“bebbagha” (ببغة) is a noun in Moroccan Darija meaning parrot.
Meanings
- parrot
- person who repeats without understanding
Usage
Bebbagha means the parrot, the bird seen in cages in some homes or in the souks. The word is feminine in darija: you say lbebbagha zwina. Figuratively, it is applied to someone who repeats word for word what they hear without thinking, often in the comparison bhal lbebbagha, "like a parrot". It is common for teasing a pupil who recites by heart or a person who echoes what someone else said. The spelling varies a lot online, with or without the doubled b.
Example
كيعاود غير داكشي لي سمع بحال الببغة
kay3awed ghir dakchi li sme3 b7al lbebbagha
“He just repeats what he heard, like a parrot.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “bebbagha” but also “bebagha”, “babagha”, “bbegha” and “bebgha”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.