3yat عياط
Tunisian Derja · noun
“3yat” (عياط) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning shouting, yelling.
Meanings
- shouting, yelling
- noisy quarrel
Usage
3yat is the verbal noun of 3ayyat (to shout, to call). It refers to shouts and raised voices, often in a quarrel or a noisy scene: "3yat w tkaskis" (shouting and quarrels). The register is common and informal. The verb 3ayyat also means "to call someone": "3ayyatli" means "he called me, he signalled to me". Pitfall: in Egyptian Arabic this word means "crying, weeping". In Tunisia, to cry you say bka and bké. The Egyptian meaning circulates online, but it is not Tunisian.
Example
علاش هالعياط الكل؟ اهدى شوية.
3lech hal3yat lkol ? ahda chwaya.
“Why all this shouting? Calm down a bit.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “3yat” but also “3iyat”, “3ayat”, “ayat” and “3yatt”. 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.