mo9ata3a مقاطعة
Moroccan Darija · noun
“mo9ata3a” (مقاطعة) is a noun in Moroccan Darija meaning district, local administrative office.
Meanings
- district, local administrative office
- boycott
Usage
In Morocco, lmo9aTa3a mainly refers to the arrondissement (district) and the neighborhood administrative office. People go there for routine procedures, such as a residence certificate or other papers: "mchit l lmo9aTa3a". The word therefore does not mean "county", which corresponds to nothing in Morocco. It also means "boycott", in the sense of a collective refusal to buy a product. In this sense it often appears in online discussions and in the media. The register is neutral and close to Standard Arabic. Context tells the two senses apart.
Example
خاصني نمشي للمقاطعة ندير الوراق
khasni nmchi l lmo9aTa3a ndir lwra9
“I have to go to the district office to sort out my papers.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “mo9ata3a” but also “m9ata3a”, “moqata3a” and “mu9ata3a”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 3 is ayn (ع), a voiced sound from deep in the throat with no English equivalent; 9 is qaf (ق), a k pronounced at the back of the throat.