3a9liya عقلية
Tunisian Derja · noun
“3a9liya” (عقلية) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning mentality, way of thinking.
Meanings
- mentality, way of thinking
- a group's mindset
Usage
3a9liya is very commonly used to talk about the way a person or a group thinks, often with a critical nuance: "3a9liya mta3 jmal" or "3a9liya ma tetbadelch", to lament behaviour seen as backward or stubborn. In the construct state, the form becomes 3a9liyet: "3a9liyet ettounsi", the mentality of the Tunisian. The word belongs to the neutral register and is used in conversation as well as in TV debates or on social media. It can also be positive: "3andou 3a9liya behya", he has a good mindset.
Example
المشكل موش في الفلوس، المشكل في العقلية.
el mochkel moch fel flous, el mochkel fel 3a9liya.
“The problem isn't money, the problem is the mentality.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “3a9liya” but also “3a9leya”, “aqliya”, “3akliya” and “3a9liyyit”. 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.
Type “3a9liya” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “mentality, way of thinking”: 39lia in Moroccan.
In Algerian Darja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “mentality, way of thinking”: 3a9liya in Algerian.