5itab خطاب
Tunisian Derja · noun
“5itab” (خطاب) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning speech, address.
Meanings
- speech, address
- discourse, way of speaking
Usage
5itab refers first of all to a public speech, especially a political one: the 5itab of a president or a minister is discussed on television and on social media. In the sense of "rhetoric," one also speaks of a 5itab or a type of discourse (5itab dini, 5itab chaabaouî). The plural is 5itabet. Do not confuse it with 5attab ("suitor" or "matchmaker"), which looks similar in writing but has a doubled consonant and is pronounced differently, nor with 5tab ("he asked for her hand in marriage").
Example
سمعت الخطاب متاع الرئيس البارح؟
sma3t el 5itab mte3 erra2iss lbare7?
“Did you hear the president's speech yesterday?”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “5itab” but also “khitab”, “5itaab” and “5tab”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 5 is kha (خ), like the ch in Scottish loch.