chalal شلل
Moroccan Darija · noun
“chalal” (شلل) is a noun in Moroccan Darija meaning paralysis.
Meanings
- paralysis
- standstill, paralysis (figurative)
Usage
Chalal is the formal term for paralysis. It is mostly heard in medical vocabulary, on radio or television, or at the doctor's, for example in chalal l'atfal (polio). In everyday conversation, people often prefer to talk about the person: mchloul, meaning "paralysed". The word is also used figuratively for an activity that is completely blocked, such as a city or an administration at a standstill. The register remains fairly formal, close to Standard Arabic. It can be used safely in a medical or journalistic context.
Example
جدي جاه الشلل فرجليه
jeddi jah chalal f rjlih
“My grandfather was struck by paralysis in his legs.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “chalal” but also “shalal” and “chalel”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “chalal” on the Arabic keyboard
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “paralysis (medical)”; “total standstill of an activity”: chalal in Tunisian.